Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1910-04-01
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WEALTH NOT AN EVIL.

But thou shalt remember the Lord
thy God, for 1t is He that giveth thee
power to get Wealth-Deut. 8:18.
1t is customary when speaking of
wealth to enumerate its evils. We all
know that the inordinate, miserly love
of money is the taproot of the whisky
evil, the slavery evil, the gambling
evil, the social evil, the living for
pleasure evil and the capital and labor
war evil
But when man like John Stewart
Kennedy departs this life bestowing
from thirty to forty millions Of prop
erty to multitude of noble charities
the public beholds a more optimistic
side of the acquisition of riches.
Wealth itself cannot be an evil any
more than the wealth of intellect,
wealth of heart or wealth of character
and influence are evil. 1t is only when
one Of the gifts of the Creator is made
a god to be worshiped that it becomes
sinful. "Ye cannot serve Cor worship
God and Mammon" Abraham and Job
We're millionaires in time when ST.,
100000 was equal to $50,000000 of
present values. Solomon's wealth was
beyond all computation. He only asked
for wisdom, but received both riches
of mind and treasure given him by the
Almighty. Zaccheus and Cornelius, two
converts of the New Testament time,
were men Of large property. No one
in Bible history is condemned because
Of possessing great riches, for the
Lord maketh poor and He maketh
rich
The power to acquire riches is as
much God-given gift as the power to
move men by oratory or to influence
men by love or the power to write like
poets, philosophers, historians and
scholars, or the power to reveal ma
lures secrets, like Newton, Watt, Bell.
Morse and Edison. The rich men of
the past have aided in these wonderful
discoveries and shaped the destinies
Of nations.
George Washington gave not only
himself for his country, but poured
out his gold in the hour of the Rev
olTtion's needs. Stephen Girard of
Philadelphia loaned large amounts to
A4C ICPuDAAC anu W I'LL lAIO
of his money founded college of
learning for fatherless boys. Peter
Cooper has embalmed his name in the
memory of millions; the name Of Will
liam E. Dodge will never perish from
our annals.
We do not need to search history for
characters among the wealthy who
have been an honor to the race and
blessing to many of their fellow be-
ings The number of living philan-
thropists is increasing rapidly every
year We could fill a whole volume
with the names Of munificent givers
who make possible our churches hos
pitfalls, orphan asylums, colleges, uni
versities, our travellers aid societies,
homes for the aged and intirm, chill
dren's aid societies, our libraries, mu-
seums and charity organizations. There
is no question but that the craving of
all men is for brotherliness. helpful
ness. kindness and friendliness, and
this soul hunger is being fed In a
larger degree to-day than ever before.
The rich and the poor are coming to-
gether in harmonious unity, ushering
in the day when the war between cap
ital and labor will cease forever.
The river ofwealth is as potential for
good as for evil Let all, therefore. en-
deavor to turn this mighty tide into
the broad channels of human need,
for everything liveth whittier the river
cometh. Then the great ministry Of
wealth will not be to turn the world
into a wilderness. but the wilderness
into the garden of the Lord.