The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-08-17
RIG BUSINESS AND RELIGION.
The International Sunday School e
son for August % is 'PauPs Third
Missionary Journey - The Riot at
Ephesus." Acts 19:23-2O:1.
py NTTTJAM IT.
BY WILLIAM Il. ELLIS.

centuries, like the Wanderlng Jew. vi
the present occasion he is calieo lie
metrius, the s~ilversmith; sometimes ne
is known as .Vested Interests some
times as The SYSTEM sometimes as
sBig B~usiness;" always he claims Spe-
cial GRAFTON from kings ana
church and parliament and peasant
ever he is glib to profess any Ialtn
that may serve his own interests, ana
always is he clever in cloaklng ms
w specious pleas in n CARP OF the
moments most popular cause.
A mark of the wise man and the
good citizen is ability to discern De-
metrius in the garb of capitalist, OF
labor agitator or politician. 1t is well
to remember that he is not q patriot
but only a silverSm1th. Along with a
wholesome trust in ones fellow men
should ever go a careful skeptlclsm
concerning the motives of popular agi-
tators. For Demetrius is the worst foe
of any people at any time.
The ode Golden Calf.
At the recent Christian Endeavor
Convention in ST. Paul, Mr.. William
Jennings Bryan related how he had
talked with a man concerning the sub
ject of uniting with the church. The
nan at length confessed that the rea-
son he could not become a Christian
while frankly admitting that he should
w SO"WdS lIldL liz Wdo SHS"CSu -
a business which was Inconsistent with
the Christian religion, and given his
choice between business and religion
he chose business. That is a twen-
tieth century habit. Our times frankly
defy business. We are putting
above family relationships, personal
health and happiness, and above hon
or itself. It is not altogether an un-
known thing for persons to unite with
the church merely to further their
own usine interests.
The crude open, and unabashed
fashion in which Americans eKalt bust
ness above worthief- considerations
has an illustration in the present dis
cussion concerning the Chinese rail
way loan. Some American financiers
have expressed a desire to participate
to the extent of a. few million, dollars
In a loan to the Chinese Government.
The officials at Washington have gone
to great length to support this en-
tirely proper claim. Yet in the few
months hat this subject has been I'M
der consideration the of
the United States have given more
space to it than they have given for
eight years past to all the varied and
important interests of American mis-
sions In China, although the latter
represent an infinitely greater invest
I1enL- HuS 10 we
put the dollar first. Similarly, all the
tariff discussion of recent months has
had as it's background the shrewd and
sleepless insistence of vested interests
for special consideration at the hands
of lawmakers. Every parliament on
earth knows the power of big busi-
ness in demanding more than COM
mon consideration. The golden dol
lar Is the golden calf.
. Some Present-Day Diana
The popular Ephesian deity was
Artemis, or Diana, the Goddess Of
Life, who was worshipped with vilest
debaucheries. Her great idol, which
was sold in miniature to the ceaseless
stream of pilgrims, thus making a
most productive industry, was the
principal object Of interest in Ephesus;
and her. temple was one of the seven
wonders of the world. Somewhat
analogous to that ancient situation is
the shrine of the Lady of Lourdes, or
the hin shrines of Yamada, in Ise,
Japan, or the Hindu temples at
Benares In all these places the COM
mercial life of the city is interviewer
with the worship and the pilgrimages.
The entire population would rise up
to protest against any innovation that
fmperiled their business.
We need not go to heather lands to
find ana1ogies. Present-day Christians
have identified religion with institu-
tons Our Interpretation and express
sion of Christianity has become con-
fused with Christianity itself. Sup
pose it should appear to the con-
sciences of most Christians that or
CANS should be abolished from the
churches, or the reverse; or that all
chofrs should be put into vestments.
h q row would Immediately fol-
low. Or, more seriously, what if the
enlightened Christian conscience Of
to-day should lead the churches back
to the simple meeting house of an
n day? h an Ephesian riot
in behalf Of the churches and
cathedrals would be created.
SO most denominations have built
mn in bricks and mortar oynanSiUa de-