The weekly intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1891-1901, 1899-07-29

attack Of sin, and the ruin IS complete.
Again business men are sometimes
tempted 70 throw OF personal respOn-
sibiiues shifting it { the institution
10 which they belong. Directors In
banks and railroad and insurance COM
panies sometimes shirk responsibility
underneath the action Of the corpora
ton. aud how often. when some bank
ing house or financial institution eN-
plodes through maud. respectable men
in the bosrd Of directors say: why. /
thought all was going on in an honest
way. and I an utterly e0nfOunded with
this deneaEor." The banks and the
fire and life aud marine insurance CON-
panies and the railroad companies will
not stand up for Judgment in the last
day. but hose who In them acted
r~ighteoasly win receive. each for him
self, q reward, and those who acted the
part Of neglect or triekery will. each
for himself, receive q condemnation.
Unlawful dividends are not clean be-
fore God because there are those asso-
eiated with you who grab just as big a
Pile as You DO. He who eountenances
the dishonesty Of the firm or Of the cor
POration or association takes upon him
self all the moral liabilities. II the
financial Institution steals be steals.
II they e. into wild speculations, he
himself is 4 gambler. II they needless
ly embarass a creditor. he himself Is
guilty Of cruelty. II they swindle the
u~ninitiate1, he himself is a defrauder.
No hnsneial institution ever had a
money vault strong enough, or credit
stanch enough, or dividends large
enough, or policy acute enough TO hide
the indiyid lal sins of its members. The
old adage that corporations have no
souls Is misleading. Every corpora.
ton has rs many souls as IL has mem
bers.
Again. many business men have been
tempted TO postpone their enjoyments
and duties TO a future season Of entire
leisure. What a sedative the Christian
religion would be to all our business
men II instead Of postponing its uses
TO old age or death they would take 1t
into the store or factory or worldly en-
gagements nowl 1t is u folly to go amid
the uncertainties Of business life with
no God to help. A merchant in a New
England village was standing by a
horse, and the horse lifted its foot to
stamp ii in a pool Of water, and the
merchant, to escape the splash, stepped
into the door of an insurance agent,
and the ngent said: Il suppose you
have come TO renew your fire insur-
ance." -0hl" said the merchant. ~
had forgotten that" The insurance
was renewed, and the next day the
house that had been insured was
burned. Was it all accidental that the
merchant to escape a splash from u
horses foot, stepped into the insurance
Office? No, it was proyidentiaL. And
what a mighty solace for a business
man to feel that things are providen-
tall
Many, although now comparatively
Strengthened In worldly circumstances,
have a goodly establishment In the fu-
ture planned out. They have an i'm.
agination built, about 20 years ahead,
a house in the country not dihidilt OF
access from the great town, for they
Will often have business or old accounts
10 settle or Investments to look after.
The house Is large enough to accommo-
date all their friends. The halls are
wide and hung with pictures OF hunt.
ing scenes aud a branch Of antlers and
are comfortable with chairs that can
be rolled out on the yeranda when the
weather Is Inviting or set out under
some OF the oaks that stand sentinel
about the house, rustling in the cool
breeze and songful with the robins.
There Is just land enough TO keep them
interested, and its crops OF almost fab
ulous richness s%pringing up under ap-
plication Of the best theories to be
found In the agricultural journals. The
farm Is well stocked with cattle and
horses and sheep that know the voice
and have a kindly bleat when one goes
forth to look at them. In this blissful
abode their children will be instructed
in art and science and religion. This
shall be the old homestead TO which the
boys at college will direct their letters,
and the hill on which the house stands
will be called lakewood or Ivy hill or
Pleasant Retreat or Eagle Eyrie. May
the future have for every business man
here all that and more besidesl But
are you postponing your happiness to
that timer Are you adjourning your
joysP Suppose that you achieve all you
expect-and that the vision | mention
is not up to the reality, because the
fountains will be brighter, the house
grander and the scenery more pictur-
esque-the mistake is none the less IA
tai.