The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-10-28

"A
And he said unto them, Take heed, and
beware of covetousness. for mans life
consistent not in the abundance OF the
things which he possesseth- ST. Luke
XII 10.
In the first great moral code that
was promulgated for the guidance of
mankind, covetousness was specifically
mentioned as something to be shun-
ned OF the great ten command
ments that were given by God through
Moses to the children of Israeli the
last, but by no means the least, runs;
Thou shalt not covet thy neighbours
house, thou shalt not covet thy neigh
boris wife, nor his manservant, nor his
maidservant, nor his OK, nor his ass,
nor anything that is thy neighbors."
That commandment is all compre-
hensive. The coveting of anything, es-
pecialIy when it belongs to some one
else. is placed in the same class with
the other deadly sins. adultery, theft
and murder. And it is seen by the
words used above for a text that
Jesus of Nazareth also took part1c-
ular pains to admonish man against
letting the fangs of covetousness 1as-
ten their tentacles to him
Nor is it any wonder that the great
teachers of all time have voiced these
sentiments. Covetousness is nothing
more than an inordinate love OF rlches
and earthly possessions The more
this love is gratified, the more IN
satiable it becomes AS the posses
sions of a covetous man increase, MS
want of still greater possessions also
| increases. His moral senslbllltles
soon become dulIed. He will take
any steps, he will use any means TO
crafty his greedy ambitions. His COW
! etousness will lead him to extortloh'
| to cheating, to lying and even TO
| stealing. He may not rob a bank ike
! a yegg, with a jimmy and a stick OF
| dynamite, but he will fitch from one
| through trick and fraud. More hkely
| is he, though, to plan and schefne TO
| separate the unsuspecting people from
their wherewithaI in little drlbbles
| at a time and through methods that
are just within the pale of the Law
and merely because all the laws have
not been sufficiently developed as yet
so they can offset the cleverness OF the
rogues of modern times.
1t is very often the case that the
covetous man is unusually successful
for the time being, and perhaps oc-
| casionally until the end of his earthly
days. This is due to the fact, as mas
been pointed out, that he does not
play the game fairly. He is unscrup-
ulous. He will use any means that
come to his hand to accomplish his
ends, without regard as to whether or
not they are decent or honorable Even
| if he is successful in a material way
| that is about all he attains. The things
Of life which are worth while, such
as the respect of his fellowmen, are
not for him. Society eventually sizes
I'D the covetous man according to his
proper. measure. His tactics, once they
are found out, are not of the klnd
that bring forth admiration, because
society. in general, demands fair play.
| Regardless of the gold the covetous
man may pile up through question
able and unfair methods he becomes
a pariah among men, despised by
| them all.
And because covetousness avafls a
man nothing that is why every one
should attempt to avoid it. Listen to
what St. Paul wrote to Timothy: But
they that will be rich fall into tempta-
ton and a snare, and into many fool
ish and hurtful 1usts, which drown
men in destruction and perdition- For
the love of money is the root of all
evil: which while some men coveted
after. they have erred from the faith,
and pierced themselves through with
many sorrows.'