Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1899-03-17
SWINDI.E is ABROAD.
DR.. Talmage breaches On the Prev
alence of Crime.
Everywhere Are Men who Have
Abused the Trust Reposed in
Theni--Thc Evils OF Spec
ulntion.

washington, Copyright, 1899
This, like many OF DR.. Talmage's dis
courses, recommends right doing for
this world, as well as preparation for
the Heavenly world. Text, job, s. II:
Whose trust shall be spiders web"
The two most skillful architects In
the world are the bee and the spider.
The one puts up sugar mandatory
and the other builds slaughter house
for flies. On bright summer morn
ing, when the sun comes out and shines
upon the spiders web, bedecked with
dew, the gossamer structure seems
bright enough for suspension bridge
for aerial beings TO cross on. But alas
for the poor fly which in the latter
part Of that day ventures on it and
is caught and dungeoned and destroyed!
The fly was informed that it was a
free bridge, and would cost nothing,
but at the other end Of the bridge the
toll paid was its own life. The next
day there comes down a strong wind,
and away goes the web and the ma
rauding spider and the victimized fly
So delicate are the sillien threads of
the spiders web that many thousands
OF them are put together before they
become visible to the human eye, and
il takes 100000 of them to make a
thread as large as the human hair. Most
cruel as we'll as most ingenious is the
spider. prisoner in the Dastile,
France, had one so trained that at the
sound of the violin it every day came
for its meal Of flies. The author of
my text, who was q learned scientist of
his day, had no doubt watched the vo-
racious process of this one insect with
another and saw spider and fly swept
| down by the same broom or scattered
by the same wind. Alas that the world
has so many designing spiders and VIC
timized flies! There has not been a
time when the utter and black ire
sponsibiiity of many men having the
financial interests of others in charge
has been more evident than in these last
few years. The bankruptcy of banks
and disappearance Of administrators
with the funds of large estates, and the
disordered accounts of United States
officials have sometimes made a pes
thence of crime that solemnizes every
thoughtful man and woman and leads
every philanihropist and Christian to
ask: What shall be done TO stay the
plague?
There is ever and anon a monsoon Of
swindle abroad, typhoon, sirocco.
sometimes ask myself If it would not
he better for men making wills to be-
queath the property directly 10 the en-
ecutors and officers Of the court and APP
point the widows and orphans com
mittee to see that the former got all
that did not belong to them. The simple
fact is that there are large number
of men sailing yachts and driving fast
horses and members OF expensive club
houses and controlling country seats
who are not worth dollar if they re-
| turn to Others their just rights. Under
some sudden reverse they fail, and
with afflicted air seem TO retire from
the world, and seem almost ready for
monastic life, when in two or three
years they blossom out again, having
| compromised with heircreditors-tha
is, paid them nothing but rcgret-and
the only difference between the second
chapter Of prosperity and the first is
that their pictures are Murllos instead
of Kensetts, and their horses go a mile
in 20 seconds less than their predeces-
sors, and instead of one country seat
they have three. | have watched and
have noticed that nine out of ten of
those who fail in what is called high
life have more means after than be-
fore the failure, and in many of the
cases failure is only stratagem to es-
cape the payment Of honest debts and
put the world off the track while they
practice large swindle. There is
something woefully wrong in the fact
that these things are possible.
First of all, charge the blame on
careless, Indifferent bank directors and
boards having in charge great financial
institutions. 1t ought not to be posi-
bic for president or cashier or prom
inent officer of banking institution to
swindle ii year after year without de-
lection. | will undertake to say that
| il these frauds are carried on for two
or three years without detection either
the directors are partners in the in
fanny and pocket part of the theft or
they are guilty of a culpable neglect of
duty, for which God will hold them as
responsible as He holds the acknowl-
edged defrauders. What right have
prominent business men to allow their
names to be published as directors in a
| financial institution, so that unsophis-
ticated people are thereby induced to
deposit their money in or buy the scrip
thereof, when they, the published di-
rectors, are doing nothing for the safe
! ty of the institution? 1t is a case OF
deception most reprehensible.
Many people with surplus of
| LlOUey, HOb uceutu lOl llnItbiutS uSt,
although it may be little further on
indispensable, are without friends
competent to advise them, and they are
guided solely by the character of the
men whose names are associated with
the institution. When the crash came
and with the overthrow of the banks
went the small earnings and limited
fortunes of widows and orphans and
the helplessly aged the directors stood
/ with idiotic stare, and to the inquiry of
the frenzed depositors and stock
holders who had lost their all and to
the arraignment OF an indignant pub
lis had nothing to say except: I'VE
thought it was oil right. We did not
know there was anything wrong 60
log on" II was their duty TO know.
They stood in position which delud-
cd the people with the idea that they