The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1900-12-06
EFFECT ON MANKIND.
Dr.. Talmage Shows How the Spirit
Of Greed Destroys.
Strong DenunclatiOn Of Those Who
Worship the Golden Calf OF
Modern IdOlatry-Day OF
Judgment Coming.
Copyright. 1900, by Louis Klopsch.l

Copyright 1900. by Louis Klopsch.l
Washington.
In this discourse DR.. Talmage shows
how the spirit of greed destroys when
| it takes possession of man and that
money got in wrong ways is curse.
Text: Exodus, xXxii., 20, "And he took
the calf which they had made and burnt
it in the fire, and GROUND it to powder,
and strewed it 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 max
ing. Here come the Israelites, breaking
off their golden earrings, the men as
well 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 bring?"
says Aaron. None. Fire is kindled,
the earrings are melted and poured
into a mold, not of an eagle or war
charger, but of silly calf. The gold
cools down, the mold is taken away,
and the idol is set up on it's four legs.
An altar is built in front of the shin
ing calf. Then the people throw up
their arms and gyrate and 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 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 god and throws it
into hot fire until it is melted all out
of shape and then pulverizes it, 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 most nauseat-
ing draft. He takes this pulverized
golden calf and throws it 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 it flows on down the sur
face of the brook to the river and then
flows on down the river to the sea, and
the sea takes it up and bears it to 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 it ashore, and
they make another golden calf, and
! California and Australia break off 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.
Pull aside this curtain, and you see
the golden calf of modern idolatry
1t is not, like other idols, made out
of stocks or stone, but it has an cal
so sensitive that it can hear the whis
pers on Wall street, and Third street
I and State street, and the footballs il
the Bank of England, and the futtel
of a Frenchman's heart on the bourse
It has an eye so keen that it can SCI
= the rust on the farm of Michigan whea,
1 and the insect in the Maryland peacl
orchard and the trampled grain under
: the hoof of the Russian war charger
5 1t is SO mighty that it swings any way
e it will the worlds shipping. 1t has it
: foot on all the merchantmen and th'
: steamers. 1t started the American civi
r war and, under God, stopped it, ant
e it decided the Turko-Russian contest
: One broker in September, 1869, in New
1 York, shouted: 'One hundred and six
v ty for million!" and the whole con
tinent shivered. The golden calf Of tn
text has, as far as America is con
cerned, its right foot in New York. it
Z left foot in Chicago, its right back foo
I in Charleston, its left back foot in New
Y Orleans, and when it shakes itself j
+ shakes the world. Oh, this is might,
i god-the golden calf of the world
. worship.
a But every god must have its temple
a and this golden calf of the text is n
: exception. Its temple is vaster tina
4 St. Paurs cathedral in England, an
St. Peters in Italy, and the Alhambr
of the spaniards. and the Partheno
/. of the Greeks, and the Tai Mahal {
the Hindoos and all the cathedrals pu
together. Its pillars are grooved an
:. futed with gold, and its ribbed arche
!. are lowering gold, and its chandelier
: are descending gold, and its floors al
: tassellated gold, and its vaults al
= crowded heaps of gold, and its spire
and domes are soaring gold, and i;
organ pipes are resounding gold, an
g its pedals a.e tramping gold, and il
! stops pulled out are flashing gol
= while standing at the head Of the ten
pie, as the presiding deity, are Il