Year: 1879

MAKING HASTE TO GROW RICH-SERMON BY


MR.. o. B. FRoTHINGHAM


In his sermon at Masonic Temple. on the subject
which he called Making Haste to Grow Rich," Mr..
o. b. rockingham said. among other things, that
the cardinal idea in the New Testament is that riches
to be despsed that those possessing them to
be cast down. and that the poor lowly and those Of
no account to be elevated The Of this de-
nuncaton of wealth account of the disreputa-
BILE means whereby monopolies and undue privileges
were acquired, taxes imposed upon the poor and
the people oppressed. The wealth of the world was
then in few hands the masses were poor and the
great commercial interests created within the last
few ages then unknown. In those old times there
was an immense gulf which separated those who
had from those who had not; the latter being then
thought nothing of and the former everything. All
this has passed away. and men on an
equality in many respects; still there is oppression
in the present day, but it is nothing compared
with that which ground the masses into the dust
in the early ages


To-day the ruling idea is to seek wealth and to look
upon it as better than BIRTH rank privilege Surely
the wealth there is in the world the better it is
Therefore, my brethren. get all the wealth you can
and keep it for good ends said the speaker, who
tirued to say that wealth means health, happiness,
travel, education, comfort, length of ife-all the
material advantages which the rich man possesses
the poor. He who has wealth. and is a ut
the same time, is the best specimen of
better
to face heat and cold and to brave the storm2 But
this exquisite gift of personal beauty may be
wrctchedly abused in the hands of those who do not
know how to use it, Like the selfish man who abuses
the privileges of wealth to exalt himself, the
possessor of physical beauty may make his gift
Talents and education in the hands of bad men only
help them to their evil ends they give the burglar
more skill and the thief greater cunning Hence.
some men say that there is no use i'll giving public
education to the masses. This is mistake.
for it is. right to trust men with the
1f n.lt,
for it's universal spread is the best answer
to the theological libel upon human nature in
saying that II IL corrupt and depraved. There must
always be behind the educational privileges of
the day, and also behind wealth, both become in
struments of corruption and decay.


The objection to riches Is not to its possession, but
to the mschiefs of its abuse But its pursuit to the
exclusion of other good things is evil. There
in New York 100000 people than there ought to
be- These should have farms In the outskirts OF the
city, but could not bribe them to 90 there and
live. They would think it hard work on a farm No
books, amusement, no society-fe is exceedingly
slow. Therefore the young man leaves his farm and
comes to the city to take his chance in the mac-
strom of life Thus men do not to live
good lives-they prefer excitement and emotional
existence In Washington there are some 2l5
patents issued every week, and the number of re-
jected applications must be enormous This shows
vast surplus of American inventive powers. Con-
sider now, the good that would result to humanity


IL this superabundant talent otherwise employed
more usefully Mountains would be removed or
tunnelled, marshes drained. waste lands broken IN
and deserts made to smile. But no. the man who
has speculation in his eye but short cut to
rapid wealth and he is bound to travel it at the
pcnse of much that is good in him. Hence there
looseness and fraud in business matters, and the
young man who starts in life, Joining in the
headlong race to get money at all hazards,
before he obtains it will be apt to find
that he has lost his character and attained
old ,, age The mischief r,s1. of this in passion
life OF emotional bewdcrment that kills many
good qualities in the man. Then there is many a
fancy TOR vain things that springs up In his mind
while the way to the goal of riches; perhaps the
appctites for gambling. drinking take root
in his bosom and lead him 20 early ruin. An i'm
moderate desire for wealth demoraizes the man. He
will read only the newspapers; presently nothing
but stocks will have any attraction for him, and his
mind dwindles down to an aptitude for nothing save
money getting: he IL not mind any longer. he is
but speculative point He who thinks only OF max
ing money by and by forgets the true meaning of
such words love, bcnevolcnce. charity and the
kindred virtues which they mean.


The speaker then referred TO the poverty of Jesus,
Peter Cooper and similar instances to show that the
possession of wealth means nothing unless in the
hands OF good man who Is capable of properly en-
ployiDg It, He told the story OF an interview which
history related having taken place between
CrGsus, King of Lydia, and Solon, the merchant
and lawgivcr of Athens, wherein the immortal
praising social and domestic virtues and Crstis his
foolshness by overestimating the value of wealth,
which eventually served only to place him prisoner
mt the mercy OF Cyrus.


FIFTH AVENUE BAPTIST CHURCH.
CHRISTIAN MAGNANIMIrY-sERMoN by THE REV.


DIR. ARMITAoE.


The subject upon which the Rev. Dr. Armitagc dis
coursed TO his congregation in the evening was


christian Magnanimity." taxing his text from Acts.
xvi, 29-"Except these bonds" He said -Thcre
has been essential in the several kinds of
human character in all ages. Sinful character has