The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-03-05
BEHOLD A ROCK WITH A
TONGUE THAT WAGGLES
BY REV. II. III. WHITAKER.

When Adoni- Beck was taken pris-
oner by Judah and Simeon. at the bait
tie of Beck, and his thumbs and big
toes were cut off, he had a fine oppor-
tunity to moraliZe and to reach con-
illusions. Adversely generally shows a
man the other side of things and
truly Adoni saw things from an -ad-
verse viewpoint when he found him.
self prisoner with thumbs and great
toes chopped off. He had been used
to seeing other peoples thumbs and
great toes cut off and he had, many a
time, made sport of those unfortun-
ate kings, who, thus manned, had gath
ed their meat under his table. But
circumstances are changed, and in
stead of making others suffer, others
are making him suffer, and conscience
tells him. 1t is nothing but right that
he should suffer. 1t seems that he had
engaged very extensively In Cruelties,
for we hear him saying: Three score
and ten kings, having their thumbs
and great toes cut off, gathered their
meat under my table, If he had
stopped there 1t might have been sup
posed that he had nothing to do with
the thumb and toe cutting, but like a
generous, tender-hearted, sympathetic
Good Samaritan, had fed the
three score and ten unfort-
innate kings who gathered
their meat under his table" But
he told the whole story and thereby
implicated himself. just as conscience
will make every guilty man do when
he runs up against the avenger. and
realizes that it will do no good to
make a defence. He acknowledges his
guilt by saying: las / have done, So
God hath requited me-" BY which we
understand him TO admit the cruelties
of which he had been guilty, in cut
ting off the thumbs and toes of others,
Retribution will come sooner or
later, and men had just as well loon
out for it. They may wro..s md OPP
press their fellow men, and. for awhile
they may have great prosperity, and.
even like Dives, may dress in purple
and fine linen and fare sumptuously
every day; but the hour will most as
Suredly come to them when, like
Adoni- Beck, they will find themselves
face to face with sorrow and a terri
bic retribution.
/ have seen liquor sellers who were
making money building fine houses,
living in luxury and in ease; but,
knew that their riches were being
made by the ruin of many homes the
downfall of many men, the ignorance
and raggedness of many children and
the commission OF many crimes; and
i SOQlQ Dul tIll1h, dS saw IneIl ana
their families in such luxurious cir
cumstances, the time is surely COM
ing when in agony they will be forced
to exclaim: "As / have done SO God
hath requited me-"
There are thousands and tens of
thousands of mon in this world who
do not consider the feelings or the
interests OF their neighbors. It was q
cruel thing for those old kings to do
to cut off the thumbs and great toes
of men; but they did il for the same
reason that trusts and monopolies
break down individual enterprises and
cripple the energies of each other;
and, to my mind. there is just as much
cruelty in the acts of our money COM
bines. which run the cost of living up
to the starvation point, as there was
in cutting of thumbs and great toes
The object is the same. IN principle.
and that principle tif 1t can be called
principle). is selfishness; and selfish
ness Is what makes life SO hard. It is
but too true, that mans inhumanity
to man makes countless thousands
mourn
If men could learn to do two things,
they might live very happily i'm this
world, die rich and carry their riches
to heaven with them: to-wit, keep the
golden rule and properly invest their
money. There was a great deal i'm
piled In an old epitaph which read as
follows: