The Cooperstown courier. (Cooperstown, Griggs Co., N.D.) 1902-1913, 1904-01-07
THE COURIER
BY Percy r.. 6rubs6aev.
THE HIGH CRIME.

THE HIGH CRIME.
[By the Rev. T. Dewitt Talmadge.l
s.Let him appoint officers over the land. and
take up the fifth part Of the land of Egypt
in the seven plenteous years."
These were the words of Joseph
the President of the first Life In
surance Company that the world
ever saw. Pharaoh had a dream
that distracted him. He thought
he stood on the banks of the Riv-
er Nile and saw, coming up out
of the river, seven fat, sleek,
glossy cows; and they began to
browse in the thick grass. Moth
ing frightful about that. Butaf
ter them, coming up out of the
same river, he saw seven cows
that were gaunt and starved, and
the worst looking cows that had
ever been seen in the land, and
in the ferocity of hunger they de-
Toured their seven fat predeces-
sors. Pharaoh, the King, sent
for Joseph to decipher these mid
night hieroglyphics. Joseph
made short work of it, and lnti-
mated: "The seven fat COWS that
came out of the river are seven
years with plenty to eat; the sew
en- emaciated COWS that followed
them are seven years with moth
ing to eat; now" said Joseph "let
us take one fifth of the corn crop
of the seven prosperous years
and keep it as a provision for the
seven years in which there shall
be no crop" The King took the
counseland appointed Joseph, be-
cause of his integrity and public
spiritedness, as the President of
the undertaking. The farmers
paid one fifth of their income as
a premium. In all the towns and
cities of the land there were
branch houses. This great Egyp.
tian Life Insurance Company had
millionsof dollars as assets. After
a while the dark days came, and
the whole nation would have
starved if 1T had not been for the
provision they had made for the
future. But now these suffering
families have nothing to do but go
up and collect the amount of their
life policies. The Bible puts it
in one short phrases: ''In all the
land of Egypt there was bread. -
I say this was the Life Insurance
Company. 1t was divinely orga-
nized. It had in it all the advan-
tages of the ''whole life plan," of
the ''Tontine plan," of the ere
served Endowment plan," and
all the other good plans. We are
told that the Rev. DR.. Anhate, of
Lincolnshire, England, originated
the first Life Insurance Company
in 1898, No. 1t is as old as the
corn cribs of Egypt, and God
Himself was the author and origi-
nator. If that were not so /
would not take your time and
mine in Sabbath discussion of
this subject.
But what does the Bible say in
regard to this subject?
If the Bible favors the institu-
tioI, I will favor it; if the Bible
denounces it, I will denounce it.
In addition to the forecast of Jos.
eph in the text, I call to your at
tention Paul's comparison. Here
is one man who through neglect
fails to support his family while
he lives, or after his death. Here
is another man who abhors the
Scriptures. Which of these men
is the worse? Well, you say the
latter. Paul says the former.
Paul says that a man who neglects
to care for his household is more
obnoxious than man who rejects
the Scriptures. Timothy, 5th
chapter and 9th verse: "He that
provideth not for his own, and es
pecially those of his own house
hold. is worse than an infidel. -