The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1904-02-04
A SERMON FOR SUNDAY
An ELOQUENT DISC CURSE ENTITLED
i "coMMsRcIAllSM."
A Pertinent Talk on = Present-Day Prob
lem, by tho Rev. DR.. Reese F. Alsop-
Jesus Christ Is the Measure of the
Stature Of the Perfect Man.

a foctlnent LAX on = Hresent-hstS A1ou-
lem, by the Rev. DR.. Reese F. Alsop-
Jesus Christ Is tho Measure Of the
Stature Of the Perfect Man.
BROOKLYN, n. Y.-Dr. Reese 7. Alsop
preached Sunday morning on CONNER
cialism." He took his text from st: Luke
kills.: Mans life consisteth not IN the
abundance of the things which he pos
eeSSes."
DR.. Alsop said:
I heard lately from a brilliant speaker
an address on "Commerciaism." 70 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 s
full and even moral qualities, such as thrift,
underlying al 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 ct the great army of clerks and
place noioerS, among whom breaches OF
trust, defaults and the. like are. compara-
lively rare, the percentage O. the honest
our Civil War and the Boer War have
shown that the commercial spirit did not
extirguish heroism and hberality. Wit
ness the gifts Of rich lnen to education and
charities.
Now that is all true, and yet there is a
bad favor, about the word commercla! ISM
It has another 2cannotatlon. Is It not
matter Ct emphasis? Jesus says, Seek ye
first the kingdom Of God" He says; again,
fifew What are men exchanging their life,
with all its possibilities of symmetrical de-
yelopment, for? What are they seeking
6rss?. Is it not too Largely material sue;
cess2 81. 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 strugs.e
for more dazzling prizes-a success that
makes noise and IS talked Of; chat sllt-
tiers and sdazz.esths eye.
This is commercialism as / understand
it; the measuring Of success by the stand.
ard of the market place, the sinking OF
other aims in the eager rush after gam.
There are high things possible for man;
Culture of body, mind, growth in moral
and spiritual attainments, expansion IN
faculty and usefulness. There are magnlfl-
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 god that he
touches; man who gets and holds and
then goes on to get more and hold more:
Two conversations lately overheard Illus
trate the point. DR.. Rainsford, Of St.
Georges Church, walking down a New
York avenue, overheard the talk OF three
or four university men before him. Look
ing upon the cleaning equ'pages and splen:
did dresses fitting by, one said to another:
this town, is It not?" The belief that it is
money that goes-the feeling that it is
money that ought to go-are evidences OF
an almost universal sentiment.
asWho is building that magnificent
house?'' said one to another. ooh. that is
to be the residence of so and so. He used
to be poor Baptist preacher, but Rocke-
feller found out that he had business anil
ity, and tell you he did not leave him
long 2 baptist preacher. He took HIM
into the Standard Oil Company, and now
speaks commercialism. There. is the voice
Of the ideal which has almost hypnotized
Agassiz's splendid reply to the lecture
bureau, 81 have no, time to make money,
sounds like piece. of insanity. Gordon's $
refusal to accept reward from the Chinese
Emperor for his help in the TAI Ping: re-
bellion sounds like piece of Quixo.ism.
The Simple hfe," as, lived by Thoreau in
only an idyliic 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 maddenlrg. crowd, S
-Sgnobie strife is what makes itself heard.
It draws like the song of the siren. Like
the suction of vast mae!strom, It seZeS
men and draws them in. By and by, diz-
xied by the fierce whirl, they forget, the
high things and are content to be simply
noney-makers;;. That is what ! understand
by commercia,ism; the thrusting into the
front place of merely material success. 1t
is corruption of the spirit in which life Is
livid. 1t Is low, wrong motive. 1t brings
in and holds before the soul false stand
ard of value It misconceives what is the
real success of life. It subordinates the
man to his possessions. It is radical cor
ruption of the idea.-an absolute reversal
of what our text says. Commerclallsm de-
clares and persuades that mans life does
consist in the abundance of the things
waica he possesses. Therefore. it urges
let him love suprenely those things; let
tin aim at them. follow after them, sink
his very life in them. Let him for them
foreeo, if needs be, mental culture, artistic
development, moral elevation, spiritual &C
tiyity and all that goes to make full de-
Z veloped manhood. Quench, If necessary,
all lofty aspirations. Get things, gathe;.
: them about You, euthrone yourself on and
among them. Let atrophy seize every
other faculty 50 your faculty for getting
and getting on grows stronger.
Let me give an illustration or two
There is a story of man who was SO eager
to keep safe very precious thing that he
took it with him into closet, set his can.
die on the floor aud then diligently nailed
fast the door, cnly to find. as his candle
fickered out, that he had shut himself in
with his treasure. Nailed and encofined
In his own strong box. Here is another:
7 read some time ago of a young man, who,
upon graduation from college, found HIM:
self the possessor of $4,000 year. He had
heath, strength, education. position.
Choices lay open before him. He might go
in for positieaf life, for. philant thropic serr.
ice, or college settlement work. He might
become student and a patron OF art, OF
literature. He might throw himself into
the civic life of his day. In any of a dozen
ways he might find his life by losing it IN
the service of man and Of God. But a.as!
he was dazzle6 by the ideal of the age.
Ambitious to turn his one million into
,vso pv n urIn3 fhn nospay- or n0tOrlety vast