Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1908-07-20
SAVING SOULS BEST
OF ALL BUSINESSES
DR.. STRATON DRAWS MORAL
FROM INDUSTRY
Modern Private Enterprise by Nc
Means All Corrupt, and Useful
Lessons May Be Learned
from 1t

At the Auditorium last night Rev.
John Roach Straton, d. D., of Balti-
more Md, preached to a large audiences
on 1.-THE Worlds Biggest and Best Bus
mess" 1t was a special message to
business men. He said in part
This is a day of great business en-
terprises. We see them around us on
every hand. The railroad systems of
our country constitute one of the mar
wells of the century. Our great steam
ship lines and insurance companies are
equally remarkable. Such mercantile
establishments as John Wanamaker's
or Marshall Fields, covering more than
twenty acres of floor space and en-
ploying 5000 people, are monuments of
constructive ability.
1.-THE greatness of our age is just at
this point. Ours is a business era and
we need not despair of it for that
reason. 1t requires as much ability to
design and execute great business en-
terprise, such as the American steel in
dustry, as to write Hamlet or the
'Iliad,' or to win the battle of Water
loo 1t is a different sort Of ability, to
be sure, yet 1t is very great neverthe-
less"
DR.. Straton then went on to mention
some of the bad ethics of the day In
the business world and deplored them,
but stated we could not have other
than an abiding admiration for the
skill and greatness of some of the cap
tains of industry, and that to save our
selves from pessimism concerning our
own age, we need to remember that the
business world is not all bad. 1.-THE
vast majority of business transactions
are on a square and honest basis, and
we must set ourselves the task of over
throwing the big rascals who set before
! our American people the bad example
of dishonest and unfair business
methods"
He then went on to say that thu
greatest business in all the world wal
| the Kings business. The worlds big
gest and best business was the win
ming of souls, the bringing of men intC
touch with Gods Righteousness.
Partnership with God
He pointed out three reasons for as
sorting that soul winning was the
| worlds biggest and best business. They
were as follows:
"F'irst-Soul winning is the worlds
biggest and best business because OF
its partnership. This partnership is q
partnership between God and man
become fellow workers with the Di-
vine. and all the resources of heaven
are behind us in the work.
Secondly-Soul-Savin is the world S
biggest and best business because of its
field operations. The field is the world
Every business enterprise seeks the
widest field for it's operations. Chris
tianity has set itself the task of cap
turing the soul markets of the whole
world. The purpose of our divine part
ner Jesus Christ, is to capture the
whole world for himself and his truth
"Thirdly-The last reason for believ-
ing that soul-saving is the worlds big
gest and best business is the splendid
! interest that comes from even the
smallest investment The great aim OF
every business is the consideration OF
returns. How much dividends will this
| investment bring? every business man
asks himself. Here is a business where
| the smallest investment bears the
greatest dividends that it is possible
| for 81 man to imagine. He that
| turneth sinner from the error of his
ways shall save a soul from death and
shall cover a multitude of sins.'''
| In speaking of the rapidity with
which sin increased he told of a pro-
fessor from Bonn university, in Ger
many, who not so long ago traced 70s
| descendants of wicked and impure
woman who died in Germany the lat
| ter part of the eighteenth century. OF
| these 709 descendants from this one
| life 142 were beggars, sixty-four more
| lived on charity. Among the women
| 1S1 lived dlsreputable lives, and there
were seventy-six convicts, including
seven murderers. In seventy-five years
| the professor estimated, this one family
cost the German government for
prisons, almshouses, etc., $1,250,000.