The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1902-12-05


feet him.
Father" John Gordon finally ex-
claimed, you will never understand
my choice. / wondered all the way
home whether it was worth while to
try to explain myself. But you have a
right to know why l refuse your offer
and why l make choice Of the career !
must follow"
Rufus Gordon gave no sign of assent,
but his son went on speaking with
growing feeling that at times rose into
genuine passion; yet at no point did he
lose control of himself either IN voice
or in manner.
"I am not judging ron. father, wher
/ say that a life that Is content to OK,
pend its greatest energies in money
making Is life that has not only no
attractions for me, but it has positive
repulsion. To spend the day in com
petitive strife that seeks to get more
and more, largely at the expense of
the weak and helpless; to spend night
after night in dressing up In fine cloth
ing and being amused, to live only with
those select companions who are able
to dress and eat as well as we are, to
be practically ignorant of and abso-
lutely Indifferent to the conditions of
thousands Of human beings In this
great city, to have no ideals higher
than a commercial standard and no
passions beyond the physical appe-
tites-al this is a growing horror to
me. We live In a beautiful house. =
John Gordon glanced around the room,
which was furnished with elegance
and great good taste. with only here
and there suggestion Of a barbaric
lapse into the vulgarity of over display.
1--WE have servants, carriages, yachts,
summer residences--luxuries of all de-
scriptions Out of all the wealth of
our lives we give a fraction Of income
to so called charity. We are all three
of us church members. We pay large
sum nominally to church expenses.
We do not give anything Of our per
sonal lives or personal enthusiasm to
church or Christian work. The whole
Of our family life has revolved about
ourselves-our eating, dressing, enter
tanning and money making. What
have we ever done for this city where
we live? How much of service pre-
senting real sacrifice have we ever
given to help solve any Of its real hu.
man problems? We live from day to
day as IL there were no such thing in
America as poverty or intemperance
or injustice or inequality or greed or
child murder. The wealth that buys
things seems to be our daily god. The
prayers we say in church have no
meaning because we do not mean
them. The very charity we dispense
is an act of proxy which represents no
thought, no sacrifice and no human
affection. We give because 1t is Gus
tomary or as means Of silencing God
pity usD our waking consciences that
In spite of US sometimes remind us
that there is human brotherhood.
"Day after day. with monotonous
treadmill regularity. follows one func-
tion after neutrality-suspicious., teas.
theaters, concerts, gayeties. self, self.
self-while the city grows up in its po-
ntical life, rotten, vile. uncared for by
the money grubbers so long as too
much blackmail is not levied on the
business in which we are engaged.
Practically we have said all these
years to this city, where our money
has been made: We care nothing for
your real life All that we want out of
you is a living for ourselves, a luxuri-
Gus living. Let the preachers and the
philanthropists and the professional
reformers see to all the painful and
disagreeable details OF human misery
and social wrong. We are too busy
with our money making to be dis
turbed by cries for justice or righteous
ness Father. you know this Is the
sort of life you plan for me to perpetu-
ate. Your ambition for me is to have
me enter the bank, to become an ex-
pert in finance, to marry and manage
q luxurious, proud, exclusive establish
ment and train my children to follow
on In the same path, keeping the name
Of the Gordons as a social and fnan-
cial word to speak in the city and in
select circles as synonym for distin-
guished wealth and high breeding, I'M
mixed with any vulgar association
with common humanity. l say such a
career fills me with horror l feel as if
all these years had been living under
the condemnation of an angry God.
and cannot and l will not any longer
live such life. You have no right to
ask me to do it. | have no right to at
tempt it."
"Is that your answer to my Ques.
ton? | asked you what you were go
ing to do"
huruS Gordon had not moved a mus
Gle during his sons talk, and he spoke
now in an easy, contemptuous manner.
John Gordon came up to the side Of
the table opposite his father and looked
keenly across at him. Then he turned
away and went over to one of the
great windows and looked out on the
fashionable avenue. When he finally
turned around and faced his father
again. he was astonished to see him
rising from his chair and coming over
toward him. In all his knowledge of
his father, John Gordon had never
known him before to exhibit so much
feeling. Probably neither man fully
understood the event. Afterward, in
going over the scene, John Gordon
could not avoid feeling Of suspicion
as to its genuineness, but he had never
known his father to play part, and,
in fact considered him quite incapable
Of it.
However that may be, Rufus Gordon
now began an appeal to his son that
for the time being had considerable in
huence over him.
"John," he began, holding out his
hands, although when the son stepped