Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1912-08-29
SATURDAY
~ NIGHT
: \ SERMONS
BY
RxSAMUEL W.pURvEll
THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL.

Text, For the love Of money is the root
of all evil."-I Tim. vi TO-
Money is the chief sign of civiliza-
tion. Not cause, but an effect Man
emerging from barbarism needed a
better and more effective medium Of
exchange than wampum. But instead
of being simply an indication Of value
transferred, convenient sign of inter
change, 1t is now an object for pur-
suit itself. Instead of servant, 1t is
now a bloated god Men, forgetting
that it is not what they get, but what
they are that makes them happy or
miserable, turn their whole lives to
the getting Of money--and more money
They have two objects-one to get rich,
the other to get richer. From the love
of things worth while men turn to
the love Of money, and that, not
money, but the love Of money is the
root of all evil, the Bible declares.
That love displaces the love Of God
The dollar god ia goddess. He stamps
his sign on reeking tuberculosis tene
ments, upon the mammoth titan Of the
sea, upon the championship series of
baseball, upon the pulpit on which the
wealthy sinner may deign to nod his
approval, upon the political campaigns
Of the one government on earth that
claims to be truly representative
pure democracy. 1t Is a maddening
struggle, and the dollars mark is the
serpent Of selfish sin climbing the pill
lars Of human society.
money For Sale"
Any one can be rich If he will pay
the price. In your brokers' Office you
will read the sign, money For Sale"
For sale?" Yes, If you will pay for
1t. How much Is it?' How much
do you want? oh, million is our
American standard OF wealth" Well,
If you want to be worth a million dol
lars it will cost you just a million dol
lars to get 1t. A million In broken
friendships intellectual starvation,
loss of social enjoyment, deprivation
of generous impulses, the smothering
Of nobler aspirations, limited ward
robe. a scanty table, lonely home
because you fear lovely wife and
handsome home would be expensive
a hatred of heather. dread of the
contribution box, a haunting fear of
charitable societies. fretfnl dislike
of poor people, because they won't
keep out of your sight, little sham
benevolence that is worse than none;
oh, you can be rich if you are willing
to pay the price. ANY man can get rich
"Get rich if possible, but get RICH"
is the devils creed Of creeds. but it
results in the greed of greeds. 1t be-
comes a passion that deadens, de-
grades and damns In the lowest pit
Of Dante's inferno, at the bottom of
the ninth circle, in the NAV of Lucifer,
Is Judas. In the office of the temple
of brokers he read the sign Money
For Sale To buy thirty pieces of
silver he sold not only himself, but his
Lord
Expanding Stored Power.
Money earned money-is your own
self expressed in medium of coin.
Laboring man. So a day? Saturday
night you have S12 worth Of your
muscle in your pocket Clerk. $40 a
week. brain man? Then you have
that amount of brain in your envelope
Write clever book. invent a great
machine, cast tube under deep
river. your check is $4,000? Then it
is gray matter expressed in banknotes
Muscle man, brain man, man of genius,
each gets the amount of his labor ex
pressed in money. 1t is stored power.
How will you spend $40 you have laid
aside by the "Fourth?' Fireworks,
cigars and drink? Five dollars for
books and five for Y. NJ c. A. dues
and lecture course? Ten dollars sent
back to your old mother for some lux
nries and a new dress to wear in the
old village church? Money blown
In" money stored away for future
capital, money poured back into your
brain for more effective work, money
to pay sons debt of gratitude or
money for the extension Of Gods
kingdom? The use of money is the
test Of character. I'm sure. my in
dulgent reader. YOU haven't million,
but you have some fraction of mil
lion. AS you spend that fraction you
would spend the whole
"The Almighty Dollar"
wrote of goddess dollar 1t is
powerful-we call 1t the almighty dol
lar But dollar is almighty only
when it is Gods. The bad dollar is
potent-the good dollar is omnipotent
The bad dollar may buy legislature.
1t may secure a Legislature; 1t may get
Its strength from violation Of child
labor laws; 1t may corner bread, meat
or COAL so that the poor are driven to
theft, starvation or prostitution; 1t may
buy garages. racing stables and pri-
vate yachts, but In the end what shall
It profit a MANI 1t may be said that
very night, ssThou fool" The honest,
consecrated dollar is the only one that
can bring permanent happiness. Don't
put your trust in money. but put your
money in trust with God Your hand
may be clinched when you are born,
hI1f ~ 10 oman <ybo, Won die Tt. ot, Iu