Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1897-02-19
An Up-to-Date Preacher.

''iiiii" III dlii'IiS NltI Iil'Il anu HtNS-
papers. both East and West. The
party was 10 be Il masquerade Of high
precautions, and Is variou>ly estimated
t" cost the wealthy Bradley-Martin
family somewhere in the neighbor-
hood of n quarter Of Il million dollars
One newspaper reporter put it $780,,
900.
Some weeks before the time APP
pointed for the ball, the Rev. Dr.
Rainsford, ri st. Georges Church.
New York, called attention to the af.
fair i'll Il sermon before large audi
cnce and solcmnly warned his people
not to commit sin 10y attending such
an eXtravagant display OF wealth at a
time when there was so much suffer.
ing among the unemployed and poor
OF that great city.
His severe treatment of the affair
called out complimentary response
from millionaire Russell Sage, in a
telling article in one of the New York
dailics. Mr.. Sage likened the coming
ball to similar displays of wealth in
France which brought on the terrible
revolution and the appalling scenes
which transpired in the French capt.
tai. He joined the reverend gentle
man in advising rich New Workers to
stay at their homes on the night of
the ball.
Chicago and San Francisco papers
commented in q similar strain; the
general verdict being that one such
wanton display ut a time like the
present could do more to incite the
bad passions of the middle and lower
classes than the combined efforts of a
thousand calamity howlers.
But thefbiggcst sensation of all re-
suited from sermon in the Academy
of Music, New York, delivered by
Rev. Thomas Dixon, on the Sunday
that closed the month of January.
This preacher of the gospel, if such he
may be called. made himself the
proud champion of the Bradley
Martins, as he denounced everybody
who interfered with this extrayagant
display.
The following excerpts will give an
idea of the reverend gentleman's
views in regard to wealthy people and
their social rights. New Ethics of
Wealth" was the topic ON which he
spoke. 1t was the first of a series of
sermons on Threat of Social Revo-
luton" All such talk he said, was
the result of the disturbed nerve GEN.
tiers of high tension and overweight
nerves. People are easily alarmed by
small things, often saw double and
expected to find a ghost when they
heard raps on the outer door, when, in
fact, the noise might be produced by
the wagging from the friendly watch
dogs tail. He continued:
1.-THE recent furore which was cre-
ated by attacking the Bradley-Martins,
10 ~ vrxa boil
Quence of these conditions and is only
an echo of the cry of the century that no
man has right to do as he pleases with
what he possesses. These persons are
going to give ball and pay for it them
selves, yet it is urged that they ought
not to spend all that money in that
fashion, but give it to the poor This is
merely the outcroppings of the old en-
nifty that has existed for four thousand
years.
"a ball is ball. 1t makes no diff
ference where it is held--in the Waldorf
or on the Bowery. The underlying
principle is the same, whether it is a
big or little one, and the persons who
attend it have the right to drink wine or
beer as they choose. AS far as the
principle is concerned it makes not one
iota of difference. Man needs amuse-
ment and he has TO spend a certain
amount OF money to obtain it. 1 have
to have it and l get it, but don't get it
for nothing.
81 might be called bloated aristo.
crat because / drink icewater in sum-
mer, but 1 am bound to have it. l
could take warm water, but / prefer it
cold. When l am spending money for
my own amusement somebody else is
hungry. These are fundamental, ele.
mental facts and you can't get away
from them.
"If l should have 81 900 900 and the
public should attempt to dictate to me
how should spend it, would say, as
did certain member of the Vanderbilt
family, The public be ID
who is this public that they should
attempt to dictate to me? Who are
these people that propose to give this
ball? Their ancestors were patriots
and they acquired their wealth honestly,
If l had millions, would l spend ali
in charity? No. Would you? No. WHY,
the proposition is nonsensical. IfIhad
millions would build boat that could
60 around the world and spend the
cOiiu Va III OUT
my education that might perfect nv
self as teacher of men. A man would
be fool to give away fortune"
1t may be reasonably concluded that
Rev. Dixon drank something stronger
than ice-water in his palatial home
that night after the sermon; say
flagons of costly wine sent in to him
by his wealthy church members for
the good work he had done for their
cause in delivering such a bold and
up-to-date sermon. And we can fur
ther imagine how his royal highness,
the arch tiend, stood over the rollick-
ing preacher while he was drinking !;
patting his head, giving for i'll
stance, the whispered assurance, "Well
done, good and faithful servant, enter
into the joy of my internal home,
where iced drinks will help you endure
the birthstone temperatureW