The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-12-20
Luxury.


To the Editor Of the Journal and Courier;
| Your report of the sermon at the
Church Of the Messiah entitled rs Lux
ury a Sim" demands attention for the
reason that 50 many excuses are being
brought forward to account for and
palliate what Mr.. Dickerman rightly
calls the great social problem Of the
age. Webster defines luxury as free
indulgence in costly food, dress, furni-
ture, etc, and sin as the transgression
| of the law of God. AS this Is also the
! ordinary everyday understanding OF
the terms ! take it that IL I earn by
my labor wealth, ] am entitled to dis
pose of it in any way that will not in
terfere with the rights Of Others. The
| disbursements of my earnings in this
way is a purely personal matter and
has nothing to do with the social prob
| lem. But the law of God says plainly,
Thou shalt not steal' and Webster
defines this as taking without right;
to get into ones power gradually and
by imperceptible degrees" Now II I,
instead of earning my wealth by labor,
applied to nature, the only source of
wealth; If l by gradual and impercep-
tible degrees, without labor, become
possessed of those natural resources to
which all men must have free access,
or cease to live, have already commit
ted Gin. l am now in a position to die
tate to my fellows the terms upon
which I will allow them to live while
they pay me for the privilege j have
granted them Henceforth I ain free
from labor and can cruise around in a
yacht and give million dollar dinners at
the Waldorf Astoria, making a vulgar
display of my ill-gotten wealth. The
sin Is therefore not in the luxury, but
in the transgression Of the law of God
which says Thou shalt not steal" If
all men We're free to apply themselves
to the resources Of nature freely given
us by God, who is no respector of per-
sons we should need no philanthropic
ladies' to give us bath tubs. A man
would supply himself with one when he
was ready for 1t and II he choose to
keep pork or potatoes In 1t that would
be his business entirely.
IL men were free to employ themselves
all would have opportunity to produce
what he needed and If any refused to
work neither let him eat. This also
would be clearly his business, The
trouble al present is that the scripture
Is not enforced for we find those who
do not work eat the most while those
who work hardest exc out bare exist
encc
The great question to be decided in
the near future Is How did you get It"
not What are you doing with it?"
The beneficiaries of our present unjust
system are quite content to be ques-
toned as to the disposition of their
wealth and so long as our criticisms are
confined to this contribution will be re-
ceived by our churches, donations by
our charities and endowments by our
colleges. But once ask the direct and
fundamental question: rs 1t just to
hold as private property that which
belongs to all, viz, lands" and the fate
of Prof. George d. Heron of Iowa uni
versity will be melted out and one will
learn then if not before the truth of
Lowel's lines.
.'The first thing for sound politicians to
learn is,
That Truth, to draw kindly In all sorts OF
Must be kept in the abstract, for come to
apply It,
'sYou're sure to hurt some folks interests
by it."
w. Trueman