The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-12-04

W dice which attributes to mon
 ey a magic power. Having come so near enchanted ground, we will not retire in awe, but plant firm foot here, persuaded of many truths that should be spoken. They are not new, but how they are forgot ten!
 I see no possible way of doing withs out money. The only thing that theo' rists or legislators who accuse 1t of all our ills have hitherto achieved has been to change its name or form. But they have never been able to dispense with a symbol representative of the commercial value of things. One might as well wish to do away with written language as to do away with money. Nevertheless this question of A circulating medium is very trouble some. It forms one of the chief ele- ments of complication in our life. The , economic difficulties amid which we still founder, social conventionalities .nd the entire organization of modern life have carried gold to a rank so eminent that it is not astonishing to find the imagination of man attribut- ing to it a sort of royalty. And it is on this side that we shall attack the problem.
 The term money has for appendage that of merchandise. If there were no merchandise there would be no money, but as long as there is merchandise there will be money, little matter un- der what form. The source of all the abuses which center around money lies in lack of discrimination. People have confused under the term and idea of merchandise things which have no relation with one another They have attempted to give a venal value to things which neither could have it nor ought to. The idea of purchase and sale has invaded ground where 1t may justly be considered an enemy and usurper. It is reasonable that wheat, potatoes, wine, fabrics, should be bought and sold, and 1t is perfectly natural that mans labor procure him rights to life and that there be put into his hands something whose value represents them, but here already the analogy ceases to be complete. A mans labor is not merchandise in the same sense as sack of flour or ton of coal. Into this labor enter clements which cannot be valued in money. In short, there are things which can in nowise be bought-sleep, for instance, knowl- edge of the future, talent. He who of fers them for sale must be considered fool or an impostor, and yet there are gentlemen who coin money by such traffic They sell what does not be- long to them, and their dupes pay ficti- tious values in veritable coin. So, too, there are dealers in pleasure, dealers in love. dealers in miracles, dealers ID patriotism, and the title of merchant so honorable when it represents man selling that which is in truth a com modity of trade, becomes the worst or stigmas when there is question or the heart, of religion, of country
 Almost all men are agreed that to barter with ones sentiments, his hon or. his cloth his pen, or his note, is in- famous. Unfortunately this idea, which suffers no contradiction as theory and which thus stated seems rather a commonplace than high moral truth has infinite trouble to make it's way in practice Traffic has invaded the world The money changers are established even in the sanctuary, and by sancty- art do not mean religious things alone. but whatever mankind holds sa- cred and inviolable. It is not gold tha> fl--A 4R-.. it is our mercenary spirit.
 The mercenary spirit resolves every thing into single question, How much is that going to bring me? and sums up everything in single axiom With money you can procure anything Following these two principles of con duct. society may descend to de- gree of infamy impossible to describe or to imagine.