The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1906-02-02
The PULPIT.
a SCHOLARLY SUNDAY sseDo. Er
THE Rev DR.. r. 2. tLSCe.
subJset Graft, Ancient ntsnd Modern.

rector Of - Anus L. <. church.
preached sunday morning on Graft.
Ancient and Modern" His text Was
from Luxe xix:s: Behold. Lord. the
half Of my goods | give 10 the poor.
and il | have taken anything from
any man by false accusation. | restore
him fourfold." Dr. A>op said:
We have in these days a curious use
of the word graft. Probably the gar
dener would md il a little hard TO I'M
, derstand how il came 10 have the mean-
Ing that il has. yet IL ought not 10 be
difficult 10 explain. He seJS INFO some
plan! bud or a twig. and by and 10y
IL grows into the plaut. Then ii lives
10 certain extent its own life. bears
iis own fruit. drawing the while sap.
nourishment. vitality. from the plant
into which II has been grated. 1t he.
comes. therefore. the tigure Of thing
that draws that something else with
which il il connected. that which II
uses FOR It's own purpose. so the habit
OF drawing OF for private uses some
thing that really belongs 10 some one
else. whether il be q government.
department.. or an individual has come
L. be called graft. The use OF the
word j. peculiar 10 our own times.
The thing which the word indicates is.
alas. aS old as history. Something like
1t We mud in the story OF him who
claims our attention this morning.
Two or three things come out in our
study of Zacchaeus.
fTs;-He was in q dangerous en-
plOyment. IL surrounded him with
temptations. Its usual standard Of
action was low. Its prevailing habit
was one of wrong doing. Ii was
course Of life in which every day one
could see opportunities OF getting gain
and take them. Both insiders and out
sldors took for granted "A certain meas
ure of pilferinG.
Mr Jerome has lately been holding
Up 10 the ridicule OF the public the
claim that there is such a thing a
honest graft. by which is meant OPP
porjunities which come To. insiders to
take advantage of their knowledge and
Of others ignorance To make great
profits. The employment Of Iacchaeus
gave such opportunities. and men like
him We're expected 10 gather in CON
stantly what was called perquisites OF
their position. Just as a customs in
spectOr is suppC Il 10 look for and Ia
wait for a fee. or rs a policeman who
has a district like the Tenderloin. j.
supposed 10 be waiting and ready
for brihes. We have men who have
shown good deal of this spirit. We
have had those who cali themselves
statesmen in New lork who were in
politics by their own confession not
for their health. but for their pocket
all the time. Zaccbaeus, we are told.
was chief OF the publcans. and he
seems to have illustrated the spirit
which is apt TO prevail in a hated and
prescribed business, namely, that of
ayenging itself upon the public by
making the public pay.
Secondly-It would appear that he
had used he oppor tunities which his
position gave him. iaX collecting
proper does not bring a man a large
fortune. The income is usually grad
ed TO give him merely moderate liv-
ing. But Xacchaeus had not been
content with that. I'here are thou
sands Of people all through our land
who have the rare faculty OF growing
rich in few years on very small
salary. Men like Beavers. senators
who have been indicted and convicted
OF land frauds. judges no have used
appointments for personal rea asons.
These 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 on in lbe year Of our Lord 20.
1t was graft nearly twenty centuries
before the word % -le 10 have its pres
snt connotation. And so Iecchaeus be-
came riCb-notoriously rich. He was
probably Ike some o, orr high finan-
cierS OF to-day. He had fine house
and garden and establishment SO that
rs men pass d it they pointed TO it
and said. There lives the richest man
ID the city
Third-Still. in spite OF his prosper
fly. he was in bad odor The community
will stand a good deal. hut there comes
time 'yhen even the glamour Of
wea,th cannot hide mans true char
acter-when his success can no longer
blind mems eyes. when his splendor
becomes an offeDse that cries TO high
heaven. There are houses and estab-
lishments in our day that make men
gnash their teeth, that stand in the
community as an exhibition Of what
fraud and trickery and legal ealing
snd breach OF trust can do. With
wealth honestly earned and nobly used.
the legitimate reward OF real service
10 the community, there IS and should
be no quarrel; but with I'll gotten
gains gains got at the expense Of the
community. gains which srenot the pay
OF honest work. Of brain. OF body. but
The ioot OF cunning. az fraud. the booty
flcled by the strong or tie clever, or
the high placed from the weak. or
foolish. or lowiy; with such wealth
there j. and Ought ;o be quarrel eter-
nal. And 20 IL was with Iacchaeus.
As the people of Jericho passed his
gates II was with n Snecr. perhaps a
curse. He is rich yes. hut he is a
sinner: his glory j. his shame. His
splepdor Is the measure az his turpi-
tude. he has made his pile. hut il j.
The result az extortiUn and false sccu-
sations. He j not ouiy a renegade. in
that he i q publican. and the chief Of
them. hut be is standing. liying
monument of what vOnscienceless
greed can make of q man.