Los Angeles herald., 1909-09-27
MINISTER SPEAKS OF
INFLUENCE OF MONEY
Rev. William Horace Day Says Effect
of Riches Depends on Moral
Principles of Men Who
Use Them

At the First Congregational church
yesterday morning ReV. William Hor-
ace Day spoke on the Money Power"
After speaking of the gigantic wealth
of our own land and of the conCentra-
tion of power which put onetwelfth
OF the nations wealth in the hands
of board of a single great corpora
ton, which in turn was directed by
a small executive committee back of
which were two men who are the CO.
lossal figures in the world of finance,
he said in part;
The money power seems to threat
en- the life of the state. The influence
of money destroys domestic purity,
| drags down commercial integrity COR
rupts personal morals in public life
and leads the partisan and the press
| to abandon all moderation of judgment
until we expect public men to be either
abandoned villains or perfect paragons.
The possession of great wealth is
source of great temptation, as Jesus
said, and money is root of all kinds
of evil, but money is not perniciouS
because it's money, nor because it Is
great deal of money nor because it
is concentrated and directed by few
men.
Money power has no moral quality
any more than steam power or electric
power. Its moral effect on the COM
munity depends on the moral princi
Piles of the men who use It, The growth
and concentration Of wealth, even that
which has been charged with fragrant
violation of law and ethics, has served
the people, and even the poorest man
enjoys the material results which would
never have been produced had increase
and concentration of the money power
been prevented.
Millions Not Criminal
"The threat of money power, small
or great, is not inherent, but is in the
man who controls it. A million dollars
is not crime unless the millionaire
behind it is a criminal. Reporters like
to call men of power in the financial
world Napoleons. Napoleon stands for
bad type. I wish they would tell us
about the Lincolns Of finance and
not call some good men by bad
name.
Lincoln and Napoleon were alike in
raising vast armies, in promoting ter
rible war, in coercing high spirited peo-
pie by brute force, in fighting to unity
a continent. Napoleon did it to become
master of Europe, even though he
made France a slave Lincoln to serve
continent that even the lowest slave
might be free Every Napoleon ought
to find a st. Helena, and Lincoln-a
martyrdom perhaps-but a crown fash
ioned out of the love Of a grateful
people, Each of us wields a money
as we use it for good or i'll. Your
money power was given you to glorify
God and bless mankind
"The Bible declares the principles of
administration. 1t proclaims that God
is owner and man is steward The
earth is the Lords and the fullness
thereof AS stewards of what is an
OIL uFa rive nf
possessions. That we may never for
get these facts we are commanded to
give at least one-tenth of our increase.
THE 1.-THE (tenth) Is holy unto Jeho-
vah' He who gives proportionately
will find 1t easier to make right use of
the balance. The principle of giving at
least a tenth was commended by Jesus,
and the giving as one is prospered was
commended by st. Paul.
Principle of Giving
1.-THE plan of giving suggested in the
Bible tells us not only to give tenth,
but when we should give 1t. Upon
the first day of the week let each one
of you lay by him in store am sure
Cod wants to find men to whom he can
entrust money. He looks to see who
obey those principles of administering
monty power to whom he. can entrust
greater responsibilities.
Il do not mean the giving a tlthe
Is kind of magic which leads him
to prosper a worthless weak man, but
1t has so often happened that he who
began to give conscientiously has found
himself with more to give, because
every time we take step towards full
ler obedience we become more the chan
mel through which the power of God
can flow That is why the prophet
said Bring ye all the tithes into the
storehouse-and see II l will pour
you out a blessing
I'VE as a church are to try to raise
SIG, 900 for benevolences and $4,000 for
the work ,centerlng in this place. We
can do il and more II we all intelli-
gently, systematically and proportion
ately use the money power we have"