Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1901-06-10

compared with what took place in 1864
when a man near Titusville, Pa, dig
ging a we'll, struck oil. Twelve hun
dred oil companies call for a billion
of stock. Prominent members Of
churches, as soon as a certain amount
of stock was assigned them saw
it 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 a map of q 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 their hard
earnings in the gulf. A young man
came down from the oil region of Penn
Sylvania utterly demented, having sold
his farm at a fabulous price because it
was supposed there might be oil there
coming to a hotel in Philadelphia at
the time I 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
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 secretary of it, and
then there are three or four highly re
spected processing Christians in the
board of directors" They did not know
that when a professed Christian goes
into stock gambling he lies like sin.
But alas for the country! 1t became a
tragedy, and a 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. I 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 l 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 re-
membrance of that financial horror. l
only want you to know that it was in a
procession of monetary frenzies, some
of which have passed and others are to
come.
The Day of Accounting.
O 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 4 benedictiOn upon it. y
kind of business that men cannot en-
gage in without prayer is no business
for you. l wish that the words of
George Peabody, uttered in the hearing
of 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 boy who
left yOnder unprctCnding dwelling.
There is not Il youth within the sound
of my voice whose early opportunities
and advantages are not very much
greater than were my own, and | have
since achieved nothing that is impOs-
sfbIe to the most humble boy among
you" George Peabody's success in
business was not more remarkable
than his integrity and his great hearted
benevolence. l pray upon you Gods
protecting and prospecting blessing. l
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 movement of the hands
how your life is rapidly going away
and be reminded of the fact that be-
fore Gods throne of memorable judg-
ment you must yet give account for
what you have done since the day you
sold the first yard of cloth or the first
pound of sugar. l pray for you all
prosperity. Stand close by Christ, and
Christ will stand close by you. The
greater the temptation the more mag
nifcent the reward. But alas for the
stock gambler! What will he do in the
judgment? That day will settle every
thing. That to the stock gambler will
be a "break" at the First call" No
into heaven. No "collater
als'' 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 assem-
bly, stands around with bowed heads
at your obsequies-God forbid that the
most appropriate text for your funeral
ora tiOn Sho11Id no "AS q Dortrid po Sit-