Evening journal., 1913-12-05
FRIDAY, DEC. 5. 1918.
MN LIMOrSINE STORY.


KAJE have desire to enter into controversy with
w the Rev. Frederick Maurice Krkus rector Of
trinity parish to cause him any feeling Of dscom-
ort or embarrassment We respect him as a man, we
him a member OF Of the earth's greatest
md noblost professions, and felictate him upon
he fact that he is the head Of OF the most mpor
amt parshc n the Episcopal Diocese Of Delaware In
lach dosre not TO cause him embarrassment was so
intense when wrote editorial "a Pulpit Story
and Wall Street that We only omitted his name
but also that OF his church Our socitude for his
ort great that refrained from intimat-
ne to what denomination the preacher belonged
who had told from his pulpit the Wall street story
which made the subject Of editorial discussion. II
remained for Mr. Krkus himself to do those things
b open letter sent the Morning News Ia Justice
him. to readers and to ourselves, print that
letter in full in another column
AS We View IT, the letter Of Mr. Kirkus makes
material Inference in the situation by his own admis
sion the story he related from the columns of
daily newspaper did not reveal the Of the
writer, the broker or the customer. When he related
it, Mr., Krkus admits he had positive information
that amy part Of it true Nor is there anything in
his open letter to show that IS any better informed
now than be was when he mqde the story feature Of
his sermon.
To eas eteaA, however she question whether the
story Is true false NJ 81 secondary Importance The
main point raised by us IN our editorial not the
authenticity of lhe but the uhwisdom OF rectng
from ne pulpit something that would make such a
strong appeal to the cupdity aud speculative nclna-
tion Of mei.
We cannot conceive how the recital Of such a story
amid such surroundings win tend to allay the social
unrest Of which Mr. Kirkus speaks Neither
comprehend how It is going do good to the social
service movements about which he preaching We
not OF those who believe social
is tantamount TO human stagnaton. Neither are we
OF those who believe that social unrest is augury
disaster. The progress the world has had social
unrest for its motive power for many many centuries
Practically all socioogsts that OF the
evils hat befal people Is stagnatng content
meut It paralyzes ambition. destroys initiative dus
the mental spiritual and invites disaster
An the movements of the world religo S. social
political and commercial, have had their origin in
social rnrest In tact social unrest produced by
variety Of OF discomfort the cornerstone
OF the American republic when 1t was created and IL
IS the cornerstone of that republic today There ex-
sts however line Of demarcation between beneficial
and harmful unrest We fear the pulpit recital of get
mch-quck stories such the one Mr. Krkus told
With such apparent Of purpose is not cal
culated 10 keep the people the benehcia side OF
that line.
We think Mr.. Kirkus will admit quite wilngl,
that for several millions of men and women in
the city Of Wilmington. the state Of Delaware and
the country at large have been afflicted with acut,
speculative mania They have been engaged in
wild rambe to get rich overnight or at least ts
win, b. shortcut methods competencies mouslnel
and other things for themselves and their children
Hard-earned money amounting to hundreds Of nil
lions Of dollars has been poured into crooked an,
Impractical schemes In fact. the most prominent
rostofice inspector in the United States man VIII,
spends muc of his time running down those who
the mails for purposes fraud said recently
that Americans heeced Of at least 100000 O0(
annually by the operators of wildcat enterprises Ado
70 that amount the many millions lost the rise ant
fall Of securities Of legitimate corporations which are
listed exchange and the curb I'd you have al
annual total that makes the Mississippi Bubble tn,
South Sea Bubble. the Crsa:t Mobier and the d,
LesSeps Panama CANAL swim les pale into compare
tive insignfcance
The ambition become rich and independent fol
the sake Of self and family is a laudable one
provided it be directed along proper lines AS Mr.
kirSns is close reader of the newspapers we have
no doubt he has noticed, here and elsewhere, the
growing tendency Of Americans to risk and lose tbs
savings Of Lifetime in frantic efforts to accumulate
wealth by eetrich-quick methods II is not necessar,
to bark back to the days of John Laws prncely but
fuinlous career IN Paris the patronage Of III,
Duke of Orleans Compared with some Of the mer
who have operated IN wildcat finance in recent wears
John Law was novice We might recall to the mnt
& Mr.. Kirkus the operations Of Syndicate Miller q
52o per cent fame, whose inhumanity to man made
count'ess thousands We might speas
reminlscently Of the Plus and sainty-ysaged DR.
Flower who. a spiders parlor garnished with greer
and white and mahogany sat and caught and devour
ed human flies BY the thousand as they came to tn
lure Of the Lone Pine and other gitering bait
respsct for the dscoFerer America did not forbid
We might discuss al length the operations Of Chris
topher Columbus Wilson, who discovered that, so ia
= se vas eaneerued. wireless telegraphy NOR