The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1903-03-04


lose control of himself either in voice
or in manner.
II am not judging you, father, when
/ say that life that is content to e2-
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 IL a 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 we'll 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 commercial standard and no
passions beyond the physical appe-
tites-all 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 a suggestion Of barbarlc
lapse into the vulgarity Of over display.
I'VE have servants, carriages, yachts,
summer residences-luxuries Of all de-
scriptions. Out of all the wealth of
our lives we give fraction Of income
to so called charity. We are all three
Of US church members. We pay large
sum nomirally 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 if 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 it. 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
treadmilI regularity, follows one func-
ton after neutrality-suspicious., teas,
theaters, concerts, gayeties, self, self,
self-while the city grows up in its po-
litical 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 living for ourselves, 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, excl-:7s7-E1 '27': 2'..,<:,'.
ment and train my chi.,:,@a - -@ls;'E.
on in the same path, ke.!'ia-; ;ls'= z,.:-.e
of the Gordons as q Sc aaC 'sI2;-
cial word to speak in 1:.a 10y a. -
select circles as syno:3 81 Icc C.St,,6.
guished wealth and hig: Jz7.& Gl:-
mixed with any vulgar association
with common humanity. ! say such
career fills me with horror. I Feel as if
all these years I had been living under
the condemnation Of an angry God,
and cannot and I will not any longer
live such a 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? I asked you what you were 60
Ing to>do."
Rufus Gordon had not moved mus
Gle during bis sons talk, and he spoke
now in an easy, contemptuous manner.
John Gordon came Up to the side or
the table opposite his father and looked
keenly across at him. Then he turned
away and went over to ore Of the
great windows and looked out on the
fashionable avenue. When he finally
turned around and faced his father
again, be 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
gong over LIE SCSuS, oOuQ NSANoA
could not avoid feeling of suspicion
as to it's genuineness, but be had never
known his father to play a 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
auence over him.
John" he began, holding out his
hands, although when the son stepped
forward as if to meet him affection
ately he dropped his arms quickly to
his sides, "you are my only son, and L
depend on you. 1t has been the ambi-
ton Of my life to see you succeeding to
the place which now occupy. l do not
understand what you have Just been
saving. It has no meaning to me. In
that sense, what you say is very true
we can never understand each other.
But you would have independence in
the position I offer you and for which
you have been trained. If you wanted