The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1915-12-25
LIVING BEYOND MEANS, THE
EVIL OF OUR TIMES.

EVIL OF OUR TIMES.
One of the dominant Weaknesses
if not vices-of the time, is to live be-
yond our means-to spend more than
we earn-with the inevitable result
that someone else suffers. 1t may be
the grocery man, or the HORSEPOWER,
or the too confiding friend. But who
ever it be, the spendthrift is quite in
different to the injustice done; he
seeks new victims.
Some there are again, who have the
money to meet their obligations, but
are by nature so mean and miserly
they put off payment till they can not
help ito delay paying a just debt
is itself an injustice.
forms of injustice that obtain. They
range all the way from the plain
stealing by midnight of the ordinary
thief, up to the blue-sky flotation of
watered stock. They are as varied as
human ingenuity can devise-some
brilliant, some brutal, but all of them
quite new to the days and times in
which we live. And over against them
all stands in admonition, yes, in sever
est threat, the august figure of God,
essentially just, proclaiming justice as
a necessary virtue; declaring that the
unjust shall never enter His Kingdom
that they shall mot go hence until
they pay the last farthing."
Let me elaborate on some of the
modern popular forms of injustice
one l have already referred to. Young
people today-many of them at least
are living beyond their means. It ap-
pears to matter little what salary they
get. They invariably want to spend
little more. They see others dress
so and appear so grand that they think
they have right to do likewise. The
other may be disporting, too, on Dor
rowed money, but that far from being
a deterrent only becomes an additional
wise.
And thus the merry race goes on
a race of debtors going by the way of
injustice to inevitable undoing, and
would advise young people, and espe-
cially young married people, first, to
live within their means; secondly,
to save and put aside a small part,
at least, of their revenues monthly.
I have referred to "watered stocks"
as form of injustice, and am con-
WINGED that such it is; at least, when
such stocks are placed on the market
for purchase by innocent and invari.
ably foolish purchasers. think that
clause of the government pure food
law which compels sellers of food
stuffs to print on the outside of the
package the amount of the adultera-
ton, the existence of any foreign sub
stance, and the real name Of the arti-
Gle sold, should be made to apply to
these "watered Stocks" so that the
public may know by the printed slip
outside just how much water they are
purchasing, and how much there is of
real value. In other words, govern.
ment authorship should be exercised
on all such goods which the public is
asked to invest in.
A grave question before the public
mind for some time is how far the
evils resulting from the system of issu-
ing such paper can be remedied by
legislation, and how present day legis-
lation can be made retroactive, wheth-
er justice can be done without injus-
tice. l do not care to discuss this
rather intricate question. l am speak
ing for safeguards for the future, a
safeguarding that an aroused public
today very Justly demands.
The Bible tells us to owe nothing
except our love to another. This Sec
ond clause reminds me of a phrase
rather recently coined, which, in the
minds of many, furnishes an all suffi-
cient gospel for the modern world. It
contains for them the whole law and
the prophets, and its promotion is with
them a passion. It is called social
Justice"
am not sure that I know the defini.
ton of it-although have used the
phrase oftentimes myself. am sure l
never read very succinct definition
Of it; but fancy when it is subjected
to critical analysis 1t is just what the
old theologians called Communicative
Justice" which Is the virtue as exer-
cised between man and man, inclin.
Ing the mind to carefully observe and
the rights and duties of each.
But what l want to remark is, that