The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-09-09

mans law it may be legally right. Let
me illustrate this by practical incident
of everyday life.
7 Supposing | have a little butcher shop
upon one of the street corners of Los
Angeles. Surprising I am having a flour
| ishing trade there and you hear of 1t and
you decide to open little butcher shop
upon the next corner Then, supposng |
go to you and say: Mr.. So-and-so, you
must quit. l was here upon this street
first. I want all the butcher business OF
this neighborhood for myself" What
would you say? why" you would an
swer, you are a fool. This is the land Of
liberty. One of the great cardinal prin-
ciples of our country is to live and to let
live. There is a good butcher business
here for you, and good butcher business
here for me. and we will work on opposite
corners and support both our families
OF course that answer Is fair, honest and
right. But, on the other hand, supposing
| come to you and say: MIR. So-and-so
I want you to close our your business.
want to make all the profits of this
butcher trade in this neighborhood." Then
supposing you say II won't" Then I go
to you and as II capitalist say: III you
do not close out I will drive you out.
Then for one year upon this street l will
Then, after I have ruined you. I 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 competition?
Would you call me honest? Would you
call me a fair and square business rival?
In the sight of God would not be a rob-
Der and a thief? And yet that unfair sys-
tenn of freezing out your business rivals
is going all over this land. Greed Is
On eypa vif1d az hn fta1s IF
that it is not with them a doctrine Of
Live and let live" but OF xiii at any
cost and then gather in all the spells of
the dead Kill. kill. killr' Now, my
friends, as you are destroying your neigh
bors rights? Because your business rivals
are helpless, are you renofselessly driv-
ing in the financial knife up to the hilt
and drawing their life's blood and then
feasting upon the carcasses of the slain?
Upton Sinclair's Exposure.
Are you one of the wholesale robbers
whom Upton Sinclair excoriates in that
terrible philippe lately published called
1.-The Jungle?" | do not know enough of
the facts to say whether he is right in his
denunclation of the stockyards and their
proprietors. but this will say, that this
principle of selfish monopoly is practiced
in many trades and professions The rich
operator cannot bear to see a poor oper-
ator making a humble competence in his
| little store. He grudges him his little In
come and freezes him out and adds his
connection to his own big business Are
| you, o man, building up your fortune out
of coffin lids and destroyed homes and
wrecked lives? Some of you rich men are
doing thus. You will never be able to
atone for your murderous tyrannies by a
few donations to colleges and hospitals
and libraries. Never never, neveri What
you have won from man by dishonest
methods you must like Zaccheus, return
to man fourfold. Are you one whose ''gor-
mandizing greed is teaching you to take
unfair advantages of your fellow men?
But, after all, the most tragic and pa
thetic part of that Sinclair book called
1.-THE Jungle"-and the reason / quote
from this book is because I believe 1t is
an epoch making book-is the tragic chap
ter where the once noble and honest Jur-
gis now a thief and a robber. is led into
the palace of the great stoekyard packer
Jones by name. by the drunken son of the
killer of quarter of a billion of cattle
The millionaire Jones as a financial prince
could pile up his stolen riches for his
children. And. mark you, | am not at
lacking or insinuating against any per-
sonality in Chicago. but only alluding 10
the characters of the book as Upton Sim
clair portrayed them. Jones could pile up
his millions. But when he gave his money
, l
spiritually and morally wrecked his boys
life And stolen money will always spir-
itually wreck the lives of our children, If
we. as dishonest parents, give to them H.
gotten gains. O man. o rich man, who
wilt thou live fer gold? Why wilt thou
strive to win money for thy children and
with that money give to them the paren-
tai example of spiritually wasted life?
Knowest thou not that the history OF
Joroc tho m fl1ionaira ma pi.er Of stThe Jun-
gle" is to be repeated in thy history and
In the history of thy children if thou low
est silver for silver's sake and gold for
Colds sase7
Thus. my friends. in this sermon have
tried to broaden your vision of life. have
not tried to stunt any of your faculties
but rather to give the broadcast freedom
to each of your mental and physical pow
ers. What l have tried to do is to get
you to consecrate every one of your facul
ties to God. If you have the sweet throat
of the thrush sing for Christ If you
have the powers Of winning geld win 1t
for Christ. Wherever You go and what
ever you do there seek an opportunity to
reach out the helping hand for Christ
1t is only the things of the spirit that live
and bring happiness to those who live for
the spirit. both on the side of the grave
and beyond. in the eternal life. He that
loveth silver shall not be satisfied with
silver. nor he that loveth abundance with
increase"
Are you here and now ready to live the
Christ life? Are you ready to help men
up to God instead of trying to drag them
down to sin? Oh. my friends. with the
knowledge of the tragedies which arc
happening everywhere around us, dare we,
can we. refuse the spirit life?
Copyright, 1906 by Louis Klopsch.,