The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-09-22
.DR.. COOPER ON
THE: EASY !. ] |. | B
FORMER Pastor Of First Baptist:
Church Sounds Note OF
Warming.
SOCIETY FILLED WITH GRAFT
Prostitution 81 Office No Longer
Shocks Decent
People. n

,rhc pastor Of the First Baptist Church
OF Media PA. Dr.. George Cooper, former.
" or the First Baptist Church, this city.
preached m interesting and timely ser
mon last Sunday morning on The Easy
Dollar and How 1T is Made. Tho text
( of the sermon was The primary word Sot
God regarding graft and bribery. Thou
shalt take no gift for the gift bllndetb
them that have sight, and pervortetli
the cuuse Of tho righteous" This matter
Of common, conversation III every circle
should DO matter Of instruction ID the
house ,of God from proper point o or
view The speaker said IT he age is
mnterlnllstlc. Money; with Its power $ot 1
pleasure and influence Is the great aim
Of life. Put but money In thy purse.
Fill thy purse with money Is the popu-
lar motto. Wealth Is the end OF life, as a
result the methods Of making money
were never SO little regarded IN morhl
way AS Ben Johnson says Get money
boys no matter by. what means. NJ cn
who make money the END OF 8liIc 40 ny
scrtlple to sacrifice every virtue for tho 1
81 Ike 81 obtaining, because they Will 99havA
II, Thoy would prefer to have It, mainl
tain honor and truth, II 1t might be- l5ut
as they will have 1t In the easiest way
they will sacrifice honor and truth Tor
II. We have been called the worshiper3
OF the almighty dollar. In our money
worship new disease ms plohei. !, 90
among our$people, q craze for the caslest
dollar ut any cost Of moral principle
Grafttls the advanced stage OF the craze
for unearned money. Our whole social
fabric Is honey combcd with IL. MOVIES
Of yenalltys sclf-secking and disregard
- tIn1 ri n
SO general that they do not cause any
surprise Prostitution Of odce for an easy
dollar no longer shocks us. &s
The One Bright Spot.
+ 1T is terrible It is good sign OF
moral health that It Is being exposed.
The bright spot in tho swamp Of moral
degra dation is the fact that the dcgrada-
tiot, is made known. Graft cannot exist
without being discovered after while.
BE sure your sin will find you out
Cleaning UP tainted money is the new
+antiseptic game. Every one Is In It.
Public exposures Of grated men are pub
lie benefactions. All honor to the pub
lie press In this work The dread OF ex-
posture in the daily newspapers Keeps
many q man close to the path OF rectl-
tude who otherwise would stray OIL INTO
the ways Of personal graft. Publicity Is
the one great punishment that stares
graft and bribery in the face.
s"ona cause OF this condition is the de-
cay of personal responsibility caused by
the materialistic theories or ire. why
arc sincerity and honesty 80 generally
admired even II they are not always
practced? 1t Is because their architype
exists in the moral nature Of God and
that we, being Ills creatures ought to
stsN n
reminds us OF one to whom something
is due. why is Eit my duty to do or not
do this? Because am personally re-
lated to God by my creation, and His
character is my standard OF conduct
But ifSu am only a fortutous concourse
o. atoms, the product OF natural forces
and my fellow man Is tho same, and we
10th believe the gospel OF dirt. why
should ] do what is right toward him or
he towards me? Morality has no sane
tIon-no basis. Let man make himself
believe that he is not dvlnely made, d.
yinely obligated; he Will soon hear och-
oes in his soul that as a robber, brea ker
OF trust, speculator, he Is no more
blameworthy than honest men and re-
formers and saints nrc praiseworthy
%5"Utilitarian Morals.
\ i"IJtilltarIan morals are another cause.
| Utility is tho supreme end OF moral &C.
| ton. Success is the standard OF life. II
| man steals or receives bride. IS
found out and goes to prison, he has only
| failed In his aim and has been unfor-
tunate x II he is not found out and goes
10 Congress and dies In the odor OF
bribery, he has succeeded, and we are
not to condemn him In the heat OF ms ms
temptat ION.
3Ths sermon was heard by large con-
rreeation and made deep impression
n lis delivery. Many persons expressed
gratitude to Dr. Cooper for It.