The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1901-04-11

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laws. Millionaires control the United
States senate and will resist any tax
that limits or lessons their estates
But it is wrong for us to envy the
rich. In the economy of life and the
pursuit of happiness it seems neces-
sary to have rich men. They build
ships, railroads, canals, telegraphs
and telephones, cotton and WOODEN
mills, reapers, mowers, flour mills and
a thousand other plants that furnish
us with food and clothing and add to
the comfort of mankind. The world
would make slow progress without
them, but when they begin to unload
their vast profits mankind will criti-
else the manner of it. Generally they
unload 1t on their children, who never
earned a dollar of it. Some of them
would carry it all to heaven with them
if they could. Many of them give a
part of it to some church or charity as
a kind of passport to heaven.
An old friend of mine who was pref
ty hard up borrowed So from me one
morning to pay one of these darn lit
tie just debts. as he called them. He
said his creditor was annoying him,
but before he left my office commit
tee from the country called and asked
US to help to build a country church.
1 gave them dollar, but my friend
subscribed SIS and handed over the bill
that I had loaned him. After they
had left I asked him why he gave so
much, and he said: "Well, / always
give that much to help build a church.
do not belong to any, for [ have not
yet felt good enough to join, but I
have lived in five counties and prac-
ticed my profession in fourteen, and
have helped to build country churches
in all of them. 1t may be that death will
catch me unawares before do join the
church and St. Peter will refuse me
admission into the heavenly gate. But
will'have one credential, fer [ can say:
est. Peter, [ know L have not been a
good man and am not fit to mingle
with the saints, but I have got little
stock in every country church from
Rabun's Gap to Tallapoosa-and may
be he will let me in--maybe so. Ma
ior, could you lend me another s.
without inconvenience" OF course
did, for he was one friend whom L
never refused He did join the church
and believe he is in heaven now.
Charity is the greatest and most
blessed of all virtues. AS the poet
says: cit is twice blessed. It blesseth
him that gives and him that doth re-
ceive." But when man with 500, 900
income gives away 81, 900 of it to ease
his conscience and secure a passport
to heaven, he makes q mistake. 1t will
do neither. A mans standing in
the community is determined more by
his charity than anything else. How
much does he give to the church and
how much to the poor is discussed by
his neighbors, and he is rated accord
ingly.
Not long ago I gave problem to
the young people. If a man sells
SOW and pigs for $1S and gets as much
for one-tenth of the SOW as he did for
nine-tenths of a pig, how many pigs did
she have? 1 have received scores of
answers-most of them making it nine
pigs and some say ten pigs-one smart
girl makes it seventy-two pigs and one
smarter man proves that the SOW had
1,791 pigs. Strange to say every an
swer is correct. Nine pigs gives 50
for the SOW and l each for the pigs;
seventy-two pigs gives 50 for the SOW
and IL % cents for pig and 1t
would take the seventy-two pigs to
make the SIG. Nine cents for the
SOW would give l cent for each pig,
and therefore require 1,791 pigs to
make up the SIS. 1t is a see-saw sum.
AS the price of the SOW goes down
the number of the pigs goes up
and any number is correct. Now, let
me ask the school boys and girls to
hold up little on composition and
speeches. Please excuse me for l have
not the time. 1t would take every
hour in the day to comply with all
their requests. Bill ARP in Atlanta
Constitution.
piEwSY O. EANIMcS