The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1896-11-30
@THE MISUSE OF MONEY"
Il SERMON ny REV. @, r. MAsDEN or
THE FIRST METHODIST CRURCH.

Money a Power-Dr. Masden Tells of It's
Proper Use When Wealth Becomes
Blessing and of How Its Misuse Brings
Sorrow and Despair.
A summary of DIR. Masden's sermon
delivered at the First Methodist church
last evening follows. His text was;
THE Golden Calf or the Misuse of
Money" Exodus 80.
THE history of golden calf is
repeated in modern times and money is
perverted and turned from proper use
into idolatrous purposes. Gold Is ex-
cellent as respects its proper use, but
bad as an object of worship. 1t Is
then a good thing put to bad use.
Money is a talent, and rightly used,
power for good. Hence, is the duty of
accumulation, and three or four ways
| to gain possession of money, viz, to
earn it, to inherit it, to steal it. There
| fore the methods of accumulation are
questions involving moral philosophy
as we'll as political economy The rights
OF property and the accumulation and
! the duty of accumulation are addition
al facts in citizenship and Christian
| character, The apostolic distribution,
| when there was a common fund, some
! times quoted as an example of eommu-
nistic teaching, but this New Testa-
ment communism was based upon gen.
crosby and the good of the needy-that
is, on Christian charity and met and
counteracted the demands and dlsposi-
industrious and sober
ITO resume. To convert money into
j golden calf and worship it is certainly
a perversion of this God-given talent;
and yet, the Israelltes are not alone in
doing this. There are four golden calves
l mean to name. The first is boarding.
That is, to use money only for pur-
poses of increasing money; the sole
motive being to roll together great
pile-this is converting it into golden
calf.
Men who make money faster than
they know how to organize and use it,
injure true manhood ana lose them
selves and their possessions.
THE second golden calf is pro-
| digality-the prodigal makes only fol-
| the sake of spending, and spending il
without any idea of it's moral value OF
the personal responsibility for it's use
The third golden calf is pride. When
a man adds to his possessions eonceit;
when he straightens himself UP an6
holds his head up above those less for
tunate than himself he is sure to be-
come bankrupt in manhood. The poor
est man in the world is a man who
touches his fellowmen in the fewest
points, and the richest man is he who
has the greatest sympathies and draws
happiness from a thousand springs.
THE fourth golden calf is sensuality
money becomes fuel for appetite an6
lust, and it burns out the character Of
life, leaving mere human wrecks; il
floats the rum traffic, which is ma.
tions whirlpool. swallowing up it's very
soul.
Again, money is made to exchange
for better things. Money can be KEEP
in pocket or bank, and it may go or
a mission of blessing; it can be kept as
shining coin, or it can be converted intc
morality, intelligence and manhood. I
can build saloons and manufacture in.
ebriates or erect churches as watch
towers. Shall we invest it, then, so a.
to bring in more money or exchange
part of it for these transcendental val
ues?
ITO conclude; will your money tun,
harp or compel a groan? VIII it STUD
a crown or mantle the soul with de
spair?"