The times., 1897-12-20
BIBLE ECONOMICS AND CIVICS.
BY JOHN NJ. GREGORY. IL. D.
FIRST TRUTHS.

Scienc. heyins the history OF mankind
with the oniinous words, Struggle for
existence The Bible opens the same
history, after Eden, with the equal lly
ominous divine declaration, In the sweat
Of thy face shalt thou eat bread till ttior
return unto tie ground" These two teach
the same truth. The latter was pre-
dictinn the former is only scientific tes-
timony tC its fufillment.
The primal struggle or human kind, as
science sees II, was the conflict OF man
with nature, animate and iGaniIuate, fnf
the scaut supplies which the wOrltl-wilde--
ness afforded. This struggle as the Bible
describes it, was mans toll to control ma
ture and compel ID to produce Wholesome
food in Place Of thorns and thistles- The
one was the gfappIc of the wild human
animal With still wilder nature: the other
was the later, tioueht-guided work of
man, in hom the glimpse Of Eden life
had awakened liner tastes and conscious
ness of higher powers.
The first step III human civilization was
the birth OF that kinely feeling which
ans wered to tie divine command, Multiply
and repleniSh Cor fill the earth. and sub
due IL and have dominion over it, la
scene-, aud predicts the conquest which
no science would have dared to promise.
Who could nave foretold that the 'strnggie
for existeuce'' would end in the suhju.st-
ton of ratUre's entire domain? Or who
would havo believed that while other 4 NJ
mais should be confined To their special
habitat>, man alone would be able To
replenish the whole earth with his kind?
-
magnificent conquests.
1.-THE GENESIS OF ECONOMICS
In the struggle for existeuce. and the
triumph Of man over nature, lay the field
OF economic science, the science Of work
ana wealth. The day that mau began
10 worSt ard to count the products OF
his lahoT as having value, ecDnu;nics was
iorn; the ages passed before men began
To CLASSIFY it, facts, or study its prin-
ciplss and laws. Political economy is
hut the science of the worlds housekeep-
ing. Wherever man works TO live, eco
! Hoiuic sei.uce begins. Whenever this
work leaves a valuable product for flu
| ture needs wealth is !sorn, and the second
phase Of economies appears When men
exchange one product for another, the
third class oc economic phenomena comes
into sight, aid the circle of pure economies
il complete. PrUductiou by labor, acCuIuti
I Ia ting procucts as wealth or capital, and
eNchangIn. these products in trade. these
simple facts constitute the field that the
economist investigates.
The first savage that lartered a fish
for Teather or a club, asserted both the
existence Of values 5nd the rights uf prop
erty; ana when he discoyered that f-ath-
ers OF shells c.Iuld he used 10 bay ard sell
with. he discovered the secret Of money.
ana added the science OF finance to that oi
economies.
Cain and Abel invented the division Of
labor when one hecam a "tiiIer of
the ground and tire other "a keeper Of
sheep Then economic classes began
and social economies appeared.
Thus economies. or political economy,
which some regard as mere mass OF
theories, AMI others as an inscruta BILE
mystery, l. made up of facts and truths aS
cld as humanity itself. They lie beide,l
in the conditions of tie human life and the
laws of nature. Is known and orderly
science It is of modern origin: but its
practical phenomena can be found Jn
every page Of the history Of mankind, AMI
nowhere more clearly than In the pa ces;
Of tie Bible. The first ten chapters OF
Genesis which cover the history of man
kind { III tile dispensing or nations after the
flood, are full OF incbierts which throw
mankind.