The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-04-10
LACK BACKBONE
Do Business men on Questions of
Reform, Says Rev. DR.. Sooy.
A SERMON ON "SlNGuLARI7Y.'
Those Who Dare to Stand Alone Meet
With True Prosperity in the Long
Run.-Moral Cowardicc Condemned.
Meeting of the Wheeling Presby-
terry in This City Tucsday-church
Doinss.

At the Fourth Street Methodist Epis-
copai church last night the pastor. Rev.
]. L. sooy, D. D., preached q sermon
on "Singularity." during which he In
timated that there were some citizens
lacking in the moral backbone to take
the proper stand on questions affecting
the community. Men OF this stamp
feared to be singular. to stand alone.
DR.. sooy took the phase of singular
ity to mean not odd or peculiar, but
the standing out alone for principle-to
say no" in times Of great portent.
Daniel dared TO be singular In the
kings palace, when he refused to drink
the wine at the table. Singular thus
was Nehemiah, daring to stand alone
for his moral principles. The emphatic
mo" was the essence Of their slnEu-
larity.
The speaker recalled an incident In
the life OF Stephen Girard. the. great
Philadelphia millionaire and philan-
thropist. although goddess man. Mr..
Girard had found among his clerks O
yoaAo iAsiil WIO Nouiuh I " Va Oll A,dAA-
day, yet the great merchant recon-
mended this youth above all his other
employees when banker asked him to
recommend a young man Of integrity,
and with q conscience. A woman re-
fused the hand OF John Ruskln be-
cause he scoffed at her evangelical
creed, and she was not too scrupulous,
the speaker maintained, and he hon
ored the memory Of the woman who
died three years later OF broken heart.
And this girl was the factor which
eventually effected change Of heart
in the great English artist and phllos-
opher.
DR.. Sooy then discussed the strength
OF human character, saying that 1t was
to be judged by its little weaknesses,
whether one or more, as well as by the
whole in the aggregate. There Is no
such n thing after all as trife in life.
A bridge Is no stronger than its weak
est parts. Men should not be afraid
to create stir about wrong doings in
their community. They should not be
afraid of their business Interests being
jeopardized by assoclating themselves
with reform movement" Men should
not be thus practically bribed when
1t Is fight between right and wrong.
The practice Of cheating in business
was condemned-the adulteratlon OF
food and drugs. The desire to get more
than It pays for is eating the vitals
Of the business community. The mer-
chant marks down" his goods. sys-
TEN that Is 4 lie. for he can't sell be
low cost" and keep up his store. Meth
er can 4 builder contract to build an
$1,000 house for 5000. He may say 30
to flatter the man about to build, 80
DESTROYS Of getting more than he pays
for. but the mechanic must use poor
material or slight his work to come out
even on his contract. The trouble lies
In the fact that neither seller nor buyer
Is honest enough. they should be man
~ and singular, standing out for the
truth, dealing open. frank and fair with
each other. Principle rather than poll
Icy brings prosperity in the truest sense
after all. There should be no comprom-
ise with conscience.
Concluding, DR.. Sooy said Il was re-
freshing TO find a ruler or governor who
thinks more Of the public good than
his private interest. and he scored the
negligence of municipal bodies and off,
Gals to enforce the Sabbath laws and
various violations smoothened over
through fear OF defeat at the polls.