Los Angeles herald., 1906-09-10
DEMON Of CREED
ENSLAVES RICH
MAKES THE CoVET0US GRASP
NEIeHBoRS' GOODS
Men Whose Fortunes Are Built on
Wrecked Homes Cannot Atone
by Building Libraries and
Hospitals

tteV. FRANK lie WIFI IalIndBe SpohS
at First Presbyterian church yesterday
on THE Greed of Gain"
DIR. Talmage said:
"Greed is an omniverous demon,
which is not satisfied in feeding in our
own pasture lands alone, but he wants
us to collect his fodder from the past
ures of our neighbors also.
This sin of greed is like all other
sins. It will so warp and twist our ma
lures that, before we know it, we will
be looking at the world through false
spectacles, and our open palms Will be
itching after other mems goods.
"And what is worse, our covetous
hands too often will grasp those things
which belong to our neighbors. What
you say do you mean to affirm that
our rich men, as a class, are thieves
and robbers? No, 1 will not go as far
as that. 1 will not say that, as pick
pockets, they will grab your purse and
run. But / will say this: If man
will allow the evil worm of greed to
gnaw at his heart long enough, he may
be willing, and he after is willing, to
do that which in the sight of man, as
well as of God, is morally wrong, al
though by mans law it may be legally
right.
An Illustration
LET me illustrate this by practical
incident of everyday life.
"Supposng I have q little butcher
shop upon one of the street corners OF
Los Angeles Supposing l am having
flourishing trade there, and you hear
of it and you decide to poem a little
butcher shop upon the next corner.
Then. supposing 1 go to you and say,
Mr. So and So, you must quit. 1 was
here upon this street first. 1 want all
the butcher business of this neighbor-
hood for myself What would you
say? Why you would answer, you
are a fool. This is the land of liberty.
One of the great cardinal principles of
our country is to live and let live.
There is a good butcher business here
for you, and a good butcher business
here for me. and we will work on oppo-
site corners and support both our fam
ilies' OF course, that answer is fair,
honest and right.
Is 1t Fair?
"On the other hand, supposing I come
to you and saw Mr.. So. and So, want
you to close out your business I want
to make all the profits of this butcher
trade in this neighborhood.' Then I go
to you, and as a capitalist say, If you
do not close, out, I will drive you out.
Then, for one year upon this street, l
will sell meat by your side for less than
cost
"Then, after I have ruined you, will
put the prices of my meat away up and
reap all the profits for my own Golfers
What would you say? Is that fair COM
petition? Would you call me honest?
Would you call me fair and square
business rival? In the sight of God
would not be a robber and thief?
"And yet that unfair system of freez-
ing out your business rivals is going on
all over this land. Greed Is so gnawlng
at the vitals of our rich men, that
it is not with them a doctrine
of live and let live; but of Kill
at any cost, and then gather in
all the spoils of the dead. Kill, kill,
killn
Now, my friends, as you are grow
ing richer and richer, are you destroy
ing your neighbor's rights? Because
your business rivals are helpless, are
you remorselessly driving in the finan-
cial knife up to the hilt and drawing
| their life's blood, and then feasting
| upon the carcasses of the slain?
"Are YOU one of the wholesale robbers
whom Upton Sinclair excoriates in that
| terrible philinpic lately published called
The Jungle?
Fortunes on Coffin Lids
"I do not know enough of the, facts to
say whether he is right in his denun-
| citation of the st~ckyards and their pro-
prietors, but this I will say, that this
principle of selfish monopoly is prac-
tsed in many trades and professions.
1.-THE rich operator cannot bear to see
a poor operator making a humble COM
petence in his little store. He grudges
| him a little income and freezes him
out. and adds his connection to his own
| business.
"Are you, oh man, building up your
| fortune out of coffin-lids and destroyed
homes and wrecked lives? You will
never be able to atone for your murder
out tyrannies by a few donations to
colleges and hospitals and libraries.
| Never, never, never"