The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1910-03-04
He Told the Truth
ANYWAY.


speak the exact truth as it appeared
to him regardless of the occasion.
One of the richest members of his
congregation had died. The deceased
was an officer In the church ard hao
contributed 81 900 per annum to It's
support. On account of his cOntrlbu'
tion what he said went in that
church. He was worth million
dollars. His funeral was decidedly
the most scrumptlous affair that had
taken place in the town and 1t was
naturally supposed that the preacher
would use the best he had In the way
OF word coloring to paint the virtues
of the dead.
- =. While the preacher was trying 10
prepare the funeral sermon he had
considerable of tussel with his
conscience and for a wonder it had
downed him and forced him to decide
to tell the truth. And so he spoke
about as follows:
Brethren and sisters, the spirit OF
this dead man may be In heaven
Never having been there l am not
prepared to say just how mean man
can DO and still squeeze through the
gates Of pearl, The scriptures say
that it's harder for camel to go
through the eye of needle than for
a rich man to enter the kingdom OF
heaven, but have never seen camel
undertake the job of passing through
the eve of needle. My understand
ing is that the needle referred to was
not the eye of an ordinary cambria
needle or even a large earning needle,
but hat it referred to small gate or
stone arch where camel might
possibly squeeze through, but 1t was
a hard job.
"There have been times when L
have felt that when a man really COB
very rich 1T might be as we'll to take
off this limit and just cay that IL 10
easier for a camel to GO through the
eye of any kind Of an old needle than
for muIti-milliCnaire to enter the
kingdom of heaven.
THE deceased brother was a sue
cessfal business man as the world
measures success. He started Ia with
cut dollar and he died worth z
million. II he had been able to hang
on for another 10 years he would nave
been worth 10 million ia all proba-
bility. He joined the church good
many years ago and for several years
he has been one Of the trustees. IL
was his pride that the church should
be business success and 1t was.
"He looked at this matter OF reli-
gion from a practical business stand
point. He considered his membership
as a good investment financially, and
it was If he had not considered 1T
that way he would have withdrawn
from the church long ago. His con-
nection with this, the wealthiest and
most respected church In the town
helped his financial standing and the
brethren and sisters turned their
business over to him so that all the
cash he ever paid in the way OF con-
tributions to the church he got back
a hundredfold.
"He had only one measure and that
was the dollar. He regarded a man
as worth consideration just in proper
tion to the amount Of money he had
accumulated. He never led 10 any
reform that was likely to interfere
with his business. He prayed in a
perfunctory way on Sunday and col
lected usurious interest during the
other six days of the week, He
opposed the closing Of the saloons and
driviug out of the houses of prostitu-
tion because it would cut off revenue
and increase his personal taxes.
"He was rated by the commercial
agencies as worth millions, but the
book of the county treasurer only
showed that he was worth $50. 600.
He boosted of his business integrity
and financial scundness, but for the
sake of saving a couple of thousand
dollars in taxes he was willing to
commit perjury himself and see the
men aud wemen of his town de-
banched and ruined morally and
financially.
"Te his mind the declaration that
all men are created with certain
inalienable rights, among them the
rights Of life, liberty and the pursuit
of happiness, was an empty and |
meaningless phrase, He belieyedthat
only the rich really had these rights
and that the poor only had such |
rights as the rich saw tit to give
them. Popular sovereignty 10 his
opinioa was a fraud and the nan wto
.dsoeated it was either a fool or a