The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1897-09-01
SAM JONES
Greed, and not Religion, now Rules the
World.
atlanta Journal.


World.
atlanta Journal.
Whatever tends to hurt or better
our condition for this world is fur
nishing themes for the politician, po-
litical economist, the editor, and so
on. Buy and sell and get gain, heap
ing up riches and knowing not who
shall gather them. In the social and
business world conversations all turn
towards business and Bargains. "Eat,
drink and be merry, for tomorrow you
de-" seems to be the motto of those
who have money at their command
and for the want Of money to eat drink
and be merry the balance of humanity
is growing and complaining. Man
has lost sight of his moral side and his
moral nature. The Ten Command
ments and the Sermon on the Mount
find very little room in this country
in the hearts and lives Of the people.
The average fellow does not ask, lis
this thing right or wrong?" but
Chow much money is there in it2' or
elbow much might I lose?" Charac-
ter does not count. If a fellow pays
his bills he has the right of way,
whether he be a gambler, libertine or
devil.
If men are getting better it is be-
cause they are not6nancially able to be
worse. A man cannot drink as much
whiskey and beer; he cannot gamble
and carouse with an empty pocket. ]
sat on the train yesterday with a Ger
man, who lives in Cincinnati. He
didn't know me. I never met him
before, but we entered into converse
ton on the improvement Of the times.
He said there was Improvement.
"But," he said, "these hard times
have brought good to me-. haven't
the money to spend for beer and de-
bauchery that once had. When I
drank beer and caroused didn't want
much to eat, but now | am eating
three square meals a day, living eco
nomically and comfortably, and I am
in better health and Spirits" he
said, s'sthan ever before. These
hard times have taught me that I
.cantliye on less, and that living on
less I am happier and healthier"
Really the statistics of the United
States show that the death rate is de-
creasing in the last few years. The
cities boast of the death rate decreas-
ing. It is a decrease Of beer-gurgling
and whiskey-drinking and debauchery
that is prolonging life. Ihave no pa
thence with the fellow who is growing
about hard times when he has had ev-
cry opportunity and facility to have
made himself comfortable in life, but
has thrown away his earnings in sin
and now he complains against God
and man. God knows all Of US are
getting along better than we deserve.
Most Of us ought to be in the chain
gang about the way we treat ourselves
and God. IF we would devote more
Of our time to praying and reading
the Scriptures and cultiyating our
moral nature and corelating in our lives
the graces and virtues of religion we
,wouldabe far happier and more con-
tented.
A mans happiness does not consist
in what he has, but it does consist in
what he is. Think of a fellow going
about weighing 200 pounds avoirdu-
pois with a little old, shriveled-up,
dried-up soul in his body that hasen't
had a square meal from Heaven in
ten years, shooting off his mouth
about government and want Of pros
perity and all that sort Of thing. Most
all Of the growing I hear is by the
fellows who curse and groRl both. He
is some old goddess backslider in the
church or some near old sinner out of
the church who is doing the growing.
I despise the man who kicks the fill
ing out Of himself and then goes about
complaining about being kicked. An
old kicker ought to shun himself as
studiously as he shuns the business
end of a mule.
I have heard more talk in the last
thirty days about a fall in silver and
q rise in wheat than I have heard on
the Ten Commandments and Bible
ethics in twelve months. TO call'this
nation a Christian nation is a mis-no-
mer. It is a nation of ~idolators; ''for
covetousness is idolatry," says the
Book. The old farmer worships his
farms, the doctor his profession, the
miser his gold, the dude his clothes,
the dudine her status in society, the
negro worships watermelons and pos
sums; and so on we 60. | believe
God has a quarrel with this nation
and with this people. No nan can
read the Old Testament Scriptures
how God dealt with them in foEmer
days but will see that history is'but
repeating itself. We have robbed
God and robbed one another until it is
a common saying ,that confidence is
gone. Men lose faith in God, and
have lost faith in one another; stifed
their c%onsciences, over-ridden that
higher, inner light, and now only the
things satisfy them which feed their
gain and fill their pockets. The
churches themselves are dead, unless
they should show signs Of life at a
musicale CIR fall out over the removing
or rebuilding of a church or differ on
some policy, whether God is for it or
not. san"
The worst form of idolatry is self
ishness. The best form of Christi
anity is that which sacrifices self and
lives for others. In society it is a
race for place; in business it is a STAN
pede for gain; in the church it is
a run for position: in politics, it is to
get Office at the sacrifice of both man
hood and principle. There are some
good men in this world but they are
not running this world. They are
relegated to the rear as a rule. They
have very little voice in the councils