Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1898-08-13
HONEST BEFORE GOD.
DR.. TALMAeE DEGREES RUlNous
MODES OF GETTING MONEY.

Temptations Under Which Great Mon
Have Fallen-EvIls of Bribery In Public
Life and Dishonesty In Business-ThInga
Which Undermine tho Soul.
| Copyright $685. by American Press Asso-
cintion.l
WASHINGTON, Aug 7.-Dr. Talmage
in this discourse arraigns the various
modes by which some people get money
that does not belong to them and CON-
mends the fair dealing that succeeds
best at last; text, Timothy vi, 8, "They
that will be rich fall into temptation
and snare and into many foolish and
hurtful lusts, which drown men in de-
struction and perdition.
That is the Niagara falls over which
rush multitude of souls-namely, the
determination to have the money any
how, right or wrong. Tell me how a
man gets his money and what he does
with it, and will tell you his character
and what will be his destiny i'll this
world and the next propose to speak
today about the rninous modes Of get
ting money.
In all our city, state and national
elections large sums of money are used
in bribery. Politics, from being the
science of good government, has often
been bedraggled into the synonym
for truculency and turpitude. A mon
ster sin, plausible, potent, pestiferous,
has gone forth to do its dreadful work
in all ages. Its two hands are rotten
with leprosy. 1t keeps its right hand
hidden in deep pocket The left hand
is clinched and with its ichorous knuc-
kle it taps at the door of the courtroom,
the legislative hall, the congress and the
parliament. The door swings open and
the monster enters and glides through
the aisle of the council chamber as soft
ly as slippered page, and then it takes
it's right hand from its deep pocket and
offers it in salutation to judge or legis-
lator. If that hand be taken, and the
palm of the intruder cross the palm of
the official, the leprosy crosses from
palm to palm in round blotch, round
as u gold eagle, and the virus spreads,
and the doom is fixed, and the victim
perishes Let bribery, accursed of God
and man, stand up for trial.
The Bible arraigns it again and
again. Samuel says of his two sons,
who became judges, "They took brides
and perverted judgment. David says
of some of his pursuers, Their right
hand is full of brides. Amos says of
some men in his day, "They take Il
bride and turn aside the poor in the
gate. Eliphaz foretells the crushing
blows of Gods indignation. declaring,
"Fire shall consume the tabernacles of
bribery
No Light Temptation.
1t isno light temptation. The might
est have fallen under it. Lord Bacon,
lord chancellor of England, founder of
our modern science, author of "Novum
Organum" and whole library of
books, the leading thinker of his cen
tury, SO precocious that when a little
child he was asked by Queen Elizabeth,
Chow old are you?" he responded, 81
am two years younger than your maj
esty's happy reign" of whose oratory
Ben Jonson wrote, "The fear Of every
man that heard him was lest he should
make IN end" having all income which
you would suppose would have put him
beyond the temptation of bribery-S36,
600 year and Twickenham Court, d
gift, and princely estates in HEREFORD
shire-yet, under this temptation to
bribery, falling fiat into ruin, and on
his confession of taking brides, giving
as excuse that all his predecessors took
them, he was fined $500, O0O-or what
corresponds with our $2c0, 000-and
imprisoned in London Tower.
The black chapter in English, Irish,
French and American politics is the
chapter of bribery. Some of you remem-
Der the Pacific Mail subsidies. Most Of
you remember the awful tragedy Of the
Credit Mobilier. Under the temptation
to bribery Benedict Arnold sold the fort
in the Highlands for s31, 575. For this
sin Gorgey betrayed Hungary, Ahitho-
phel forsook David and Judas kissed
Christ. When I see so many OF the
illustrious going down under this temp
tation, it makes me think of the red
dragon spoken of in Revelation, with
seven heads and ten horns and seven
crowns, drawing a third part of the
stars of heaven down after him.
The Hobbies of the legislatures of this
country control the country. The land
is drunk with bribery. "Oh, says
some one, "there's no need of talking
against bribery by promise or by dol
lars, because every man has his price"
1 do not believe it. Even heathenism
and the dark ages have furnished specl-
mems of incorruptibility. A cadi of
/ Smyrna had case brought before him
on trial. A man gave him 500 ducats
in bribery. The case came on. The
briber had many witnesses The poor
man on the other side had no witnesses.
+! At the close of the case the cadi said:
"This poor man has no witnesses, be
thinks. I shall produce in his behalf 500
witnesses against the other side. " Then
pulling out the bag of ducats from I'M
der the ottoman, he dashed it down at
the feet of the briber, saying, II give
my decision against you" Epaminon-
das, offered bride, said, ~ will do this
thing if it be right, and if it be wrong
all your goods cannot persuade me-"
Invitations to Bribery.
The president of the American con-
gress during the American Revolution,
General Reed, was offered 10, 600
guineas by foreign commissioners If
ne would betray this country. He re-
Piled, Gentlemen, am a very poor
man, but tell your king he is not rich
enough to buy me" But why go SO far,
when you and I if we move in honora-
BILE society know men and women who
by all the forces of earth and hell could
not be bribed. They would no more be
hribed than you would think Of tempt
ing an angel Of light to exchange heaven
tor the pit. To offer bride is vlllalny'
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