The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1899-02-06

this venerable, henisnans and God hoom'
Cd institution +
We also dsplore abuss Of trust funds
because the abusers fly in the face Of di.
vine goodness, which seems determined to
bless this land. We are having series Of
unexampled national haFvests. The wheat
gamblers get hold Of the wheat, and the
corn gamblers get hold Of the corn. The
full tide of Gods mercy toward this land
Ia put back by those great dikes Of dishon-
est resistance When God provides enough
food and clothing to feed and apparel this
whole nation like princes, the scrabble Of
dishonest men to get more than their
share and get 1t at all hazards keeps every.
thing shaking with uncertainty and every.
body asking, "What next'' Every week
makes new revelations How many moro
bank presidents and bank cashiers have
been specializing with other peoples mon
ey and how many more bank directors are
in imbecile silence, letting the perfldy 60
on, the great and patient God only knows
My opinion Is that we have got near tho
bottom. The wind has been pricked from
the great bubble of American speculation.
The men who thought that the Judgment
day was at least 9, 200 years of found 1t In
1898 or 1907 or 1893, 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 obliterated, and mon who had moth
ing have lost all they had believe we
are started on q higher career Of prosper
ity than this land has ever seen-if and II
and II.
Evils Of Speculation.
II the FIRST men, and especially Chris
tian men, will learn never to speculate
upon borrowed capital-f you have
mind to take your own money and turn 1t
all into kites, to fly them over every COM
mon in the United States, you do society
no wrong, except when you tumble your
helpless children into the poorhouse for
the public to take care Of. But you have
no right to take the money Of others and
turn It into kites. There Is one word that
has dsluded moro people into bankruptcy
and state prison and ruin than any other
word borrow That one word is response
BILE for all the dcfaloations and embezzle-
ments and financial considerations Of the
last 20 years. When executors conclude to
speculate with the funds of an estate COM
mitted to their charge, they do not pur-
loin; they soy they only borrow. When o
banker makes an oyerdraft upon his insti-
tuition, he does not commit theft; he
only borrows. When the officer Of a COM
pany, by flaming advertisement in some
religious paper and gilt certificate Of
stock, gets multitude Of country people
to put their small earnings to an enter
prise for carrying on some undeveloped
nothing, he does not fraudulently take
their money; he only borrows. When q
young man with easy access to his en-
ployer's money drawer or the confidential
clerk by close propinquity to the account
books takes few dollars for Wall street
excursion, he expects to put it back. He
will put it all back. He will put 1t all
back very soon. He only borrows. Why,
when you are going to do wrong, pro-
nounce 80 long a word as borrow, word
of six letters, when you can get shorter
word more descriptive Of the reality,
word of only five letters-the word steal2
When 1t In Right to Borrow.
There are times when we all borrow,
and borrow legitimately, and borrow with
the divine blessing, for Christ in his SER
mon on the mount enjoins, From him
that would borrow of thee turn not thou
away" A young man rightly borrows
money to get his education. Purchasing
house and not able to pay all down In
cash. the purchaser rightly borrows 1t on
mortgage. Crises come in business, when
it would be wrong for a man not to bor-
row. But roll this warning through all
these aisles, over the backs Of all these
pews never borrow to speculate-nOt .
dollar, not cent not II farthing Young
men, warn you by your worldly pros
poets and the value Of your immortal
souls do not do it, There are breakers
| distinguished for their shipwrecks-the
Hanways, the Needles, the Caskets, the
| Douvers, the Anderlos the Skerries-and
many q craft has gone to pieces on those
rocks, but have to tell you that all the
| Hanways, and the Needles, and the Cas-
| kets, and the SKI rries are as nothing com
pared with the long line of breakers which
| bound the ocean of commercial life north,
south, east and west with the white foam
| of their despair and tho dirge of their
damnation--the breakers of borrow.
If had only worldly weapon to use
on this subject, ] would give you the fact,
fresh from the highest authority, that 20
per cent Of those who go into wild spccu-
lation lose all, but l have better warm
ing than worldly warning. From the
place where men have perished-bCdy,
mind, soul--stand off, stand off Abstract
pulpit discussion must step aside on IL s
question. Faith and repentance are abso-
lutely necessary, but faith and repentance
are no more doctrines of the Bible than
commercial integrity. Render to all
their dues. y lowe no man anything. )"
And while I mean to preach faith and
repentance, more and more to preach
them, do not mean to spend any time in
chasing the Httitcs and Jebustes and
Girgashites of Bible times when there Il 10
SO many evils right around us destroying
men and women for time and for eternity.
Tho GREATEST cvangclistic preacher the
world ever saw, man who died for his
evangelism-peerless Paul-wrote to the
Romans, "Provide things honest in the
sight of all men," wrote to the Corin-
thans, ado that which is honcst;' wrote
to the Philippians, Whatsoever things are
honest" wrote to the Hebrews, "Willing
in all things to live honestly" The Bible
says that faith without works Is dead
which, being literally translated, means
that II your business life does not CORE
spond with your profession your religion
Is humbug.
Live within Your Means.
Here Is something that needs to be
sounded into the ears of all the young
men of America and iterated and reiter
ated If this country Is ever to be delivered
from it's calamities and commercial pros
perity is to be established and pcrpetuatet
live within your means. Spend no more
than you make. And let us adjust all oul
business and our homes by the principles
Of the Christian religion, Our religion
ought to mean just as much on Satnrtla.
and Monday as on tho day between ant
not to be nero periphrasis Of sanctlty
Our religion ought to first clean gu
hearts, and then 1t ought to clean gu
! lives. Religion Is not, as some seem t.
think, u sort Of church delectation, a kint
of confectionery, u sort Of spiritual earn
mel or holy gumdrop Or sanctiled pepper
mint or theological anesthetic. 1t is al
omnipotent principle, all controlling, al
conqucring. You may get along witt
something less than that, and you ma
/ deceive yourself with it, but you canno
deceive God, and you cannot deceive tn
world. The keen business man will pu