Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1901-06-14


the mad pursuit whereof they were
employed utterly opposite In their prin-
clples and feelings and far asunder I'M
their stations In life aud the profess
sions they follow. Statesmen and
clergymen deserted their high stations
to enter upon this great theater Of
speculation and gambling. Churchmen
and dissenters left their fierce disputes
and forgot their wranglings upon
church government In the deep and
hazardous game they We're playing for
worldly treasures and for riches.
which, IL gained, Were liable TO disap-
pear within en- hour OF their creation.
Wigs and Tories buried their weappns
or political warfare, discarded party
animosittes and mingled together In
kind and friendly Intercourse, each ex.
ulting as their stocks advanced In
price and grumbling when fortune
frowned upon them. Lawyers, ply
sicians, merchants and travelling men
forsook their employment. neglected
their business. disregarded their en-
gagements to whlrl along IN the stream.
TO be at last engulfed In the wild sea
of bankruptcy. Females mixed with
the crowd, forgetting the station and
employment which nature had fitted
them to adorn. and dealt boldly and ex-
tensively and, like those by whom they
We're surrounded, rose from poverty to
wealth and from that were thrown
down TO beggary and want, and all In
one short week and perhaps before the
evening which terminated the first day
OF their speculation. Ladies OF high
tank, regardless Of every appearance
df dignity and blinded by the prevail
ing infatuation. drove to the shops or
their milliners and haberdashers and
there met their stockbrokers, whom
they regularly employed and through
whom extensive sales were daily nego-
tiated. In the midst Of the excitement
ali distinctions OF party and religion
and circumstances and character were
swallowed up."
Condemned by God,
But It was left for our own country
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 mplticaulis excitement. when al
most every man had punch or crawl
Ing silkworms in his house, out Of
which he expected to make n fortune.
But all this excitement was as nothing
compared with what took place in 1864
when n man near Titusville. Pa, dig
ging well, struck oil. Twelve hun
dred oil companies call for billion
or stock. Prominent members of
churches, as soon as n certain amount
OF stock was assigned them, saw
1t was their privilege to become pres
idents 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 n map of n region
where oil might be and two walls of
grease, crude and clarified. People
rushed down from all parts of the coun-
try by the first train and put tfleir bssxi
earnings In the gulf. A young man
came down from the oil region OF Penn
sylvania utterly demented, having sold
his farm at fabulous price becauoe 1t
was supposed there might be oil there
coming TO hotel In PHILADELPHIA ut
the time 1 was living there. throwing
down a $1,000 check to pay for his
MONDAY meal and saying he did not
care anything about the changed Then
he stepped back TO the gas burner TO
light his cigar with thousand dollar
note. Utterly insane!
The good Christian people said, "This
company must be all right. because
Elder So-and-so is president of IL, and
Elder So-and-so is secretary OF Ii, and
then there are three or four highly re-
spected processing Christians in the
board OF directors" They did not know
that when n protested Christian goes
into stock gambling he lies like sin.
But alas for the countryl 1t became a
tragedy, and thousand million dollars
wereswamped. There are families today
sitting In the shadow OF restitution
who but for that great national out
rage would have had their cottages and
their homesteads. hold up before the
young men these four great stock gam.
bling schemes that they may see TO
what length men will go smitten OF
this passion, and want to show them
how all the best interests of society are
against 1t and God is against II and
will condemn 1t for time and condemn
1t for eternity. do not dwell upon the
frenzied speculations In Wall street
last month. You all have enough re-
membrance OF that financial horror. L
only want you to know that it was in n
procession of monetary frenzies, some
or which have passed and others are to
come.
The Day OF Accounting.
0 men of Wall street and of all
streets, stand back from nefarious en-
terprises, join that great company of
Christian men who are maintaining
their integrity notwithstanding all the
pressure OF temptation. In the morn
Ing, when you open business In the
brokers' Office or In the banking house.
ask Gods blessing and when you close
IT pronounce benediction upon 1t. A
Kind or business that men cannot en-
gage In without prayer is no business
for you. / wish that the words of
George Peabody, uttered In the hearing
or the people OF his native town. Dan
vers, 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 UNMARRIED and universal success in
the pursuit OF fortune in other lands. /
am still In heart the humble how who
left yonder unpretending dwelling.
There Is not youth within the sound
or my voice whose early opportunities
ana advantages are not very much
greater than were my own, and have
since achieved nothing that Is impos-
sible to the most humble boy among
you. George Peabody's success in
business was not more remarkable
than his integrity and his great hearted
oenevoience. / pray upon you Gods
protecting and prospecting blessing. /
nope you may all make fortunes for
time and fortunes for eternity.
Some day when you come out of your
place OF business and you 80 10 the