The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1909-02-22
Address Delivered This Afternoon Be-
fore the Bankers at the Con-
venton Here of Group
Eleven.
BY DEAN A. G. P1ERsEL
Commercial Man, Ruled by His Bust.
ness Ideas Solely, Becomes
Narrow, Selfish and DAN
ger to Country.

At the luncheon served this after
mon in the lilice room of H.. H3.e'
keokuk, an address was Delivered he
fore the bankers of Group II of the
Iowa Bankers Association, by Hon.
A. C. Piersel, dean of Iowa Wesleyan
University His address in full, is
given herewith, and was greatly Ell
joyed by the bankers present:
Mr.. Chairman and Gentlemen OF
the association:
| appreciate much the courtesy of
the gracious invitation of your com
mittee to be with you and address vol
briefly at this time | would not have
presumed to accept the invitation had
l not hoped to say som athing that
might be suggestive and helpful.
jur theme, Commercialism and Pa
triotism, Is a combination one, uniting
the sense of your activities ard the
sentiment of this, Washingtons natal
day-the regular time of your annual
meeting. Socialism together with all
commercialism and patriotism is an
impossible combination; that it Is
commercialism or patriotism, implying
that the commercial spirit is essential
ly selfish spirit, and therefore
Numerically opposed to patriotism,
which breathes the spirit of sacrifice.
Socialism as II is preached today
savors Of fanaticism. The fanatic is
ruled by his ideas, rather than having
rule over them. And this statement
contains point that | wish to make
The commercial man, the business
man, the banker that is ruled by his
commercial ideas simply and solely,
becomes narrow, selfish, fanatical, a
detriment to the community, and col
lectiyely danger to the country.
While on the other hand, the business
man or banker, that rules his business
ideas and ideals above and beyond his
dollar-plant, who is large-brained and
large-hearted, this man, whose name is
legion, is the man on whom the COM
munity can count. and on whom the
country can depend. In times of peace
ism is the nations greatest asset.
And count myself happy that to a
group of such men l now address
myself
We recognize. and the most of us
realize that life is very complex. On
Nth ot hn nh Loo .rf
lie is very simple. And it is about
this simple philosophy of life in it's
relation to commercialism and patriot
ism in this inter-relation that | wish
to speak to you who are community
captains of industry.
Everything existing, that is worth
while and worthy whether in nature.
In human life. or in literature, re-
ceived its impetus and impulse from
life, and in turn gives back to life.
Inl5 is principle positive and par
amount. And he who does not live
and line up with this law is not law
abiding citizen in relation to the coun-
try or the kingdom However, the
money mad fanatic insists that he by
his own efforts made his money. and
that 1t is his to do and dare with as
he please. But let us remind this
dollar-marked man, that ours is a
Christian civilization, and that Chris
tian civilization is christianity in &C
ton. Freely we have received from
those who have gone on before, free
ly we are in duty bound to give to
those who are to come after Our
fore-fathers and our fathers, the
founders of this nation. and the sa.
viours of the union, laid in sacrifice
and blood the foundations OF our
present day prosperity. They secured
and safe-guarded the independence
and inviolability of our national exis-
tence. And it is this enlarged and
Intensified, that is the basis of our
commercial credit today at home and
abroad. Wealth is not self-creative
nor produced Indefinitely by indivii-
ual effort Wealth is created by com
munity and country conditions. Aad
hereby and herein every money-ma'ie"
and every money holder is d debtor 10
his community and to his country in
more than dollars and cents And
herein is the possibility and power of
commercialism in its relation to pa