The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1904-12-08
THE RIGHTS OF CAPITAL.


creative capital,-one that is thu
physical power to create things
Justly occupies the first rank, ant
should be best safe-guarded by
legislation. But life in a condition
of savagery is not much better thar
being dead. l would rather live
among savages, have savage wife
who never went through my
pockets for change to buy corsets
because she would not know how
to wear one, and because if | liveC
among savages l wouldn't have any
pockets) be surrounded by lot Of
naked children who never teaseO
for pennies to buy "Foxy Grandpa
books, than to be dead. Most
mankind would agree with me in
this proposition. Yet | much
prefer to pass my allotted span in
the confines of civilization, where
men wear trousers on their legs
instead of around their necks;
where women adoru themselves
with skirts, curl their hair, paint
pictures and their faces; where one
can get new teeth when his old ones
wear out; dodge automobiles, trolley
cars and bill collectors, subject
myself during life to the require
ments of civilization and enlighten-
ment and be sustained in death by
the sweet promises of the Christian
religion. Better, a thousand fold
better, are the dlscomforts and
responsibilities of civilization than
the comforts and Responsibilities
of barbarism.
Creative capital in which the
element of mental exertion FREEDOM
mates, is the power that has trans
formed and is transforming the
world from savagery to enlighten-
ment, aided by the grace of God,
but the grace of God must use
mental creative capital as it's agent.
An idiot or lunatic might have
grace to burn yet he could never
civilize or christianize savage.
1t is plain that creative capital that
consists principally of mental exer-
ton is entitled to the second rank,
entitled to the safeguards of legis-
lation, and there can be no question
that it is high character of
craftsmanship that fosters it's in
crease and protects it's rights.
The function of creative capital
is too produce non-creative capital.
Creators who cannot create ought
to go out of business. 1t is the
non-creative capital produced by
creative capital that makes life
possible and desirable; it constitutes
the necessities and pleasures of life;
and since the earth sprang into
existence at the behest of Omnipo-
tence, it has been the chief aim and
object of government. whether that
government was monarchal or re-
publican, to increase, safeguard
and protect non-creative capital,
while creative capital has not been
assisted but rather handicapped.
The creation has been worshiped,
the creator humbled and debased.
This is political idolatry just as
much as it would be religious
ldolatry to worship Gods creations
instead of God himself. We are
political pagans. The man who
owns millions is a god; the man
who creates millions is a mortal.
and for political purposes, except
voting, very ordinary mortal. l
submit to my fellow citizens that in
the beginning of this splendid
twentieth century in this splendid
republic we ought to have a politi-
cal revival and supplant political
paganism with political religion.
Religion is but the recognition that
the Creator is first and that the
creation is second and subject to
the creator. Idolatry is but the
claim that the creation is greater
than the creator. Idolatry exists
IN matters temporal as we'll as
matters spiritual, and the man
guilty of temporal idolatry is a
greater sinner than the man guilty
of spiritual idolatry. A man
guilty of the first, Injuries himself
and the creative power, a man
guilty of the second Injuries only
himself; it does not injure the true
God any if we worship idols of
wood.
Please read the foregoing para