Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1922-12-01
MORALS OF Mr.. RODDEY
Says Honesty is the Greatest Of
All Virtues.
INFLUENCE OF DOLLAR is GREAT
Rock Hill Man Directs Attention to
Present Day Evis-Presents His
Opinion Relative to Several Matters
of Current Interest.


really greatest devil in this country
today. | have heard sermons, lectures
and talks about the demon rum, the
awfulness Of gambling, and various
and sundry terrifcally terrible devils,
but the sure-enough devil (this is my
opinion) is THE DOLLAR. often
hear: You see that crowd Of fellows;
wouldn't they do almost anything to
get whisky?" Unquestionably yes, but
couldn't we throw out an arm, point,
turn completely around, $50 degrees,
and say: you see that crowd Of
fellows; wouldn't they do almost any
thing to get the dollar?"
Is there really any honor any more?
What will men and supposedly respect
able men, not do for the dollar?
Wouldn't Diogenes with his lamp have
considerable trouble in getting together
a good-sized bunch of really all-round
honest men? Lying, deception, trick
cry, anything to get the dollar, is con-
sidered shrewdness, sickness, smart
ness. don't say that is practiced eX-
cept for the dollar, but in my opinion
it is in practice from the supposedly
highest to the lowest where the dollar
is concerned.
When you see anything in the news
papers out of the ordinary where the
dollar is concerned, you can look for
the joker, and nine times out of ten
you will find it, if you have sense
enough to see it, because the man or
men pulling it off try to keep it hid,
and If he or they are smarter than
you, you will not find it until possibly
it is too late and you are "stung."
There is nothing to this being religious
without having religion, and the
chances are the man is fooling nobody,
not even himself, certainly not God
Almighty. If man is not honest, l
wouldn't give a nickel for all his pre-
tended religion, for he hasn't any, and
where the dollar is concerned the ma
iority of our people are at least on the
ragged edge; what per cent. has slipped
over, be your own judge. Some men
won't stick you for the last dollar they
canS but those men are very few. You
have doubtless heard OF the advice one
old man gave to his son: Get money,
my son, honestly If you can, but get
money" Is not the majority of the
people trying to follow his advice?
Thinking about God five hours a week
and the dollar 90 hours won't get us
anything. The percentage is entirely
too much in favor Of the dollar. We
have dollar days and then we have
every way, any way to get the dollar.
The fever temperature Of the almighty
dollar seems to be running around 1O6,
the fever temperature of the Almighty
God seems to be running around "a.
Hadn't we better get some medicine
to raise one and lower the other, and
try to get nearer normal?
Let's not strain at a gnat and
swallow a camel about some Of this
gambling business until we stop all Of
church officers and our supposedly
best people, and until the bets on the
football game last Friday, for instance,
amount to less than thousand dollars
per game. Get the dollar is the pre-
vailing idea, but 1 think more Of the
man who bets and gives the other
fellow a fair chance, than practicing
deception, putting one over" and
getting a mans money by some trick
or scheme-one is fair chance, the
other is a steal.
Are you getting your whisky fairly?
Are you making your bets fairly?
Don't everybody say "Ycs" at once be-
cause you might be lying.
You OTTER hear: II get it as cheap
ly as l can and sell it for every dollar
can" That is possibly all right, If
you don't take advantage Of ignorance
and tricks, but some of the things
pulled off right here in Rock Hill are
as low-down as an 1S-year- r-old boy
beating up a 10-year old boy; they
would make the devil blush. Beating
up a 1O-year- r-old boy would be frown-
ed upon; taking advantage of ignor-
ance and tricks is considered by many
as slick and shrewd. Hit a man your
own size" If you don't, you are
coward and a crook, don't care what
you think you are.
You often hear: "Mr. SO and So
and Mrs. SO and So will be around col
lecting for such and such thing, and
you can't afford, no matter what you
think, to antagonize them. You will
get public opinion against you" What
do | care for public opinion? 1t is as
variable as the winds, and is formed in
a community by what a few people
think and can get in the newspapers
before the public. Courting public
opinion, if you think public opinion is
wrong, is cowardice. Jesus Christ
didn't seem to stand very high in
public opinion. They crucified him,
and in 1920 they practically crucified
Woodrow Wilson. Five years ago
public opinion was, you could get all
the whisky you wanted and it was all
right. Twenty years ago you didn't
go. n q hp,-n bpr.