News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1917-02-07
ga GUILTY NATION"
A Sermon Delivered at the Uni
versalist Church, Morrisville,
Sunday. Feb. 18th, by
w. C. White, ESQ.,, of Nor thfield
Text. St. Luke XIV. 10.


Our lesson tells the story of stewar
being found unfaithful to his trust
and when he was called to account b,
his lord, he saw the need of making
friends of those with whom he shat
dealings in behalf of his lord So he re
nitted part of his accounts, and Sc
worked himself into the good grace
of those on whom he must rely there
after for support; but the lord insteac
af condemning him for this latte
breach of faith, commended him fol-
the wisdom if it. 1t was the only
thing he could do and preserve him
self, since he was to be discharged by
his lord.
We are all stewards in some sense
Th individual tn steward of his
ow de stiny and of hi business. The
community is a steward f those pub
lie affairs entrusted to the care of its
chosen officers. The state is a stew
ard of still greater concerns. The race
is a steward of humanity and of its
progress-ts Christianity and its sal
walton. And for all these an account
ing must be had. A day of reckoning
will come,-not theoretically, not
the mere cold business proposition of
detailed account and tabulated col
umns; but the effects will be charged
to the causes, with stern realization
of the absolute futility of inconsistent
ious work.
If man shall build to the glory of
God, and to the eternal welfare of him,
self,-then true happiness will be his
and he will merit the welcome words
"well DONE" but if he has builded to
Mammon, nothing but remorse lies in
in any settlement he can possibly make
of his account. If he has enriched the
class at the expense of the mass, If |
inherent rights to satisfy his grasping |
greed for gold, If he has traded on
his fellowman's misfortune, whether
individually or collectively, his stew
ardship won't pass muster any more
than did the one of the lesson. And
if he seeks to square matters by re-
uniting accounts, he will find that it
is his own account that will suffer.
The press has been filled of late with
the thrilling tales of quickly gotten
wealth. Men who never dreamed of
anything but the humdrum routine
of salaried positions have overnight,
almost, sprung into prominence fnan-
cially. We have suddenly become
the richest nation in all the world, and
Immediately set about Dragging about
it,
have become convinced long ago
that this United States of ours has
been building rather extensively to
Mammon and its dealing with and be-
cause of the European Belligerents.
And while this subject might not at
first glance be thought to be one Of re-
ligion, | believe that an aminatlon will
disclose that it is one that is vitality
affecting the human race in all Its
problems; and if this is true then like
II otaher matters that have to do with
the race it becomes essentially a relig-
ious matter and proper topic for the
sermon. ! realize fully that it is a
dangerous subject to treat at this time,
that it is difficult to understand, and
probably impossible Of solution; but .
] merely present my views as they
have been forced upon me by careful
study Of the situation and claim no
value for them, except that they arouse
YOUR interest and set in motion some
disposition to correct these Cyils,f such
they shall be found to be No, the
subject is not political merely now is
it wholly economic. 1t hits the bread
winner too squarely between the eyes
10 be classed as either economic or pO-
~htical. There is just one word that
fully fits it, and that is 'unchristian."
Harking back little We find rclig-
ious sects taking cur text as a guide
$ld banishing the mcrcst ornament
from the dress, and denying them
selves of almost every pleasure, as these
were held to BE- a worship of Mammon.
And then we find another class both
ancient and modern, giving itself al
most wholly to pleasure. We always
find the two extremes in such matters.
But they go the way Of all extremes,
and disappear. sometimes to be re-