Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1905-06-28
A TAINTED MONEY" RECEDENT.

Some of the ministers who defend the
acceptance of the money from Rookie.
Teller, insist that the church cannot in
quire into the methods employed in OBJ
tainingithe money or refuse the giver the
right to contribute to Christian work.
can be accepted as authoritative, there
is one scriptural incident upon which
the anti Rockefeller ministers can rely,
for it proves conclusively that the
church can inquire into the source from
which the money comes, and can refuse
to use tainted money for the advance
ment Of church work. The precedent
Will be found in the twenty. seventh
chapter of Matthew, verses three to
eight. 1t reads as follows:
Then Judas, which had betrayed
him, when he saw that he was condemn
ed, repented himself, and brought again
the thirty pieces of silver to the chief
priests and elders. saying, have sinned
in that have betrayed the innocent
blood. And they said, What is that to
us? See thou to that. And he cast
down the pieces of silver in the temple,
and departed, and went and hanged
himself. And the chief priests took
the silver pieces and said, It is not law
full for to put them into the treasury,
because it Is the price of blood. And
they took counsel and bought with
them the pOtter's field to bury strangers
In. Wherefore that field was called the
field of blood unto this day."
1t will be seen from the above that
1.-THE chief priests and elders" not only
exercised the right to close the treasury
to such money, but cited a law saying,
ut is not lawful for to put them 1.-THE
silver pieces received by Judas) into the
treasury because 1t is the price of blood"
They refused to accept the money for
the treasury even though Judas came
repentant saying, II have sinned in
that betrayed the innocent blood"
But Mr.. Rockefeller might find some
consolation in the fact that. while the
chief priests and elders would not &C.
cept the money for the treasury they
did agree, after he had left it with
them, to put 1t to some good use. They
took counsel and used the money to buy
a potter's field to bury strangers in
Now the potrer's field is the place where
the poor are burled-those who leave sc
little that the family cannot buy a lot
In the cemetery. Mr.. Robert Hunter
In his book on Poverty" presents sta
tlstics to show that sometimes as man,
as 10 per cent of those who die in tn,
city of New York are buried in the pot
, ter's field.
This is the best precedent that ha
been found for dealing with the Rookie
, Teller contribution, although in tn
!. Rockefeller case the element of repent
{ ance is lacking. But possibly the relig
: ious boards might overlook the absenc
4. of repentance and agree to use for tn
purchase of potter's fields whateye
money Mr.. Rockefeller desires to Civ,
4 to the church. Having aided in makln
r a great many people poor, 1t might b
some consolation to him to furnis
8 them q last resting place. And If tn
!. term "potter's field" seems harsh, VIII
L not call the fields bought with his mon
e ey "Rosebeds, for did not his son CON
pare the methods of the trust with th
plucking of the weaker rosebuds, tina
), the remaining rosebuds might enjo
. the strength that nature intended ft
e themp
r Until some one finds more author
n tative precedent let tainted money be u
ed for the purpose of potter's fields
= rosebeds.