The Lexington intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1901-1949, 1901-06-15

In iT2O. That vas the o"u'"
hubble. They proposed to transfer
all the gold Of Peru and "ns
he Islands OF the sea to Engiahu'
r;vs millions worth Of shares were
nut ON the market at $500 a snare
The books open. in a few days II Is
ali taken and twice the amount
subscribed.
Excitement following excitement
until all kinds OF gambling projects
came forth under the wing OF TINS
south sea enterprise. There was a
large company formed with great
capital for providing funerals TOT
ali parts of the land. Another com
many with large capital-e S'Ooo'uuO
Of capitalize develop a wheei ~
perpetual motion. Another company
| with a capital of e4,OOO,OoO 10 IN
sure people against loss by servants.
| Another company with f2'5Oo'OOo
capital to transplant walnut trees
from Virginia to England Ihen' 10
cap the climax, a company was
formed for "a great undertaking.
nobody to know what 1t is. n
Ia. e6OO.O 900 in shares were onereu
at & 100 a share. Books were opened
at nine o'clock in the morning ana
| closed at three o'clock in the atter.
noon, and the first day it was all
subscribed. "A great undertaking.
nobody to know what it is"
But il was left for our own country
to surpsss all. about 81 years ago. We
have the highest mountains and the
greatest cataracts and the longest riv-
ers, and, of course, we had TO have the
largest swindle. One would have
thought that the nation had seen
enough in that direction during the
morus multicaulis excitement, when
almost every man had a bunch OF
crawling silkworms in his house, out
of which he expected to make a for
tune. But all this excitement was
as nothing compared with what took
place in 1864 when a nal near Titus
vile, Pa. digging for a well, struck
oil. Twelve hundred oil companies
call for a billion of stock. Prom
ineni members OF churches, as soon as
a certain amount of stock was as
signed them, saw il was their privilege
to become presidents or secretaries or
members of the board Of direction,
Some OF these companies never had
foot of ground, never expected to have,
Their entire equipment was a map of a
region where oil might be and two
walls Of grease, crude and clarified
People rushed down from all parts Of
the country by the first train and put
their hard earnings in the gulf. A
young man came down from the oil re
gions OF Pennsylvania utterly dement,
ed, having sold his farm at a fabulou,
price because II was supposed tina,
there might be oil th~ere--coming to {
hotel in Philadelphia at the time / wal
living there, throwing down a 5000
check to pay for his MONDAY meal ant
saying he did not care anything aboui
the change! Then he stepped back tC
the gas burner to light his cigar will
q $1,000 note. Utterly insane.
The good Christian people said
This company must be all right
because Elder So-and-so is presiden
of it, and Elder So-and-so is secre
> tary Of it. and then there are three
or four highly respected processing
! Christians in the board of direct
ors." They did not know that whel
a professed Christian goes int,
stock gambling he lies like sin. Blu
alas for the country IL became
tragedy, and a thousand million dol
i lars were swamped. There are fami
c lies to-day sitting in the shadoN
Of restitution who but for tina
great national outrage would hav
had their cottages and thei
homesteads. l hold up befor
e the young men these four grea
n stock gambling schemes that the
may see to what length me
will go smitten of this passion. an
o | want to show them how all tn
r best interests of society are agains
p il, and God is against it and wi
condemn it for time and condemn
n for eternity. / do not dwell upo
the frenzied speculations in Wa
o street last month. You all hay
enough remembrance of that fnai
cial horror. ] only want you [
know that il was in a procession {
h monetary frenzies, some Of whic
n have passed and others are to com
o men of Wall street and OF a
h streets, stand back from ~nefario,
enterprises, join that great cor
e, pany OF Christian men who a.
ID maintaining their integrity. notwit
1t standing all the pressure of tempt
he ton. In the morning, when "
lie open business in the brokers' off
or in the banking house, ask God
ID blessing, and when you close it pr
ee nounce a benediction upon it.
Or kind OF business that men cam
at engage in without prayer is no bui
~ ness for you. l wish that the wor
I'd of George Peabody, uttered in I
IL hearing of the people of his natl
C. town-Danvers, Mass.--I wish tn