The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1923-09-14
Laid ON AFFAIRS
In All Ages Wealth Has Flowed
Into Religious Temples:
Gold, Silver and Precious Gems Of
fered as Tribute Both to Idols
and the Unseen God.

j. ~
Requisition of church valuables by
the soviet government, reported in dis
patches from Russia, raises question
is to the wealth OF the various re-
ligious institutions of the world.
Since the dawn of history people
have been lavish with their gifts for
religious purposes, whether they wor-
shipped idols or an unseen Cod" says
bulletin from the headquarters of the
National Geographic society.
"The result is that in all ages treas
ure, usually in the form of gold and sill
yer and precious stones, has flowed to
temples and churches, monasterieS and
other religious institutions. In any pc
riod and in most parts of the world
then, except during recent decades in
the West, a considerable part of the
liquid wealth of the world has been in
ecclesiastical hands. Only the treas
uries Of temporal princes surpassed
those of the religious institutions and
in some instances, as in Tibet, the
monasteries and temples held practi-
cally all the country's treasure.
Psychologists find pagan temples of
civilizations dead for thousands of
years were ornamented with wealth
of precious metals. Indian temples of
several faiths have had their rich
treasures and their ornaments Of gold
ind silver for centuries, and they have
made use, as well, of glittering ar
ray Of diamonds, rubies, sapphires and
other jewels. Many an idol today,
from the dim interiors Of Indian tenn
pies, looks out through eyes of great
lustr0us, precious stones and wears
other gems that might ransom an en-
peror.
christianity had to fight for its life
for the first 800 years of it's existence
and it's rites were carried on in the
simplicity that secrecy made necessary.
But with its 8fficial recognition came
the tendencies which had marked most
of the openly accepted religions which
had come before; toward the making
of gifts to churches by devout follow
ers and powerful patrons and toward
the use of more elaborate and costly
parnphernalia in the services. Con-
stantine, first Christian emperor of
Rome. lavished gifts on st. Peters
church in Rome and on Sancta Sophia
in his own capital. ConstantinOple. He
thus had hand in enriching the two
most famous, and once the two richest,
churches in Chrlstendom.
"The marked enrichment of Chris
tan churches began in earnest In Italy
and the East in the Fifth and Sixth
centuries and spread<in early medieval
times to France and other western
countries. Not only did the churches
accumulate gold chalices, patens, can
deiibra and other small objects, but
many had large screens of gold and
silver. as well as fonts and statues. To
II few OF the churches, affairs Of solid
gold were presented, but later church
as the only permissible materials for
affairs. Precious stones also came in
use to ornament images Of the saints,
or as gifts to them. Thus the Sacred
Eaby of the Church of Ara COeli in
Rome has been given over space of
many years wealth of jewels.
"The accumulation of treasure by
temples and churches and monasteries
has not been unbroken- Time and
time again these convenient stores of
precious metals and precious stones
have been seized by conquerors. Pa
gAns have looted the shrines of other
pWgans. Mohammedans looted Roman
churches, including st. Peters in S46
and the churches of Constantinople
In 1853. Sancta Sophia, after the
break between the western and east
crn churches. was sacked by western
Christians during the fourth crusade
Church vessels were taken or de-
stroyed in many cases at the time of
Sic Reformation"
American Boy Child at Seventeen.