The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1902-11-20
A PROTEST AGAINST SORDiD COIL
MERClAuSM.
News and Observer.

1t is Il matter. OF genuine regret
that there was no stenOgrapher pres
ent in the House OF Representatives
on Friday night to take down in full
the magnificent speech of President
Henry Louis Smith, of Davidson
College. 1t ought to be placed in the
hands OF every man and boy in North
Carolina. One business man in Raj
eigh said yesterday that he would be
willing to contribute to Il fund TO
give it the widest circulation.
President Smith has divided the
influence that most seriously threat
ems the integrity OF the people OF this
and other Southern States There is
a spirit of sOrdid commercialism in
the air which measures everything by
the money standard, which openly
puts the dollar above the man. This
is seen in high places and boys are
taught that the sole end of educa-
ton is to accumulate fortune. 1t is
bad enough when this worship III
vades the world of politics and men
are asked to square their principles
with their pockets, but when it in
vades our churches and colleges. then
it is poisoning the stream at its
source Against this OvershadOwing
evil President Smith enveighed with
earnestness, eloquence and power. 1t
may be well doubted if ever, since the
day of James {. DObbin, a speech
more lofty, eloquent and noble has
been uttered in the House OF Com
mons than the speech of President
Smith. In lieu of the full speech, We
print below an abstract, which gives
the outlines of the address:
II bring in the f..w minutes allotted to
me one me~sag.' to all thOs" concerned in
shaping the character If the Young men
and women, the boys and girls OF the
SOuth-that i,e industrial development
and increasing prosperity OF the South
must be- accompanied by IL correspond
ing growth OF Intellectual and spiritual
culture, or the idols of the market place
and the factory will dsplace the
purer and more spiritual ideals OF the
past.
''The prosperity of the South, her mar
velous accumulation Of riches, and her
| assured financial future are the admira-
ton and env> Of the world. The day of
our bitter, grinding poverty has passed
| away forever and our people are intoxi-
Gated with m"ney-making. But it takes
no prophet 70 se that weare now passing
through a most critical, formative period
| i'll our history, and the sun of prosperity
is to prove Il severer and more searching
test of our true character than the fur
mace of war
"The South .yen amid the wreck of
her social system in 1865. with the flower
| of her manhood in hundred thousand
nameiess graves, her commerce. destroy
ed. her wealth annihi a!ei, her cities in
ruins, even then in d. feat and disaster
she was rich, rich in the purity OF her
wninanhood, rich in personal dignity,
| religious reverence and in the starry
virtues of heruisn and self-deniai
brought out in the night OF defeat.
IF these Old spiritual and moral ideals
are to be sacrificed on the altar of Mann
mon; If liberal culture, moral standards
and revercnt religious spirit are to be
replaced by greedy trium plant CONNER
| cialism, then the New South in all the
splendor of material prosperity, with her
blue sky darkened by the smoke of her
| factories and a miIlonaire's palace on
| every bill, will be infinitely poorer than
| the Old South OF '65.
| against this on rushing food of vul-
| gar mntprialism let the teachers of our
children stand like II rock. II this rising
| generation. mOnlhed in mind and heart
| by the teachers. can be taught I O feel he
eternal value of the things Of the spirit;
if the New South. holding with one hand
| all the priceless neral and spiritual
assets which enriched the Old, will reach
out with the other iorall that comes with
| broad culture. and increased comfort,
and national wealth and power then
here under our sunny sky, on our fair
| plains so lately SCARED and 1esolate,
will be built and perpetuated Christian
civilization to be the wonder and the
| blessing OF the world.''
| There is not a word of pessimism
in this earnest speech. President
| Smith is as DESTROYS of commercial
and industrial prosperity as any man
i'll the State, but he wishes to save it
from the curse of worshipping the
dollar. It is in such instruction as
| President Smith insists upon that
the State has it's only hope to stem
the on-rushing tide of idolatry of
wealth.