Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-16

not lift his eyes from the ground the
man who heard the words felt that the
eyes were looking at him.
NO" said Mr.. Lampirthy. that u not
is it?''
IT have nothing to SELL" the visitor re-
piled. Something to give perhaps.
Something to say. If you will listen to
me-"
Say on 1 will listen''
They tell me that you are the richest
a pause. in which his eyes scrutinized
the face Of the millionaire. you repre-
sent in yourself the highest ideal. the
highest ambition, of the present age. You
are what all men would like to Be. Are
Doubtless you have read all about that
in the papers," replied Mr.. Lampirthy,
with sheer.
IT can read it in your face" was the
quiet reply. Yet there are plenty Of rich
men who enjoy life. You are different.
however. and the difference Is all to your
credit"
Mr.. Lampirthy smiled. He was i'm
pervious to f1attery.
rich. You are unhappy because you are
unsatisfled. You would be just as miser-
able If YOU were merely a well-to-do
merchant. If you were small shop
still be unsatisfied. You would feel that
you were made for something better, that
there were things moro to be desired than
money
Mr.. Lampirthy did not answer. He was
wondering what amount he would be
asked for at the end Of the interview.
Your money" continued Father Fran-
els. lis not a burden to you. but 1t IL use
less and Of no benefit to tho world. And
the curse that has been laid upon you IL
working like a slave and shall know the
worthlessness Of your labor"
A more serious look came into Mr..
Lampirthy's eyes. He knew that the man
was speaking the truth.
II have heard all that before" he said,
YEARLY. II get a thousand letterssa day
pointing out various ways In which can
relieve myself of my money"
Yes, in charity. But that does not
satisfy you. Your donations to charitable
schemes. your endowments Of hospitals.
your gifts to individual and deserving
sufferers-what are all these? Mere sops
to appease your conscience. or else titheS
exacted from you by society. or else ad-
vertisements Of your benevolence. How
can these satisfy you? You merely sup
ply money which you can we'll spare.
There is nothing in all this to satisfy a
man of energy and character"
There Is. as you say, nothing satisfac-
tory in all this. save for the recipients
of the gifts"
But IT," continued Father Francis, Il
were to put before you q scheme which
u
possessions. which would occupy your
mind to the exclusion of everything else,
which would satisfy all the best prompt
ings OF heart and BRAIN which would APP
peal to you as fighting man, which
would. whether it succeeded or failed.
place your name for all time among the
greatest names in the history of the
world, II I were to do this, and II could
persuade you to devote your wealth and
energies to the accomplishment Of a
M oil homeless a al
then. Mr.. Lampirthy. you would know
such happiness as is granted to few peo-
pie in this sinful world
The voice of the speaker had risen
a business proposition to the earnest
pleading Of an enthusiast. The change
produced an uncomfortable effect on the
mind Of the millionaire. He knew that he
was In the presence Of man whose
whole heart was in the words he had
spoken. He disliked emotion and the
change Of voice irritated him.
II am deeply grateful to you" he said
after pause. but may I ask why you
are 20 anxious about my welfare?"
II will tell you" the man replied quiet
ly: because 1t 10 only In this way that
can hope to appeal to you. To some men
I should only speak OF the greatness and
nobility OF the cause which I have at
move them by an appeal to all that IL
best in their nature. But you are q thor
oughly selfish man, and I can only hope
to move you by an appeal to your selfish
ness. You are unhappy and offer you
happiness"
Mr.. Lampirthy laughed This speech
pleased him more than the last. As a
man of business he was attracted by the
matter-of-fact candor of the words.
There II something in this fellow after
all" he said to himself, and then aloud:
What is this great and noble work
which will buy me happiness?"
Father Francis rose to his feet, tower
ing. threatening. militant
"It is the shattering Of an idol" he
cried. 1.-The image Of god who holds all
the world In his cruel grip. who Is squeez-
ing out the life blood from rich and poor
alike-a god in whose temple you yourself
The name Of the god il Mammon."
Mr.. Lampirthy looked at the flashing
eyes and the wild. earnest face with a
glance OF cold d.sapproval. The mans
not touched his keen intellect. He had
heard this sort Oh thing before In Hyde
Park on Sunday.
you are a socialist he said, coidly.
You think both riches and poverty are
evils. and that there would be a sort Of
millennium II the money were taken away
from the rich and divided among the
poor"
II do not think that" Father Francis
replied. once more lowering his voice to
by argument rather than rhetoric. In
fact. 1 am sure that any scheme Of that
sort would be unsuccessful At the best.
il would be only temporary relief Of the
present inequalities. The money would
be poured out but 1t would flow back
again. as it always has flowed. to the
men OF strength and will and intellect.
Il think" continued Father Francis.
That you misunderstood my words when
l said that the god Of Mammon must be
destroyed. l was not thinking OF the
poor when I made the appeal. l was
thinking Of the whole social system.
which is rapidly moving backward with
every advance of civilization. Money Is
the canker that 10 eating out all that is
best In human nature. Society is advanc-
ing and becoming more complex. but the
individual is deteriorating. Most Of the
evils and nearly all the unhappiness in
the world are due to the fact that the
key to the whole system is money
THAT is a statement which requires
proof
1T lies round you wherever you turn
your eyes to your fellow men. Nine out
of every ten people, / might say ninety
nine out of every hundred people. whether
rich. poor or OF moderate means, spend
most of their life in the pursuit Of wealth.
or of the bodily pleasures which wealth
can purchase. Money Is the main central
fact in their lives. All else revolves
about 1t. And so long as that is the case,
so long must there be unhappiness in the
world"
Il do not see that" interposed Mr..
Lampirthy
DO you not see that it Is a great evil
when men have nothing else to fall back
IN NOTHING oil m, which m renfar their