Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-03-03

On last Sunday 100000 of children in
the United States and Canada had for the
subject of their lesson Annanias and Sap
phira, who, because of their love of
money their misery instincts, kept back
what was due the Lord. and persisted mis-
erably at the apostles feet. Such is, in
effect, very often the fate of misers.
The desire of gain was implanted in our
moral constitution by the great Creator
1t need not be argued that all want mon
ey. How could they get on without 1t?
How could they solve such practical
questions as What shall eat and what
shall drink and wherewithal shall / be
clothed?" without a due attention to the
one thing needful?" 1t is interesting to
see the young and old, the high and low.
the rich and poor all in quest of the So
called almighty dollar" They cannot
help striving to get money and ought
not to help IL. The desire for gain is all
right provided it is not carried too far.
1t is owing to this desire that forests are
felled, proud cities built; that activity
prevails in our streets and a great com
merce whitens our seas.
But the great danger is that men will
carry it too far. Our Savior dwelt upon
nothing so much as the tendency of mon
ey to interfere with our higher. spiritual
interests. He said: How hard is it for
them that trust in riches to enter into the
kingdom of heaven, and again l say I'M
to you it is easier for a camel to pass
through the eye of a needle than for a
rich man to enter into the kingdom of
heaven" This too ardent desire for gain
not only debars men from the kingdom
of heaven hereafter, but from the king
dom of happiness here. The very word
miserable is derived from the word mlser.
Annanias and Sapphire were not the only
persons wrecked by the desire for gain.
The world has had thousands upon thou
sands of such creatures, but the few 1 cite
are especially interesting.
It is said that London bridge was built
from the fortunes Of a miser by the name
OF John Overs. He amassed his wealth by
ferrying passengers over the Thames, but
he lived like dog. He would walk about
the markets and other places where there
was a likelihood Of finding them, and pick
up marrow bones" from which he made
soup that constituted his chief and al
most only diet He gave the same to his
laborers. One day he feigned death,
hoping that his laborers being good Cath
olics would fast for at least twenty-four
hours, but when he discovered they did
not do it, he appeared to them in his
graveclothes and one of his men think
ing he was a ghost, struck him with an
oar and killed him. His daughter Mary
gave the estate, amounting to one million
dollars, to the priests and they built Lon
don bridge with It, the parish being called
to this day "St. Mary Overs, Southwark"
Thomas Guy, of Guys hospital, was also
a great miser. He ate his meals upon
his shop counter with a soiled newspaper
as his tablecloth and it consisted chiefly
Of cheese and crackers of the poorest
kind. When he died his donations were
the most munificent in all England. Guys
great hospital being the outcome Of his
hard-earned savings.
John ELVES, another miser, was a men,
Der of parliament, who slept on a filthy
mattress, and lived chiefly on rolls and
water with occasionally a little coarse
soup. He died with half million dol
lars. Accounts are given Of two great
French misers. One was Vandville, who
died worth eight hundred thousand
pounds He took cold carrying logs Of
wood on his shoulder to his garnet, stolen
from a poor wood cutter He refused
to pay a druggist for medicine that might
have saved his life. He objected to being
bled twice, separately at three pence an
incision, and ordered all the blood taken
at once, having twenty-four ounces
drawn, from the loss Of which he never
recovered.
Ostervald, banker and millionaire, star
ted his fortune with money he made from
picking up old castaway corks and SELL
ing them again. He lived on three pence
a day, and his diet consisted of bread and
milk only He died leaving millions and
yet died Of starvation, so says a recent
notice. The worse case Of all was
Frocue which 1 we'll remember, went
the rounds of the American press not
many years ago. He amassed millions,
but was afraid to loan ii either to in
dividHals or the government. He dug
deep hole under his house and in huge
self-locking iron chest he kept his vast
boards of gold. He was suddenly missed
and not heard of for years. At last his
humble home was sold, and the pur-
chaser was excavating a foundation for
a new building, when the iron chest was
found, with the key on the outside. Fro
cue was found (Genevra like within in a
very good state of preservation, but with
the flesh eaten off Of both arms, after he
had consumed the tallow candle.
But there have been misers in this
country too, and some of them have come
under my observation. In one of the cit
les where I was pastor a member of the
church lived in a very common building
with one room and ate his meals out OF
tin plate, drank his coffee from a tin
cup, and used a pewter spoon. He had
amassed a fortune of over two hundred
thousand dollars. A deacon of my church
went to him in his last illness, and telling
him he was going to die begged church
lot, and 5000 in cash to improve 1T, from
him. That church 1 constituted and 1t
bears his name to This day.
In another city there lived a member Of
3 Methodist church who had amassed
similar amount. He owned quite good
brick residence but lived in the cellar, did
his own cooking, and sustained himself
with the plainest and cheapest food. Great
efforts were made to get him to donate
$4,000 to the church, but he declined. He
gave away about fifty thousand dollars
to some young ladies who had heen kind
to him. and judge the lawyers who were
much Gin evidence" got the balance.
Strange to say, years before he died he
erected a costly vault in the cemetery,
and he lies there awaiting the assize OF
eternity.
A distinguished lady of Alabama told
me of a miser who died in her section of
the state, very wealthy. He had vast
heaps of gold, bright and yellow, hard
and eold.'' on which it was his delight to