The evening Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1918-1920, 1919-10-06

really meant 10 say was SOmcLhlpS
like the following: Let one of the
Incidental, subordinate objects of
your seekingl be the kingdom Of God
and his righteousness. The masterful
Nazarene was no mere dreamer. He
understood life and, he understood
men. He knew better than most of
us that money-making is the object
of first Importance to human beings.
Gle called it, to be sure, the mann
of unrighteousness. Yet he advised
to make f1ien Is of the unrighte ous
mammon. Ir the language of tEe
street, it is money that talks We
have our living TO get, our way to
make in the world. Moreover money
is the way to position, influence,
power. Doors open to people Of
wealth that are closed to others. Put
money-making first among your
great life objects.
"But money is good only for what
it will buy. 1t is a means of pur-
chasing pleasure. Therefore enjoy
yourself while you may. Don't be
caught by all the fine talk about So
cial service, ministering to others,
bearing the burdens of the unfortu-
nate. Put amusement, recreation Sec
ond on your list of great life OBJ
jects.
"But when this has been said, II is
true of course that there are such
things as social obligations. We live
in communities. There must be some
to have concern for their good order,
intelligence and healthfulness. There
are plenty of others who will dc so.
Idealists they are called. They were
born queer. Yet when they come to
you asking for help for what they
call, "The Kings business" do not
turn them down. They really do
some things that need to be done
Smile inwardly, if you will, but write
them a small cheque.
HFinally there is the matter of
righteousness. This really is a good
thing,-if not carried too far. We
have to concede that there is wrong
in the world-the works of passion,
pride, greed and lust. Of course it
cannot be eradicated and it is fool
ish to try. Nevertheless it can beheld
in check in a measure. The idea IS
carried altogether too far by preach
ers, moralists and reform politicians.
They actually seem to think that all
men and all enterprises Of men
should be accountable to moral right,
that even the small wrongs that
make general business good should
be abolished. Even so what is called
Right has a place in human life. 1t
should come fourth, or perhaps fifth
among the great life objects of men.
"Therefore, in view of all this, |
say unto you, if you are trying to be
just to your competitor, cut it out.
Your reward will be bankruptcy If
you are spending part of Sunday
attending church services, where the
good, the beautiful, the true are
presented, where messages are spok-
en- to conscience, and the nobler M
ture within is stirred, have done with
such foolishness. Spend the day in
fun and feasting. 1t will be better for
you and for society.
"And once more l say unto you,
if you are doing anything in the way
of serving the higher interests of
your time, if you are really striving
for the right as God gives you to see
the right, if you are even proposing
to introduce some immortal soul to
his Christ and his God, cast it aside.
Don't be misled by any such fine SEN
timent.
"For verify, verify, say unto you,
unless you look out for number one,
for his business prosperity, his re-
creation, his social standing, the day
will come when you will thoroughly
regret it. What shall it profit man
to keep his soul clean and sweet,
straight and kind and true, and lose
the fascinating delights which a
world like this affords!
"Was it not something like this
that Jesus intended to say? What
would we think of him, if he had so
spoken? You do not like this satire.
No more do I. But | thought it
might be well to test the moral con-
trary. To consider life with the OBJ
legations of personal and social right
eousness assigned to the fourth or
fifth place.
"In the spirit of candor think for
a moment what it would mean to the
individual in the long run and to So
ciety almost Immediately should mo-
raj right be given other than the first
place which Jesus gave it!
Here the speaker offered three i'll
ustrations of what it would me ii,
showing how predatory wealth and
predatory labor unionism and preda-
tory Germany had endeavored for
selfish objects to set moral right at
defiance, and asked, as it not rather
plain to all who are willing to see it,