The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1900-11-02
EFFECT ON MANKIND.
DR.. Talnage Shows How the Spirit
of Greed Destroys.
strong Denunciation of Those Who
worship the Golden Calf OF
Modern Idolatry-Day OF
Judgment Coming.

how he spirit OF greed destroys Mhen
IL Ia. rs possession of man and that
money got in wrong ways is curse.
Tex: Exodus, xxi. 20. And he took
the calf which they had made and burnt
IL in the fire, and ground it to powder,
and strewed il upon the water, and
made the children of Israel drink Of
it,"
People will have a god Of some kind,
and they prefer one OF their own maxi
ing. Here come the Israelites, breaking
off their golden earrings, the men as
we'll as the women. for in those times
there was masculine as well as femi-
nine decoration. Where did they get
these beautiful gold earrings, coming up
as they did from the desert? Oh, they
borrowed them of the Egyptians when
they left Egypt. These earrings are
piled up into a pyramid of glittering
beauty. ANY more earrings TO bringY'
saws Aaron. None. Fire is kindled,
the earrings are melted and poured
into a mold. not OF an eagle or a war
charger. but of a silly calf. The gold
cools down. the mold is taken away,
and the idol is set up on its four legs.
An altar is built in front OF the shin
ing calf. Then the people throw up
their arms and gyrate aud shrek and
dance vigorously and worship.
Moses has been six weeks on Mount
Sinai, and he comes back and hears
the bowling and sees the dancing of
these golden calf fanatics, and he loses
his patience, and he takes the two
plates of stone on which were written
the Ten Commandments and filings
them so hard against a rock that they
split all to pieces. When a man gets
angry. he is apt TO break all the Ten
Commandments. Moses rushes in, and
he takes this calf go'b and throws il
into a hot fire until il Is melted all out
Of shape and then pulverizes il. not
by the modern appliance Of nitromuri-
attic acid. but by the ancient appliance
OF inter or by the old-fashioned file.
He stirs for the people a most nauseat-
ing draft. He takes this pulverized
golden calf and throws IL in the only
brook which is accessible. and the peo-
pie are compelled TO drink of that
brook or not drink at all.
But they did not drink ali the gilt
tering stuff thrown on the surface.
Some of il flows on down the sur
face of the brook 20 the river and then
flows on down the .'iver to the sea. and
the sea takes II up and bears IL 10 the
mouth of all the rivers. and when the
tides set back the remains of this gold
en- calf are carried up into the Potomac
and the Hudson and the Thames and
the Clyde and the Tiber. and men go
out, and they skim the glittering sur
face, and they bring IL ashore. and
they make another golden calf. and
California and Australia break of their
golden earrings to augment the pile.
and in the fires of financial excitement
and struggle all these things are melt
ed together. and while we stand looking
and wondering what will come of IT,.
10 we find that the golden calf OF Is
raelitish worship has become the gold
en- calf Of European and American wor-
ship. q
Pull aside this curtain. and You see
the golden calf of modern idolatry.
II is not, like other idols. made out
of stocks or stone. but IL has an ear
so sensitive that IL can hear the whis-
pers on Wall street. and Third street,
and State street. and the footballs in
the Bank of England. and the flutter
Of a Frenchman's heart on the bourse.
II has an eye so keen that IL can sec
the rust on the farm of Michigan wheat
and the insect in the Maryland peach
orchard and the trampled grain under
the hoof of the Russian war charger.
1t is so mighty that IL swings any way
IL will the worlds shipping. II has its
foot on all the merchantmen and the
steamers. IL started the American civil
war and. under God, stopped il, and
Il decided the Turko- Russian contest.
One broker in September. 1869. in New
York, shouted: Zone hundred and six
" for a millionl" and the whole con-
tinent shivered. The golden calf of the
text has. as far as America is con-
cerned. it's right foot in New York. fits
left foot in Chicago, its right back foot
in Charleston, its left back foot in New
Orleans, and when il shakes itself il
shakes the world. Oh. this is a mighty
god-the golden calf Of the worlds
worship.
But every god must have its temple.
and this golden calf of the text is no
exception. Its temple is vaster than
St. Pauls cathedral in England. and
St. Peters in Italy, and the Alhambra
Of the Spaniards, and the Parthenon
Of the Greeks, and the TAI Mahal OF
the Hindoos and all the cathedrals put
together. Its pillars are grooved and
huted with gold, and its ribbed arches
are lowering gold, and its chandeliers
are descending gold. and its floors are
tassellated gold, and its vaults are
crowded heaps of gold, and It's spires
and domes are soaring gold. and its
organ pipes are resounding gold, and
It's pedals are tramping gold, and it's
stops pulled ont are flashing gold.
while standing at the head of the tenn
pie, as the presiding deity. are the
boots and shoulders and eyes and ears
and nostrils of the calf of gold.
Further, every god must have not
Dnly its temple, but its altar of sacri-
Gee, and this golden calf of the text
Is no exception. It's altar is not made
out of stone, as other affairs. but out
II sounting-room desks and firsproot
sfes, and IL is a broad. a long, high
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