Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1915-08-03

5.5------
with a superior air be- ause we call
eurseiYes Christians And we put on
our best CLOTHES every SUNDAY, sit in
sore church pew ana eainly endeavor
10 keep awake while tie Reverend So
and-So laborioiisly tells Us that the
devil Is constantly lurking near by.
ready to grab Us II we don't watch
out. And II a man steals loaf of
brad to keep his childrcn from stary-
ins. we send him TO Jail To teach him
end oth6-s that it is wrong II steal.
And Ehen {. aGm5e- o girls are driy-
en- to the red-iights as the easiest way
OF overcoming the expressions and
temptations Of poyerty-stricken en-
-vfronment, We organize purity leagues,
anti-yice leagues. PASS laws, and cause
them to pay fines with money they
will have TO earn by protracted pros
titution. Then we assume a virtuous,
sanctimcni6us LOOK; we have done our
duty. And ii a man starts private
mint to coin the necessary filthy lu.
Gre" which he needs in greater guam
titles than he can earn. we put him in
Jail for term OF years because he
has committed q crime against the
government. And IL a man kills an
other we kill him in return because 1t
is the law And we punish people for
fighting, for drunkenness, for yagran.
cy, for selling liquor without license,
for gambling, for violating traffic ordi.
nances, and or a thousand and one
personal acts which we are pleased to
term criminal misdemeanors. etc. be-
cause we call ourselves Christian and
our ethical laws are influenced by our
religious teachings. We clasp our
hands and roll our thumbs and hem
and haw and look pious and sanctffied
and affect an air or righteous indigna.
ton while we are looking in certain
direction
But. behind our backs stands an
idol, the god of our faith, the craven
image we worship, the Golden Idol,
the Almighty Dollar. 1t is in that god
we trust and no other Then what
else is behind our backs? What con-
ditions exist that according to the eth.
les of the Golden Idol are legitimate?
We find that men live with women
they are not married to, men court
other mems wives and women fifrt
with other women's husbands. In our
business we do everybody we can;
we rob, we steal, we cheat, we indulge
in sharp practise" we take advantage
of the ignorance and weaknesses of
others to our personal gain. we lie, we
bear false witness against our neigh.
Dor. We ruin our competitors and
bring failure to our brother in busi-
ness. We gamble in stocks and bonds
and foodstuffs. We put water in, the
milk We sell to mothers who feed ii
to wee babies and we adulterate and
use dangerous preservatiyes in the
food We sell. We underpay those who
labor for sus and perseeute, those who
dare make q stand for a living wage
and better working conditions. We
rent property for immoral purposes
and in other ways seek private gain
from those In disreputable business
and when holding responsible public
offices receive certain doubtful reve-
nues. We prostitute honor, virtue, re-
ligion, humanity, patriotism, labor and
everything else for profits
We exalt patriotism when our Cold
en- Idol is in danger. but in our mad
worship of that god we sell the gov
eminent defective armor plate, rob
the nation in our contracts, sell en-
balmed beef to our soldiers at war and
appropriate to our own use public
money at every opportunity.
We do these things and win honor
and fame and are respected. We live
in luxury and leisure on our spoils,
we are the better class, esteemed So
ciety, because we are in big BUSH
ness, and we have wealth. The COM
mon people bow with hats on and
with meek and lowly spirit ask our
permission to live. Should some am
bilious person call us to account for
our peryerse acts we bow to the Cold
en- Idol and receive absolution and
for our sins wisely has JUS
tice been blinded.
We make war in support of our idol,
wars which are agitated under anoth-
er banner, wars in which we kill MUIR
der, burn and destroy, and we are
called heroes, we are applauded with
song and speech, great monuments
are erected In our honor and we are
cheered and glorified for our deeds.
We have made widows and orphans,
we have robbed the aged of the
youths upon which they leaned, we
have made the happy desolate, we
have ruined homes and manhood. we
have made the nation slaughter
house and of ourselves butchers OF
humanity, yet we are heroes and are
respected. All this we do and meet
with favor in our worship Of the Gold
en- Idol
But-the meanest, smallest, most ig-
noble. most contemplate, most des-
most vile, most morally base
thing we are guilty of in our worship
is the manufacture and sale of NUM-
tons of war for belligerent nations
for their use in cruelty and inhuman-
lY mnfilatinp and dastrnuin hnrnani