The sun., 1900-12-08
Bishop Potter on Wealth.

on W eultll anu lDt NoltilHOHN
expressed the opinion that the one eager.
dominant hunger which salutes us from
one end Of our broad land to another is the
the passion. the hunger, the greed OF
gain"
Now. why did he make the accusation
against our broad land specifically.
as II such greed was peculiar TO this Re-
public? In what other country Of civlliza-
ton IA that craving and that pursuit less
eager? England Is rushing after wealth
with haste not exceeded here: nowhere
n the world is the worship Of the al
mighty dollar more passionate. Even
aristocracy Is bartering its titles in the
market for money. The whole face OF
German society has been transformed
by the eager and successful pursuit OF
gain in recent years: all Is hustle and hustle.
towns are rebuilt. magnificence has sue
ceeded moderation and Europe swarms
with prosperous German travellers. The
Paris Exposition has just shown to great
multitudes that the French greed for money
is not without passion.
Human nature universally and not a
condition peculiar to America was assailed
by Bishop POTTER. The passion against
which he inveighed. too. is no stronger
now than it has been in all past ages The
love Of money was described as the root
OF all evil two thousand years ago. The
difference at this time is not in any increase
in the passion but in the opportunities to
crafty the greed for gain. The rich con-
sequently are multiplying in number.
Never before was the recruiting of their
ranks from poverty SO great as now. The
pursuit Is more successful and the prizes
won are richer: but the absorption in the
chase is no more complete than when
our ancestors struggled for subsistence
merely: nay. 1t Is less, for the fight
to keep the wolf from the door leaves
no energy unemployed. 1t is fight against
starvation, while the other is for super
fluffy or for power
Now. let rls look at certain specific alle-
cations made by Bishop POTTER.
He says that while in England men OF
science who make discoveries valuable to
the race are lifted presently to be Peers
Of the realm" in our own country we dis
tnguish them too often only by disputing
their achievements or appropriating the
products Of their genius without reward
ing them" OF course. we cannot lift
them up to peerages. for We have no peer
ages here, they are forbidden by our Con-
stitution. under which we are all lifted
UP to be peers. Moreover. the richest re-
ward which comes TO the true man of
science is the joy Of finding out tho un-
discovered and giving it to mankind. Nor
is there any dispute unless the demon
stration is unsatisfactory. The honors
Of the world of science go surely to tho
genuine discoverer, and they are better than
the gewgaw Of ribbon or ooronet. which
is unobtainable in this Republic where all
such relics OF feudalism have been con-
signed TO the political and social Junk shop.
II the discoverer is not bound by the ethics
Of pure science and patents his discovery
where else in the world has he had more
substantial reward than here?
Bishop POTTER speaks Of the gradual
widening OF the breaches that separate
classes from classes because Of the huge
aggregations of capital which have prac-
tcally taken from the hands of the in
divdual the independent disposition of
his labor and have introduced into his
existence paralyzing uncertainty as to
both his comforts and his future" OF
course, actually there are no classes
in this country. Nor has there been any
widening of the breach between rich and
poor. or conditions which he nlisscalls
Glasses"
The Bishop had spoken before Of a
strange awe In the heart as we turn back
and read Of what kind of stuff the first
comers to these shores mainly were" Well,
what did they bring here? Mr.. EDWARD
EGGLEsToN. in his book on early American
history just published. tells us that SUBJ
ordination to social superiors was ac-
counted the only basis Of order" Harvard
students took their place in the catalogue
according TO the social position Of their
parents People sat In churches ac-
cording to their rank. For humble |
people to dress above their degree was |
clearly sinful, because they that wear |
soft clothing are in Kings houses ac- |
cording to Scripture" Then there were |
veritable classes" and the breaches be- |
tween them were wide The condition |
Of the poor and their separation from the |
rich as respects the comforts Of life were |
far broader then and up to the present |
generation than they are now. Luxuries
then obtainable by the rich are the property
OF the poor now. Go out In the streets
of the tenement house districts and look
into the markets and groceries catering
to the poorer classes and see.
SO far from the huge aggregations OF
capital having introduced "paralyzing lin.
certainty as TO both his 1.-THE worker'sl COM
forts and his future" it has tended to re-
move such uncertainty. Both the work
and the pay are surcr than when they
were subject TO the uncertainties of temper
and security Of multitudcs Of employers
OF relatively feeble financial foundation.
Finally, Bishop POTTER proposes that
company Of men and women OF recog-