Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 207, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 September 1911 — Money [ARTICLE]

Money

By Dr. Freak Crane

Since the dawn of preaching we preachers have been threatening rich men with our right list—and extending to them our left palm. It to hardly to be wondered at that we find difficulty to being token seriously. And our advice has been so confusing that we have not had much effect. For now we exhort the youth to all the virtues, giving as an inducement the assurance that thus they will bet enabled to get on; and now again w of torn to those that have gotten on and warn them of the danger of riches. It might as well be asked, if riches be dangerous, why acquire them; and If virtues lead to riches, are they really worth cultivating? ' s j It may be well, therefore, to set down a few common sense facts to re> riches and the relation of the same to the moral values. In the first place, money to simply the token or sign of our common human wants. It means power, power over others, power to make our personality felt No wonder we want lt4 Again It means liberty. Poverty in a corse. It ties the hands. It binds the mind. It narrows the sool. One who has to sweat ten hours a day for bread has no time nor strength left to develop the higher pert of himself. Honey means also a foil life. We can gratify our cravings, whether they be for beer or art, for Paris gowns on Wagner music. With money we have a chance to grow; without it we are stunted. \'Xi. 1. _ Money, therefore, is simply concentrated—we might say canned—human, value. It naturally follows that it to good! or bad, never of itself, but only as giving opportunity to its possessor. - Here, then, we have the moral gist of the whole matter: money to simply—opportunity. It unlocks the door and bids the cramped and chafing passion go and do its will. It liberates desire. Hence It simply emphasises a mam fit he la good he can now be better, having' more scope; If bad he can, and probably will, be worse. If Hie'and useless, he becomes a living fountain, of idleness and uselessness, poisoning others. So, money is like any other gift; as beauty, which adds power to the person; or genius, which multiplies the efficiency of the mind and hand; or position, for kinship magnifies a common man to heroic proportions, to hie Influence on other men. Now, the sole relation of morals to power of any kind to this: that the moral sense adds to power—responsibility. The root of any genuine moral feeling is altruism. Given any desire, it becomes moral as It takes a direction toward the welfare of other people; It is immoral exactly in proportion as ft disregards others and looks only to self. Wicked people, therefore, are those who live, think, and do for self alone; and that whether poor or rich. Whoever says. “I would like to be rich, for I could do so much good with ray > money,” should examine himself and ask what good he Is doing with the little he has. It’s all a matter of relation. If one to not helpful and liberal on S4O a month, he would not be po on $4,000 a month. " In the ultimate realm of morals there are no commandments; there to only one teat—do I live for myself or for others; am I altruistic or egocentric. The dawdling smart set, flitting from bridge to matigee, from theater to bedizened restaurant, from .the club to the horse race, are wicked; bat no wickeder than the bettor poor who want to lead such a life, and, who curse their lot because tMr selfishness Is bound and chained. To the real man, therefore, riches means nothing at Ml, as to his character; it simply means an Opening to give vent to his character:' And a cleareyed soul,, that seea and realizes what responsibility means, is merer eager for power and opportunity. It is easier to be good in moderate means than to riches for the principal reason that it to easier to bear a small a great load of responsibility. "It to hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven,** 'Just because s rich man to be moral must be great And. dhfortunately, great souls are scare* among great fortunes. The greatness of Jesus was not to his wisdom, magnetism, nor ethical perception, but In the fact that he was utterly altruistic; that to, he used all his powers not to advanc* himself but tQ help others. Hto tormentors unwittingly told the truth, and stated anknowingly his very secret, when, ss he hung on the cross, they wagged their; heads at him and cried: -He saved others; himself he cannot save!-