The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-01-18

ally he mentioned the case of the rich
young man who kept the commandments
faithfully and then asked the Saviour
what more he could do evidently expect
ing to be assured that he had reached
the climax of goodness. But to his oIs-
may the Master told him that if he
would be perfect he should sell all he
had and give it to the poor and then
come and follow Him. But the young
man went away sorrowful, for he, like
Mr.. Rockefeller, had great possessions
After he had gone the Saviour remarked
upon the difficulties which beset the rich
man on his road to heaven.
Mr.. Rockefeller did not refer to this
last reflection, but contented himself
with warning his class not to interpret
the Scriptures too literally. Times have
changed and We must apply the rules of
the Gospel to ourselves as they are modi
fled by existing conditions. When Christ
said that If we wish to ne perfect We
must give up all and follow Him He did
not mean that. but evidently meant some
thing else. There is Mr.. Rockefeller,
who is perfect, and he not only holds on
to what he has, but adds a cent or two
to the price per gallon of coal oil and
is getting more all the time. But even il
we are not required to give up our
riches. Mr.. Rockefeller said we are re-
uired to give up something, and each one
of us must decide for himself what he
shall give up. He might have cited the
case of the boys at the boarding school,
when their teacher invited them to give
up something during Lent. The day be-
fore that solemn season began he dis
tributed slips of paper and invited each
boy to write on a slip the name Of some
thing he was willing to deny himself.
The hat was passed around, the slips
were collected and on each slip the word
"hash" was written. And so with re-
gard to Mr. Rockefeller's suggestion.
We can at least give up hash.
The young Bible teacher is entirely
| correct in saying that times have
| changed since the Gospel was first pro-
mulgated. If present conditions had pre-
| vailed then Simon, called Peter, and An
drew, his brother would have had no
net to leave. The fishing industry on
the sea of Galilee would have been con-
| trolled by syndicate and the nets would
| have been owned by a trust, and Peter
| and Andrew would have been day labor
ers, with perhaps an opportunity to buy
| stock in the company at market prices.
! Zebedee would have been in the posses
sion of J P. Morgan's shipping combine.
| The ship which was used by the sons of
every Federal court in Palestine would
have served injunctions upon the dis
ciples to restrain them from carrying out
the principles of the Sermon on the
Mount and from making any more such
attacks upon property.
Indeed, times have changed greatly
since the days of Robin Hood, more than
millennium after the rich young mar
departed in sorrow. Robin Hood gained
a reputation for charity by robbing the
rich and giving the money to the poor
And now Mr.. Rockefeller, Jr., gains
reputation for charity by taking from
!. the poor and giving to The rich-by put
ting a few cents per gallon on coal oil
and giving a portion of the money so OBJ
tanned to a millionaire university. Times,
indeed, have changed. But notwith
standing the change it will occur to some
that one of the things Mr. Rockefeller
might give up would be the taking ad-
vantage of the distress and necessities
of the people to demand an excessive
price for his oil, the light, and to some
extent. the fuel, of the poor.