The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1904-01-27
/" COMMERCIALISM" ="
A Brilliant Sunday Talk By Rev. DR..
Reese r. Als0p.
ksss Christ is the Measure Of the Stature Of
the Perfect Man.

BR0OKLYy, N. Y.-Dr. Reese i. AlSop,
rector OF 81. AIMS Church on the Heights,
preached Sunday morning on CONNER
calism." He took his text from st. Luke
Mills: Mans life consistent not in the
abundance of the things which he pos.
sesses."
Dir. Alsop said:
l heard lately from a brilliant speaker
an address on "Commercialism." 10. the
surprise of all, it was a panegyric rather
than diatribe. His argument was that
commercial, that is, business activity, the
industrial epoch in which we live and
whose push we feel, engenders certain use
full and even moral qualities, such as thrift,
underlying all accumulations of capital:
truth telling, which is essential to success.
full trading; trust. without which the vast
credit system of the day could not exist;
the sense of responsibility shown in the
honesty Of the great army of clerks and
place holders, among whom breaches OF
trust, defaults and the like are. compare.
lively rare, the percentage OF the honest
icing surprisingly high. At the same time
our Civil War and the Boer War have
shown that the commercial spirit did not
extinguish heroism and liberalty. Wit.
ness the gifts of rich men to education and
charities.
Now that is all true. and yet there is
bad flavor about the word commercialsm.
IL has another cannotation. Is it not
matter of emphasis? Jesus says, Seek ye
nIst bhc hiukuoHi vi oOu. llt Gays again,
What will man give in exchange for his
life" What are men exchanging their life,
with all its possibilities of symmetrical de-
velopment, for? What are they seeking
first? Is it not too largely material sue.
cess? st. Paul says: Having food and
raiment We have enough" The feeling Of
to-day scorns such moderation. A modest
competence is nowadays nothing accounted
of. To make living is not enough to
achieve. comfort for self. and family is a
small thing; men aim and toll and struggle
for more dazzling prlzes-a success that
ters and dazzles the eye.
This is commercalism as l understand
it,; the measuring of success by the stand:
ard of the mar ket place, the sinking OF
There are high things possible for man:
Culture of body, mind, growth in moral
and spiritual attainments, expansion in
faculty and usefulness. There are magnfi.
cent careers open to him in science, in art,
in literature, in, philanthropic service:
Over against all these stands the spirit OF
the age and cries follow me. The ideal is a
man who turns everything to gold that ne
touches; a man who gets and holds and
then goes on to get more and no more;
Two conversations lately overheard illus.
trate the point. DR.. Rainsford, of st.
York avenue, overheard the talk of three
or four university men before him. Look.
ing upon the cleaning equipages and splen.
did dresses fitting by, one said to another:
u tell you, boys, It is mon money that goes in
money that goes-the feeling that it is
money that ought to go-are evidences OF
an almost universal sentiment.
Who is, building that magnificent
house, said one to another. ooh, that is
to be the residence OF SO and So lie used
to. be poor Baptist preacher, but Rocke'
feller found out that he had business abil'
ity, and tell you he did not leave him
long Baptist preacher. He took him
into the Standard Oil Company, and now
see what a success he has achieved There
of the ideal which has almost hypnotized
our generation.
Agassiz's splendid reply to the lecture
bureau, IL have no time to make money,
sounds like piece of insanity. Gordon's
refusal to accept reward from the Chinese
bellion sounds like piece OF Quixotism
The simple life as lived by Thoreau in
the woods, as pictured by Wagner, sums
only an .idyllic dream. The pursuit Of
learning for learning's sake, the service OF
man with no itch for reward, the quiet
unostentatious sacrifice of personal interest
for the good of others, these are repu
dated as folly. The maddening crowds
ignob.e strife is what makes itself heard
1t draws like the song of the siren. Like
tue suctlOn OI VAST nldeistrOHl. IL StlIes
men and draws them in. By and by, diz
zied by. the fierce whirl, they forget the
high things and are content to be simply
money makers. That is what understand
by commercialism; the thrusting into the
front place of merely material success. II
IS corruption or the spirit in which life is
livid. 1t Is a low, wrong motive. 1t bring:
in and holds before the soul false stand
ard OF value. 1t misconceives what is the
real success of life. 1t subordnates tbs
man TO his possessions. 1t is radical cor
ruption of the idea.-an absolute reversal
cares and persuades that mans life does
consist in the abundance OF the thing'
which he possesses. Therefore. it urge
let him love supremely those things; lei
his very life in them. Let him for then
forego, ii needs be-, mental culture. artistic
development, moral elevation. spiritual ac
tivity and all that goes TO make a full de
veloped manhood. Quench, if necessary
all lofty aspirations; Get things, gather
among them. Let atrophy seize ever,
other faculty so your faculty for getting
and getting on grows stronger.
Let me give an illustration or two
There is a story OF a man who was so eager
to keep safe very precious thing that HI
took it with him into closet. set his can
die on the floor and then diligently malice
fast the door, only to find, as his candl,
hickered out, that he had shut himself II
with his treasure Nailed and encoffinec
in his own strong boz. Here is another
/ read some time ago OF young man, who
upon graduation from college. found him
self the possessor OF $4,000 year. lie haC
health, strength, education. position
Choices lay open before him. He might @
in for political life, for philanthropic serv
ice, or college settlement work. He nigh
become q student and patron OF art, o
literature. He might throw himself int
ways he might find his life by losing it il
the service of man and of God. But a.as
he was dazzled by the ideal of the age
Ambitious to turn his one million int
many, to win the power or notoriety vas
wealth can bring. he flung himself into
banking house. All the beautiful opportu
mites that invited him he forewent simpl,
and only that he might increase his pile
pile which was already sufficiently large
Grant him all the success he coveted, wha
would be the end? A dwarfed man. witt
an immense pile heaped up around him. 4
life practically sunk and lost in the abund
ance of the things which. he possessed.
As i said, then, moment ago, CONNER
cialism is found IN wrong emphasis
Wealth is good fairly won and nobly used
that is tie root of all evil. Business /
good, commerce is good and necessary, in
australian is good and brings forth
goodly progeny OF virtues; zeal, activity
perseverance, cleyerness in affairs, are al
praiseworthy Material success is desiI
able. "The blessing OF the Lord it maket
rich" Yes, but to put these things hrsi
to rush after them so eagerly as to forge
other and higher things, in word, to SIN