Sunday morning globe., 1901-09-22
A PASTORS DEFENSE
In Which He Admits to Gambling
in Stocks.

The Rev. Warren S. Perkins. pastor
Of the rich and influential St. Pauls
Universalist Church at Meriden, Conn,
has been accused openly of stock gamb.
ling and Of having an interest in a
bucket shop concern I'm New Haven.
He meets the matter sQuarely with
the statement that he always has spec.
ulated in margins and sees no harm
I'm it. that 1t is a regular business
transaction with him, and he follows
stocks as would any any man a legiti-
mate hobby
When a minister of the gospel, an
eXpounder Of the teachings of the holy
Nazareue. becomes a gambler, decent
respect for the opinion of mankind
should prompt him to reinquish his
ministerial Office
"No man can serve two masters, for
either he viii hate one and love the
other. or else he will hold to the one
and despise the other. Ye cannot serve
God and Mammon.'
There is no line of human conduct
so emphatically condemned, and so bit
terly denounced by Christ as the love
Of riches. Throughout the gospels the
pursuit Of riches IS spoken of not mere
ly as a pitfall and temptation to the
soul, but as something that must be
abhorred. The young man who had
kept all the commandments from his
youth asks what he shall do further to
secure eternal life, is told to despoil
himself of all his possessions and give
them 70 the poor He is reluctant, and
Christ thereupon observes that "a rich
man shall hardly enter the kingdom
Of heaven
According TO st. Luke .ie said: "Woe
unto you that are rich for you have
received your consolation
And according to St. Matthew. Lay
not up for yourselves treasures upon
earth, where moth and dust doth cor.
rupt and where thieves break through
and steal"
In the parable Of Dives and Lazarus,
the former Is not condemned because
OF his wickedness but because of his
riches It does not appear that Lazar-
us was a good man; his poverty and
his sores are all that entitle him to a
place in Abraham's bosom,
And again: 1T is easier for a camel
to pass thro the eye Of a needle than
for a rich man to enter the kingdom
| Of heaven
These are the teachings Of Him
whom the common people heard gladly.
/ They are clear, simple and definite;
| there Is nothing obscure, evasiye nor
| ambiguous attached to their meaning.
LIT is obvious that Christ regarded
/ riches an incumbrance il not an in
! superable obstacle to the kingdom Of
/ heaven If such was his opinion Of
/ the ordinary pursuit and possession Of
| riches. what must have been his opin-
| ion Of those who strive to get riches
| at the gaming table, to get them with
out the slightest idea of ever return.
| ing an equivalent How the Rev DR..
! Perkins can reconcile stock gambling
with Christian doctrine Is difiicult to
understand. 10 Is possible that he be-
longs 10 that class who believe that by
our marvellous material progress we
have outgrown the doctrine Of Christ
Just as we have Outgrown the limita
tIons Of the Constitution.
BE that as it may it is manifest that
TO the instinct of the gambler he has
combined that Of the hypocrite. II not
why did he conceal these regular bus
mess transactions from his congrega
tions? II he can see no harm In gamb
ling he certainly can see no saving
grace In the Christian gospels.
II Is very unfortunate that innocent
boys and girls should be placed under
the spiritual guidance OF a man In
whom the spiritual life Is extinct
Let as hope for the sake OF Chris
i tlan civilization. that he will abandon
the pulpit for the gaming table.