The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1902-05-28
wealth. Worship is o Character Crush
ing Calamity.
(Erom Success.)

(From Success)
Let the candid tongue lick absurd pomp
And crook tho pregnant hinges OF The Enee
Where ihrift may follow fawping.
We smile complacently at the Hot
tentot whose pride Is centered In the
tawdry ring he wears In his nose, yet
how much are we raised above this
savage, we who pr0strate ourselves be-
fore the minted gold Of the millionaire?
In our absurd money worship. we
have reached y stage where q golden
calf, instead Of royal eagle, might
we'll be the symbol OF our national
spirit. We are holding the Almighty
Dollar so close tn our eyes that we are
obscuring Almighty God. In our ola
catechism we were asked, NV nat Is
the chief end of man." The up-to,
date reply would be, THE chies emu
Of man is to glorify Gold and to enjoy
it forever"
The corrupting influence of unprin-
cipled wealth was not unknown III the
days of antiquity. The Bible speass
of the men ia whose right hands are
iniuuities, and In whose left are bribts.
IL Is related that the Delphic oracle.
In response to q request OF Philip of
Macedon for advice, uttered these
words: MAKE coin thy weapon, and
thou wilt conquer ALL" We know that
Philip boosted Of carrying more forti-
fications by money than by arms, say
ing that golden key would open any
gale, aud that mule laden with silver
coul,i find entrance through any pass.
The giving Of bribes is, perhaps, not
the worst feature of the policy Of the
money-power Of to-day. The chief
evil, now-a.days lies In the we'll nigh
universal fawning aud covering before
wealth, In the blind scramble for for
tune or favor. We are taught to act
part, when we should elnboly q princi-
ole. We s,oOp over and walk Oh all
iours when we should stand erect, re-
membering the stars above Us.
Many of the hangers on Of the mil
lionsire are mere fawners and fiatterers
seeking to push their way into the
social swim. Other classes who bend
ut his feet are working people, who are
dependent ON him for food and shelter.
What In the way out Of this social
tangle? The answer il not clear. But
one thing II certain we all need y
kesner sense of values. We need to
vet up character mot money! ~ the
one ideal Of life that Is best worth
while.
But can we hope for this higher and
better ideal, rs long as so many thous-
ands are beholden TO the rich man for
their bread and butter? Is II not the
need OF an opportunity to work ?-is II
not q sense Of seIf-preservation In the
struggle for existence?-is 1t not some
such mental pressure that impels 8"
many to play the toady aud to wear d
fiunkey's coat? Will 1t be possible,
some time, to devise q plan to make
the toiling thousands independent Of
the miilionaire-dependent of both his
good will and his caprice?
But, while We are waiting for bet
ter order Of things, 1t behooves US I"
take q stronger hold on the ideal of
American manhood Let us be respect
ful-even reverent-but always dig
nified.
Nothing unmans us more quickly
than the contagioD OF servility. Yet
this disease Ia spread broadcast like u
pesiilence. Not few. to-day, would
commend the bad advice Of bluff old
DR.. johnson, as to the art Of getting on
In the world. In his famous Life o
johnson" that busybody. Boswell,
says: II talked Of the mode adopted
by some to rise in the world by court
ing great men, and I asked johnson
whether he had ever submitted to II
Johuson replied 'Wny, sir, i never
was near enough to great men to court
them. You are not to do
what you think wrong; aud you are
not to calculate, and not pay too dear
for what you get. You must not give
shilling's worth of court for sixpense
worth Of good. But, IL you can get q
shilling's worth of good for sixpence
worth Of court. you are fool II you do
not pay coart.'"
We are making remarkable progress
In wealth gathering, yet one thing Ii
certain-we shall reach no enduring
greatness until we make manhood
stand higher than money. A mere
millionaire, with his cramped aud
sordid life, cuts q sorry figure when
measured by theSide Of progressive
editor, an unselfish teacher, or distin-
guished inventor.
We are naturally hero-worshipers, and
II Is right that we should be. The
thing Important Is that We should
choose the true heroes, not the stuffed
ones, not the pompus nOthings strut
ting out their little Eour upon painted
stage. Let us choos, for our honOrine
the large hearted servants OF mankind
Once upon q time distinguished
foreign nObleman visited our land, aud
desired to meet o representative Amer
lean family. To whom was he pointed
To the family Of that worthy minister
Of the gospel who stands for u clean
life and the sacred rights Of the people?
To the family Of that conscientious
teacher who Is teaching young souls
with ideals aud Inspirations? No: the
noblemau was pointed by well nigh all
of US to the family Of q Sir CrTsus,
who had inherited unearued millions,
and who was In no wise q represeuta-
tive of our American grit and generos-
i,y, of our democratic simplicity and
fellow feeling, to say nothing Of our
art and letters.
Thomas Hughes sal ], long ago. that
We may not be able to hinder people In
general from being helpless aud vulgar,
from letting themselves fall into slave
ry to things about them, II they ART
rich, or from aping the habit and vices
Of the rich, II they are poor. But. a.
he says, we may live simple, manly
lives. ourselves, speaking our own
thoughts. paying our own way. and
doing our work, whatever that may be.
We shall remain gentlemen a. long as