Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1899-02-11

lrrpiy, II your guSpci docs not inSplFrcoih-
mon honesty In the dealings OF men the
sooner you close up your gospel and pitch
Il into the depths of the Atlantic ocean
the better An orthodox swindler Is
worse than a hctcrodox swindlcr. The
recitation Of all the cnthcchisms and
cr,cds ever written and partaking Of all
the communion chalices that ever gilt
tered In the churches Of ChriStendom will
never Sive your soul unless your business
character corresponds with your religious
profession. some II the worst scoundrcls
In America have been members Of
churches. and they got fat on sermons
about heaven when they most needed 10
have the pulpits preach that which would
either bring them 90 repentance or ihun-
der them out Of the holy communions
where their presence was a sacrilcgc and
an infamy.
Abuse of Trust Funds.
We must especially dcplor, the misfor.
tunes Of hanks In various parts of this
country In that they damage the banking
institution, which is the great convenience
OF the centuries and Indispensable 10
commerce and the advance 81 nations.
With one hand IL blcsSts the lender and
with the other Il blcs>cs the borrower.
On their shoulders arr the interests of prI-
yatc 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 flnancicrs In days Of business
EFFICIENCY. They stand for accommodation.
for facility. for individual. state and ma
tional relief. At their head and In their
management there are ns much interest and
moral worth as In any class OF men. per.
haps more. How ncfarious. then. the be
havior of those who bring disrcputc upon
this venerable, bcnlgnant and God honor
I'd institution
We also dcplorc abuse 81 trust funds,
because the ahuscrs fly In the face of di.
vine goodness, which seems determined "a
bless this land. We arr having series OF
uncxnmpled national harycsts The " heat
gamblers get hold of the wheat. and the
corn gamblers get hold of the corn. The
full tide Of Gods mercy toward this land
Is put bnck by those great dikos Of dishon.
est resistance. When God provides enough
food and clothing a. feed and apparel this
whole nation like princes the scrabble OF
dishonest men to get moro than their
share and KIT IL az all hazards keeps every
thing shaking with uncertainty and every.
body asking. what next" Every week
makes new revelations How many more
bank presidents and bank cashiers have
been specializing with other peoples mon
cy and how many more bank directors arr
In imbccilc silence. letting the pcrildy 70
on, the great and patient God only knows.
My opinion Is TINT we have got near the
bottom. The wind has been prickcd from
the great bubble 81 American speculation.
The men who thought that the Judgment
day was nj least 5000 years on found II IN
1898 or 1897 or 1896. and this nation has
been taught that men must keep their
hands out of other people pockets. Great
businesses built ON borrowed capital hav,
been oblitcratcd, and men who had moth
ing have lost all they had ! believe vi
are started on "a higher career Of prosper
lily than this land has ever socn--if and Il
and A.
Evils of Speculation.
II the first men, and especially Chris
tian men, will learn never 60 spcculat,
\ upon borrowed capital--if You have a
mind 20 take your own money and turn II
all into kites. Ia fly them over every com
mon In the United Stmcs. you do society
no wrong except when you tumble yuuI
helpless children into the poorhousc fol
+
T no right 10 take the money of others ard
/ turn II into kites There Is one word that
has dciuded more people into bankruptcy
and state prison and ruin than any other
word In commercial life, and that Is IN,
word borrow That one word Is response
bic for all the dcialcations and cubcx1lc
ments and financial considerations Of The
last 20 years. when executors conclude Il
/ speculate with the funds Of an estate com
mitted to their charge. they do not pur
| loin; they say they only borrow. When d
banker makes an ovcrdraft upon his insti
tuition he does not commit theft; h,
only borrows. When the officer of n com
pany, by flaming advertisement in som,
religious paper and gilt certificate Of
stock, gets multitude OF country pcopl,
TO put their small earnings To an enter
prise for carrying on some undcvclupet
nothing, he does not fraudulcntly tax,
their NOR V; he only borrows. When
young mIa 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 stree
excursion, he expects Ia put II hack III,
will put IL all back He will put IL al
back very soon. He only borrows. Why
when you ARE going To do wrong, pro
nouncc so long word as borrow, "a wore
OF six letters, when you can get "A shorter
| word more descriptive Of the reality,
word Of only five lcttcrs-the word stealg
when IL II Right to Borrow.
There are times when we all borrow
and borrow lcgitimately and borrow Will
the divine blessing, for Christ in his ser
mon on the mount enjoins, From hin
that would borrow Of thee turn not thor
away" A Young man rightly horrowl
money to get his education Purchasing
a house and not able to pay ali down II
cash, the purchaser rightly borrows il OF
mortgage. Crises come FL business, wher
IL would be- wrong for "A man not to bor
row But roll this warming through al
these aisles over the backs Of all thes,
pews, never borrow TO spcculate-not
dollar not cent, not farthing YOUNG
men, warn you by your worldly pros
poets and the value Of your immorta
souls do not do il. There are breaker
distinguished for their shipwrccks-th,
Hanways. the Needles. the Caskcts, tn,
Douvers, the Anderlos the Skcrrics-ant
many craft has gone TO pieces on thos'
rocks, but ! have 10 tell you that all tn,
Hanways. and the Needles, and the Cas-
kets, and the Skcrrics are as nothing com
pared with the long line Of breakers whicl
bound the ocean Of commercial life north
south, east and west with the white foam
OF their despair and the dirgc Of thei
damnation-the breakers II borrow.
II had only worldly weapon to us
on this subject, ! would give you the fact
fresh from the highest authority. that 81
per cent Of those who go into Wild specu
lation lose all, but | have better warn
ing than worldly warning. From tn
place where men have persisted body
mind, soul-stand of, stand on Abstrac
pulpit discussion must step aside on thi
question. Faith and repentance are ALSO
lutely necessary. but faith and repentance
are no more doctrines of the Bible thar
commercial Integrity "Rcnder to al
their dues cove no man anything. ;
And while | mean To preach faith ant
repentance, more and more to preacl
them, / do not mean to spend any time In
chasing the Httites and .Jchusites ans
Girgashites Of Bible times when there ar
90 many evils right around us destroying
men and women for time and for eternity