Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1906-02-01
SPOKE ON GRAFT
OUR REGULAR SUNDAY SERMON
A Scholarly Discourse by Rev. DR.. R.
+. Aston on Live Topic Curious
Use of the Word Graft.

Brooklyn, N. Y.-Dr. Reese f. Alsop.
rector of st. AIMS P. E. Church.
preached Sunday morning on Graft,
Ancient and Modern" His text was
Irom Luke xix:S: Behold, Lord. the
naif OF my goods give to the poor,
ana II l have taken anything from
any man by false accusation, 1 restore
nlm 1ourfold." DR.. Alsop said:
we nave In these days a curious use
OF the word graft. Probably the gar
dener would find it little hard to un-
derstand how it came to have the mean-
ing that it has, yet it ought not to be
dihcuit to explain. He sets into some
r1rs rsrfir nett rl liyas
to certain extent its own life. bears
. It's own fruit draw wing the while sap.
nourishment. vitality, from the plant
. into which it has been grated. It be-
comes, therefore, the figure of thing
tnat draws that something else with
. which it is connected, that which it
uses for its own purpose. So the habit
OF drawing Off for private uses some
thing that really belongs to some one
eiSe, whether 1t be a government
department, OF an individual. has come
TO be called graft. The use of the
word is peculiar to our own times.
Inc thing which the word indicates is,
alas..as Old as history. Something like
1T we lind in the story of him who
claims our attention this morning.
Two or three things come out in our
study of Zacchaeus.
s F1fSt-He was in a dangerous en-
ployment. It surrounded him with
temptations. It's usual standard of
action was low. It's prevailing habit
was one of wrong doing. It was q
course OF life in which every day one
could see opportunities OF getting gain
and take them. Both insiders and out
Slders took for granted a certain meas
ure Of pilfering.
Mr. Jerome has lately been holding
up to the ridicule of the public the
claim that there is such a thing as
honest graft, by which is meant op-
portunltles which come to insiders to
take advantage of their knowledge and
or others ignorance to make great
profits. The employment OF Zacchaeus
gave such opportunities, and men like
nlm were expected to gather in con-
stantly what was called perquisites Of
tnelr position. Just as a customs in
spector is suppc-oi to look for and to
walt Tor Zee, or as policeman who
mas district like the Tenderloin. is
supposed to be waiting and ready
Tor bribes. We have men who have
shown good deal Of this spirit. We
nave had those who call themselves
statesmen in New York who were in
politics by their own confession not
For their health. but for their pocket
all the time. Zacchaeus, we are told,
was chief of the publicans, and he
seems to have illustrated the spirit
which is apt to prevail in a hated and
prescribed business, namely, that OF
avenging itself upon the public by
making the public pay.
secondly-It would appear that he
had used he opportunities which his
position gave him. lax collecting
proper does not bring man aalarge
fortune. The income is usually grad,
ed to give him merely moderate liv-
Ing. But Zacchaeus had not been
centent with that. Ihc.e are thou
sands of people all through our land
VINO have the rare faculty OF growing
rlcn IN few years on very small
salary. Men like Beavers, senator's
who have been indicted and convicted
OF land frauds, judges = no have used
appointments for personal reasons.
Inese things which we know of in our
DAY should give some insight into the
methods in Jericho of old. :. was a
case OF high finance" Of a constant
rAke Or in the year Of our Lord 90
twas graft nearly twenty centuries
before the word cale to have it's pres
enl l-eOnnotation. And so Zecchaeus be-
came -notorioHsly rich. He was
prpably like some o. our high finan-
cle1s OF to-day. He had a fine house
anq garden and esta blishment, SO that
as men pass d it they pointed to it
anA sale. There lives the richest man
in the c: g :