Evening star., 1914-05-16

proper use Of the mammon of unright-
eousness.
Jesus sought to teach the covetous
lovers OF money!" by this most awful
and sternest Of all His parabolic teach
ings, the disastrous consequences that
followed the refusal of the advice. given
in the parable of the unjust steward. to
use their wealth to make friends among
the needy, SO that they would welcome
them in their hour Of need. by placing
before them a picture Of the future life
Of another steward, as Indifferent and
self-indulgent as themselves.
We are living in an age when the
power of the formative forces Of COM
mercialism Is apt to fill US with the pas
root Of all evil, unless We stop and cor
rect our standards Of success. The
Pharisees sought to justify themselves by
boasting Of their own goodness This is
our danger.
We must remember that God knoweth
our hearts. and that which Is highly
esteemed among men Is abomination in
the sight Of God" The deterioration Of
the human soul by the gradual lowering
process for the human mind to appre
ciate ''The love of money" as Burton
has pointed out. like an opiate. little by
little, steals over the whole frame. dead
ening the sensibility, perverting the judg-
a Kind Of intoxication, in which the bet
ter reason is lost and the confused speech
can only articulate with shylock: MY
ducats. my ducats.
Christ's instruction about the wise use
Of their opportunities had fallen. They
were like the rich man placed before US
by the Master TN the story Of the rich
Of this parable Jesus pictures the selfish
ness of the plutocfat. the suffering OF
the poor and the succor Of providence
selfshness, Suffering, succor.
In the first picture Jesus with marvel
ous skill presented the typical plutocrat
filled with the spirit Of selsfihness and
deaf to the needs of humanity. robed
with the priceless royal purple and the
soft linen in his luxurious palace sur
rounded by all that his money could buy
for his personal comfort and his table
spread with the choicest foods, so that
he Jared sumptiously every day without
his considering in his mirth and splendor
that he owed his thanks to God and some
consideration for humanity.
The Master holds him before US, not
because it was wrong for the rich man
to possess wealth. but because of his in
humanity to his fellows. because he
neglected the poor beggar that was at
the sublime porte, or entrance TO tne
palace. desiring to be fed by the waste
that fell in the crumbs from his table.
Many poor man may be equally as self
centered and inhuman as was the rich
man.
The opportunity to help. aid and assist
the poor Is ever present because the
principles and process of distribution
have not increased as rapidly as those
of the production of wealth. one has
weI said that the poor have always
been present and the Christian church
has always endeavCred. with more or
less wisdom. to do them good. They
are Gods poor. But too seldom has sucn
benefactions perfectly understood Jesus
and too often has it hindered the realiz-
alton of His more fundamental prin-
ciples While Jesus sought not the amel-
ioration but the regeneration OF indi-
viduals and society, charity has Tor cen.
turies been too often the palliation OF
sin and deadener of conscience If pa
triotism has been the last refuge OF q
times the hypocrite's price of heaven.
The poos suffering begEas at the gate