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

/ ant w nat are you gong 10 10 Win
this water?' | asked the chief engineer
After we collect the water" said he
we are going to send 1t by tunnels IN
| der the mountains, where It will be seat
| tered over the arid lands, extending be-
tween Ettawanda and San Bernardino
and that water will make that desert
| blossom as the rose" Do you mean to
tell me that the ignorant Mexican labor
ers who were digging the tunnels and
erecting the dams of Little Bear valley
could work that miracle without the plan
ming of skilled engineers and the re-en-
| forcement Of capital, any more than cap
| ital could make that reservoir without the
cooperation of labor. Oh, yes, even in
the widest dreams Of the disconnected
classes there must be demarcations be-
tween man and man. There Is a place
for capital as well. Capital and labor are
two strong arms of the social body. Their
two hands must lift together and work
together and die together.
Public Trust.
But it makes great deal of difference
whether the capitalist looks upon his for
tune as a public trust or whether ne plots
to make money and to squeeze the last
dollar he can out of his suffering en-
ployes 1t makes a great deal of diff
ference whether capitalists are living for
others or whether they believe that God
mas StlbCltu LHNI0 as HIS special 1HNOGlIHS
and expects all those with whom they
come in contact to live for their benefit
And yet that Is the way many of our
moneyed potentates act. They squeeze,
they gouge they 90 everything which, as
misers, they can to hoard their gold. And
| the strange fact is the more they get
the more they want and the more they
are dissatisfied with what they have
Ecclesiastes well describes the insatla-
| al f..tt
about us when he says, Tie that loveth
silver shall not be satisfied with silver,
nor he that loveth abundance with in
crease"
In the first place. learn from this text
that when man makes money his idol he
Is incapable of having Christ. The two
loves arc antagonstic. They are in NOR
tai combat. They can no more live to-
gether than a dove could nest with ii
buzzard or the light and the darkness
could together fill the same room. The
love of silver is from the devil. The
love of Christ is of God The Bible dis
tinctly says it, I'VE cannot serve God
and Mammon." Ye cannot serve two mas
ters. For either you will hate the one and
love the other or else you will hold to the
one and despise the other. Tho house
divided against itself cannot stand. There
fore, my friends, you who are giving your
lives lllOIt anu InOIe " the htHuiniNAo u
wealth are at the divergent forks of two
roads. Either you viii have to surrender
your love for gold or else you will nave
to surrender your love for Jesus Christ.
There is no doubt about It, The love Of
silver is sin. And unless a man Is
ready TO surrender all sin he oaunot be-
come one with Christ.
Not Impractical.
anl .o,.a a.,,,a ,,.,, - mn a41,at 10
absurd. You are taking an impractical
Bile view of life. Do you mean to tell
me that all merchants who are selling
their goods over counter, that all real
estate spectators who are trying to
make a profit out of their land, that all
clerks and mechanics and lawyers and
doctors and professors and scientists
and authors and laborers who are earn
ing their weekly wages are antagonistic
to Jesus Christ?' No. my friend, I never
said that. Thousands and tens of thou
sands and hundreds of thousands of men
who are working in the busy marts of
trade are doing this. not for love of silver
but for what that silver will do for them,
and their lovxed ones They are working
for their chdrens education They are
working to put homes over their loved
ones heads They are working, as did
Peter Cooper to build some institution
OF mercy. But you know just as well as
| know that there are thousands and hun
dreds of thousands of men who. having
all their temporal necessities supplied.
are not working for any competency or
even for the luxurles of life but in order
that they may have power and fame and
position; in order that they may vet
make men bow and worship them; in
order that they may say. as did Nebuc-
hadnezzar of old, Behold Is not this
great Babylon that have built? Behold
hphOl1I' Now XVhahaxrar
to the position where he Is loving gold
for COLDS sake and power for powers
sake, and fame for flames sake htne
that man is crowdlng the love of Jesus
Christ out of his heart. Paul was n
tentmaker. But Paul never made tents
In order that he might build palace
and own thousand acres of land. Paul
made tents in order that he might earn
enough money to pay his way to preach
Ithe gospel. And when any man loses
sight of the true purpose for which we
are given the opportunities of working
for money, then that man becomes
spiritual outcast I'VE cannot love silver
and love Christ at the same time.
| was never more impressed with the
fact that a false love can crowd out
our love for Jesus Christ than when A
picture entitled "Despised and Reject
ed of Men" The artist did not depict
Christ in the oriental Judgment hall of
PLATE He did not have Jesus surround
ed by Hebrew scoffers In Hebrew dress,
while he staggered under his cross
through the Jerusalem gates on his way
to Calvary. The artist did not lift that
cross. rs we have always seen 1t, between
two thieves. But this cross of Christ
seemed to be hung upon one of the pill
lars of the sub-treasury building of Wall
Street, New York. Then as these Amer
lean scoffers passed by, wagging their
heads and sneering each seemed to be
absorbed in just one Illicit love. There
was the drunkard elnging to his bottle.
There was the libertine with wanton
eyes watching his prey. There was the
bishop in his gorgeous robes thinking
more of ecclesiastical honors than of wor-
Shipping ut the cross. There was the maid
en- dressed In the latest fashion, seeming
to say: Come o world, come and wor-
shin me and my beauty" There was the
politician reaching after fame There
was the mser or the banker whose sod
was gold. As ! watched the long line of
men and women who were rejecting
Christ, each ON account OF his one illicit
love. this niser seemed to speak and
stand out before me as the most dcspira-
BILE of all.
Why They Reject Him.
] seemed to see him lift his golden
coins and drop them back into the
withered palm of his hand as he said:
"Ah, We beauties, how | love to hear
the music of your ring. | worship YOU
for what you have done for me You
have sent my ships across the sea to
bring to me wealth of other lands.
You have made mon cringe and whine
at my feet. You have built me houses
aye. thousand of them. You have
given me lands and covered them with