Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1910-05-19
RACE FOR MONEY
BLAMED FOR GIANT
VICES OF TODAY
Presbyterian Moderator Scoring
Society. Says Wealth Is Chok-
ing Channels OF Justice.

ATLANTIC CITY, May 81 cannot
be a pessimist While God is in his
heaven but / declare to you that, dis
credit the muck-rackers and the mock
rcformers as we will, the times are out
of joint said the Rev. DIR. James M
Barkley, of Detroit, former pastor of
Wickliffe Presbyterian Church, Newark,
today. In his sermon as moderator,
opening the 1920 general assembly of the
Presbyterian Church on the Steel Pier
here.
'Tf virtues are %virile,7 continued the
retiring moderator, evils are gigantic.
Twin sins that threaten the very exist
ence of this christian nation are the
vulgar race for gain and the rottinS
sin of social vices.
1.-THE former of these evils, the in
ordinate love of money, is the parental
and passionate root of sins that have
Initiated the whole world. 1t has given
us the CRATER in office and the white
lave dealer in society, those twin
vampires of civilization. 1t has cor
rupted the functions of government and
choked the channels of justice.
SUNDAY baseball, Sunday excursions,
Sunday Sunday saloons.
Sunday theatres and the like are It's
creatures. Not one of them Is prompted
by motives of benevolence. Not one %
them leaves the world better. bu.
worse. 1t is this money lust that pro-
notes the prize ring with its survival
of savagery that once butchered giadi-
ators to make a Roman holiday.
But bad as is the inordinate passion
for wealth and its attendant evils. 1t
is white and wholesome as compared
to that second category of sins at which
| limited a moment ago. This is. that
social sin that runs so often in the
wake of wealth and luxurious living.
"Ravages of tuberculosis and typhoid
fever are as mere side issues to these
terrific ~sicknesses that are the result
of this shameful and secret sin. And
these physical sicknesses in their turn
are but superfcials as compared to he
sin itself, which eats out the very soul.
Delving into statistics, DIR. Barley
continued:
LET us make an excursion into fig
ures. Counting our home churches
only, we have $500 congregations of
our order in America. There are nine
distinct causes that appeal every year
" OuI 1iIultil. II 10 Il WHY siilipit maj
ter Of arithmetic to show that to these
appeals of these causes there are So, 21S
chances of response. There are SS,21s
channels, some OF them mere rivulets,
along which current gifts go to raise
the tide of our beneficences, and, on
the shoulders of that tide, to lift the
world Godward.
But curing, the past year, 4S,626 of
49,. l- - -..,~ A a ~
these channels felt the cheer of no
current Going further into detail,
there were more than 1000 of our
churches hat felt no STRINGS either of
pity or patriotism when our Home
Board sounded its calls. They forgot.
There were nearly 1000 churches that
heard no Macedonian cries, although
those cries sounded from every heather
shore, were borne ON the wings Of
every wind that swept the oceans, AMI
were caught up n eloquently echoed
by the great laymen's missionary move
ment that swept the country.
over 1000 churches, doubtless feel
ing hat the temperance question ought
to be kept out of sight for the sake of
peace, let that cause severely alone;
and 1923 seemed oblivious to the fact
that we nave TO sustain a reputation
as a college building church, for they
put not the prop Of a single dime under
that reputation.
Thus. out of ss,21S chances for CO.
operation in advancing the Kingdom OF
God offered us last Year, the churches
took 1887, a trihe over 80 per Gem.
The rest were declined.
Last year. for all causes representel
in our church reports, our membership
Of 1921. 1886 souls gave ii gand total Of
s22, Ass, 1858; that is, each OF us on the
average gave SIT. in doing this did we
bring all the 1.-THE into the s~torehouse?'
II we did then the average yearly in
come of each of those thrifty people
called Presbyterians' was just l0x1i,
which equals s170. and that, counting
out Sundays, was an average daily in
come of less than ffty-five cents for
each church member.
Does anyone seriously think for a
that that was the average
daily income Of our people? Simply to
ask such aa question is instantly 20
It's utter absurdity. Then
let US go back a moment to our search
ing question: Are we Presbyterianes
robbing GodT'"