Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1897-12-24
CHRISTMAS DINNERS AND CHRIST.

To the Editor:
have seen 1t stated that in New
York, tomorrow evening, forty persons
viii dine together who will represent
$i0OoO0,0O0. Presumably they are all
In their own estimation. Christians.
There are, in all probability, 10000
people In New York who win have no
other Christmas dinner than the regu-
lar ten-cent meal of the other three
hundred and slxty-four days of the
year. There are, in the United States,
probably 100000 people who will have
no better fare than the poor OF New
York.
The elaborate dinner Of these forty
people, representing the many millions
Of dollars win cost, In all It's extrava-
ganees, say. $4,000. That is S625 per
plate. That is not n mild estimate
when such people set out to excel. Yet
| that dinner win not cost each one OF
those pampered children OF ficltle for
tune as much as VIII the poor ten-cent
| lunch. or the twenty-five cent dinner,
cost to the millions of poor people in
the land. That is, the moral way Of
looking at the cost of a Christmas din
ner Is from the standpoint of the
means In hand to buy II. To the poor
man or woman with all their money in
their pocket and no knowledge of
where the next instalinent Is to come
FROM 20 cents IS more, vastly more,
than sG25 each TO forty persons who
represent Sf00.00o,000
Imagine Christ. In whose name those
millionaires Will gather and revel.
coming unannOunced into that ban
quet halt Suppose that before visit
ing the elite" He has gone about the
city and visited the homes of the poor,
where He has seen women and children
shivering with cold In wretched gar
rets. no fire. no food, and only rags for
raiment; poor. pinched, forlorn crea-
lures unto whom death is coming in
the skeleton Of starvation; people hope
less and unto whom the promise OF
the Savior that the poor should be
blessed has lost all meaning through
their sufferings; people for whom the
sunlight brings no joy; people unto
whom life is curse from cradle to
grave; people who never receive
hand shake or God bless you" from
year to year; people who, because they
are poor" are doomed to live with
far less comfort than have the dogs of
the families who count their money by
millions; people who feel that the rich
are their enemies. and who are tempt
ed. day In and out, to resort to some
desperate deed to take from those who
have too much to satisfy the hard
needs, the unsatisfed cravings for
comfort, of those who have nothing
suppose, l say, that Christ should
come TO New York tomorrow, and,
having seen the condition of the poor
people there, He should then enter I'M
announced upon the revels and orgies
OF the mlllionalres at their CHRIST
MAS dinnerl
He would enter with no clang of
trumpets He would wear no dress
suit. No diamonds would glitter on
his breast He would walk in quietly,
dressed in plainest garb. He would
move with the dlgnified tread of the
kingliest of kings. He would not be
abashed by the stares of the jewellers.
They would demand OF the head
waiter" who was this fellow" intrud-
ing upon their select company. They
would order Him removed Their
lackeys would advance upon Him. He
would stretch forth Ills arm and they
would stink covering away. and speak,
ing to the jewellers in honor of His
birth, He would say:
Unto you much has been given. OF
you, because of that. much Is required.
AT the expense of the toilers of the
world you have amassed wealth. Every
dollar you hold has been produced by
labor, by men who toll by the poor.
Every dollar that you have beyond the
average right of the tollng masses to a
fair share Of what they produce IL
robbery. While you revel here. the
masses suffer from want. While you
riot In your riches, vast numbers of the
representatives OF the class of men
who made you rich are pulling hard
against the stream of adversely to live.
Instead of honoring the anniversary of
my birth. You are degrading 1t. In
stead OF doing the will of my Father.
you are gratifying your own base lusts,
You are worshiplng Mammon, not
God, The poor have called upon you
In vain. You have given your money
10 build churches in my name, to en-
cow temples OF learning In my name,
but the poor you have scorned. You
think to bride the Heavenly Father by
this ostentatious use of your wealth.
Hypocrites! You deceive only your-
selves. Blasted forever be your dis
JUNCTION of rich and poor, and know
that only the pure In heart shall rise to
be received by the Father. Know that
II IL not by your riches, your gold. your
diamonds that you will be measured.
put by your character. by what you
nave been, by what you have done To
help mankind. and realize that millions
OF the poor whom you desplse will rlge
above you In the day when, forced to
ieiVe your wealth, you shall stand for
Judgment with the dead"
VI course, there would be terrible
CONSERVATION in New York IL such n
thing should occur. But. suppose
Christ should come to Salt Lake, what
then! There would be some awful
thunder II He should appear and un-
uerstaha all That has been done In His
haIle' CHARLES ELLIS,