Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1899-02-10

for an embezzlement carried on for
many years. be sure to have plenty OF
sheriffs out the same day to arrest all
the directors. They are guilty either Of
neglect or completely.
"Oh," some will say, "better preach
the gospel and let business matters
alone. reply, if your gospel does not
inspire common honesty in the dealings
Of men, the sooner you close up your
gospel and pitch it into the depths Of
the Atlantic ocean the better. An or
thodox swindler is worse than hetero-
dox swindler The recitation Of all the
catechisms and creeds ever written and
partaking of all the communion chal-
ices that ever glitttered in the churches
Of Christendom will never save your
soul unless your business character cor
responds with your religious profession.
Some of the worst scOundrels in Ameri-
ca have been members of churches and
they got fat on sermons about heaven
when they most needed to have the
pulpits preach that which would either
bring them to repentance or thunder
them out Of the holy communions where
their presence was a sacrilege and an
infamy.
The Abuse of Sacred Trust.
We must especially deplore the mis-
fortunes Of banks in various parts OF
this country in that they damage the
banking institution, which is the great
convenience of the centuries and indis-
pensable to commerce and the advance
of nations With one hand it blesses the
lender, and with the other it blesses the
borrower. On their shoulders are the
interests Of private individuals and
great corporations. In them are the
great arteries through which run the
currents Of the nation life. They have
been the resources Of the thousands Of
financiers In days of business exigency
They stand Cor accommodation, for ia
cility, for individual, state and national
relief. At their head and in their man.
agement there are as much interest and
moral worth as in any class Of men, per
haps more How nefarious then. the
behavior of those who bring disrepute
upon this venerable, benignant and God
honored institution.
We also deplore abuse Of trust funds
because the abusers fly in the face Of
divine goodness which seems determined
to bless this land We are having a Sc
ries of unexampled national harvests
The wheat gamblers get hold Of the
wheat, and the corn gamblers get hold
of the corn. The full tide Of God 5
mercy toward this land is put back by
those great dikes Of dishonest resist
ance. When God provides enough food
and clothing TO feed and apparel this
whole nation like princes, the scramble
OF dishonest men to get more than their
share, and get it at all hazards keeps
everything shaking with uncertainty
and everybody asking "What next
Every week makes new revelations.
How many more bank presidents and
bank cashiers have been specializing
with other peoples money, and how
many more bank directors are in imbe-
cile silence, letting the perhdy 80 On,
the great and patient God only knows!
NV opinion is that we have got near
the bottom. The wind has been pricked
from the great bubble Of American spec
ulation. The men who thought that the
Judgment day was at least 900 years
off found it in 1898 or 1897 or 1896.
And this nation has been taught that
men must keep their hands out OF other
: PEOPLES pockets Great businesses built
: ON borrowed capital have been obliter-
ated, and men who had nothing have
: lost all they had. l believe we are start
, ed on a higher career Of prosperity than
: this land has ever seen, if, and if, and
IT,
3 Caution to Spectators.
9 If the first men, and especially Chris
e tian men, will learn never to speculate
5 upon borrowed capital-if you have
r mind to take your own money and turn
I il all into kites, TO fly them over every
D common in the United States, you d'
! society Ho wrong, except when yor
tumble your helpless children into th'
= poorhouse for the public to take care OF
I But you have no right to take the mon
ev of others and turn it into kites
There is one word that has delude'
n more people into bankruptcy and stat
d prison and ruin than any other word II
i commercial life, and that Is the wor'
9 borrow. That one word is responsible
t for all the defalcations and embezzle
i ments and financial consternations
l. the last 20 years When executors con
10 clude to speculate with the funds OF a.
e estate committed to their charge, the.
i do not purloin; they say they only boz
d row. When banker makes an ever
e draft upon his institution, ne does nc
II commit theft; he only borrows
l. When the officer Of a company b
p flaming advertisement in some religion
It papers and gilt certificate of stock gel
,e multitude of country people to pu
l. their small earnings into an enterpris
le for carrying on some undeveloped notf
ir ing. he does not fraudulently take the
of money he only borrows. When youn
re man with easy access to his employer
D. money drawer or the confidential cler
st by close propinquity to the accoui
a books takes a few dollars for Wa
g. street excursion. he expects to put
le back. He will put it all back. lie WI
ut nut it all back very soon. He only DO
I'd rows Why, when you are gong 10
er wrong, pronounce so long word
ed borrow, a word of six letters, when yc
sh can yet shorter word more descripti'
he Of the reality, word Of only hve lie
n .ers, the word stealr
ms There are times when we all oorro
~ and borrow legitimately and borro
u with the divine blessing for Christ
u. his Sermon on the Mount enJoln
w From him that would borrow OF tn
Nv turn not thou away" A young m'
'. rightly borrows money to get his ed
Wv cation. Purchasing house and n
ns able TO pay all down in cash. the pu
~ chaser rightly borrows it on mortgaq
no Crises come In business, when 1t won
'Wie W be wrong for a man not to borrow B
'eS S l roll this warning through all the
tt Al L.. IL 80 oil these new