The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1901-06-14
SUBSCRIPTION: $1.OO Per Year

to SurpaSS 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 for
tune. But all this excitement was
as nothing compared with what took
place in 1864 when a man near Titus
vile, Pa, digging for a we'll, struck
oil. Twelve hundred oil companies
call for a billion of stock. Prom
inent members of churches, as soon as
a certain amount of stock was as
signed them, saw it was their privilege
to become presidents or secretaries or
members of the board of direction.
Some of these companies never had a
foot of ground, never expected to have.
Their entire equipment was 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 fabulous
price because it was supposed that
there might be oil there-coming to
hotel in Philadelphia at the time l was
living there, throwing down a $4,000
check to pay for his monday meal and
saying he did not care anything about
the change! Then he stepped back to
the gas burner to light his cigar with
a $1,000 note. Utterly insane.
The good Christian people said:
This company must be all right,
because Elder So-and-so is president
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 when
a professed Christian goes into
stock gambling he lies like sin. But
alas for the countryi 1t became a
tragedy, and a thousand million dol
lars were swamped. There are fanni-
lies to-day sitting in the shadow
of restitution who but for that
great national outrage. would have
had their cottages and their
homesteads. 1 hold up before
the young men these four great
stock gambling schemes that they
may see to what length men
will go smitten of this passion, and
1 want to show them how all the
best interests of society are against
it, and God is against it and will
condemn it for time and condemn it
for eternity. 1 do not dwell upon
the frenzied speculations in Wall
street last month. You all have
enough remembrance of that fnan-
cial horror. I only want you to
know that it was in a procession of
monetary frenZies, some of which
have passed and others are to come.
men of Wall street and of all
streets, stand back from nefarious
enterprises, join that great COM
pany of Christian men who are
maintaining their integrity, notwith-
standing all the pressure of tempta-
ton. In the morning, when you
open business in the brokers' Office
or in the banking house, ask Gods
blessing, and when you close it pro-
nounce a benediction upon it. A
kind of business that men cannot
engage in without prayer is no busi-
ness for you. 1 wish that the words
of George Peabody, uttered in the
hearing of the people of his native
town-Danvers, Mass.-I wish that
those words could be uttered in the
hearing of all the young men
throughout the land. He said:
Though Providence has granted me
the pursuit of fortune in other lands
l am still in heart the humble boy
who left yonder unpretending dwell
ing. There is not a youth within
the sound of my voice whose early
opportunities and advantages are
not very much greater than were
my own, and l have since achieved
nothing that is impossible to the
most humble boy among YOU"
George Peabody's success in BUSH
ness was not more remarkable than
his integrity and his great-hearted
benevolence. l pray upon you God s
protecting and prospecting blessing.
| hope you may all make fortunes
for time and fortunes for eternity.
Some day when you come out of
your place of business and you go
to the clearing house or the place
of custom or the bank or your own
home-as you come out of your place
of business just look up at the clock
in the tower and see by the move
ment of the hands how your life is
rapidly going away and be reminded
of the fact that before Gods throne
of memorable judgment you must yet
give account of what you have done
since the day you sold the first yard
of cloth or the first pound of sugar.
I pray for you all prosperity. Stand
close by Christ, and Christ will stand
close by you. The greater the tempta-
ton the more magnificent the re-
ward. But, alas, for the stock gam
bler-what will he do in the judg-
ment? That day will settle every
thing. That to the stock gambler
will be break at the first CALL"
No smuggling into Heaven. No 'col-
laterals'' on which to trade your way
in. Go in through Christ the Lord
or you will forever stay out. God
forbid that after you have done your
last days work on earth and the
hushed assembly stands around with
bowed heads at your obsequies-God
forbid that the most appropriate text
for your funeral grafton should be:
GAS a partridge stitch on eggs and
hatcheth them not, so he that get
teth riches, and not by right, shall
leave them in the midst of his days,
ond Of the end he shall be a fool "