The San Francisco call., 1905-04-11
OIL MANS GIFT
CLEAN ENOUGH
Ministerial Union of City
Refuses to Join Protest
to the American Board
ALL MONEY is TAINTED
DR.. Adams Says Rockefeller
Is No Worse Than Others
Whose Aid Church Accepts
ALL MONEY rs TAINTED


The Congregational Ministers Union
of San Francisco. by more than two
thirds vote, refused yesterday to join
in the protest against acceptance by
the American Board of John D. Rookie
feller's gift of 100000 The matter OF
drawing the line as to clean money
was thoroughly discussed and Rookie
feller was accounted no worse than
thousands of men whose contributions
to churches are received with fulsome
gratitude.
Dr. George C. Adams, in an exhaust
i've review of the methods of business
men in accommodating wealth and OF the
ethics of giving and receiving, said in
part:
The particular point on which the con-
science appears is that by accepting the
money We put ourselves in such relation to
the giver that sharers In whatever dis
honor may attach him because Of the way
in which he got his money.
1t Is a most peculiar claim and indicates
very one-sided view of the moral question in
volved There is large class Of people who
claim that money for the church and its mis-
sionary work must be only clean money.
Well, grant it; what do you mean by clean
money? The effort to answer this question in
wolves in inextricable difficulties.
We begin at once to say that the money of
a saloon-keeper is dirty money and should not
be accepted for religious work.
What right have you to single out this man,
and pass by the one who gives short weight
and poor measure? There good going
through the world making questions Of con-
science in the manner indicated and leaving
a train of weakness and misfortune behind
them.
The Savior refused to act as Judge of his
fellowman 1t would be wise for his disciples
to follow in his footsteps.
There is no clean money; every dollar of
it is tainted with sin. We assuming to
decide that certain kinds of sin are more
selves in the predicament of the Methodist
church that singles out cardplaying. dancing
and theater-going and says, These are sin
full amusements, and you must refrain from
them"
1t is the weakest spot in that grand church.
and we cannot afford to make like IL.
At the present time every important church
has prominent members who interested in
combinations and who manage to make
and the spirit are permeating the business life
With business methods they are we will
say there 100, 900 men every one of them
trying to get advantage of all the rest There
Is not one of this number who Is not prepared
to wage war to the knife on the business of
all the others.
OF all the number there are but a few who
come out OF the struggle enormously wealthy.
We have taken the money of 90 600 of these
men whenever they offered II, and no one
proposes to discontinue taking II: but when
one of those who has made great success of
II oilers to give, we turn him down, not be-
has made success of It,
Every one of the other thousands is lust as
bad and is cursing his luck because he has
not been as shrewd as the winners.
The story of the rise of the Standard Oil
Is the story of the rise of the beef trust of
the great railroad corporations, of every kind
OF combination of any size that exists in this
country to-day
The churches everywhere are helped by men
who are doing the very things that we ac-
cuse Mr. Rockefeller of doing
BY making the distinction and saying that
the money we do receive is clean money. and
a great deal of it comes from the very men
who would be Rockefellers If they could
The habit of singing out certain individ-
uals and holding them up to public reproba-
be left to them; they sell papers by il and
sur up class feeling that they can afterward
take advantage Of
We ministers ought to be ashamed of our-
selves for joining in it. 1t is not our prov-
ince. We are out of our element when we
sia try II. we are re- likely to suffer from it If we
pretty sure to cut the nerve OF a great deal of
If / were business man. with grso, do,
of money. and found that by attempting to
help the kingdom OF God I laid myself IiahIe
and methods paraded before the public. and
the means by which / had gotten the n,onay
called into question not one dollar of my
money would ever go to the people who did
such things. ~ uiu
Many a man has been led to a right rela-
some religious work and then looking In ~
find what has been accomplished by his gift
| am not defending Standard on detest
the old-blooded, unsympathetic business snir;t
like that OF war, that never halts to see IL
some one is being hurt, but marches relent-
lessly on, enriching itself at the expense of
others.
The preponderance of. the sentiment
was in favor of accepting the gift,
fully two-thirds of the ministers favor
ing the views advanced by DR.. Adams.
A resolution by the Rev Mr.. RAIDER
that members of the Congregational
Minister'S meeting of San Francisco
t0i1 Inir in ,,
the acceptance of the gift of $10O, 900 by
Rockefeller to the American Board
was laid on the table.
Marion Lawrance of Toledo, Ohio,
general secretary International Sun
day-School Association, addressed a
union meeting of ministers yesterday
in the auditorium of the Y. NJ c. A.
His association represents $4,000, 900 pu-
pills of the United States, Canada and
England