and show me the place. So out he went
for the Bible, and soon he stalked into my office with the Bible open,
with all the bigoted pride of the narrow sectarian, or of one who founds
his Christianity on some misinterpretation of Scripture. He flung the
Bible down on my desk, and fairly squealed into my ear: "There it is,
Mr. President; you can read it for yourself." I said to him: "Well,
young man, you will learn when you get a little older that you cannot
trust another denomination to read the Bible for you. You belong to
another denomination. You are taught in the theological school, however,
that emphasis is exegesis. Now, will you take that Bible and read it
yourself, and give the proper emphasis to it?"

He took the Bible, and proudly read, "'The love of money is the root of
all evil.'"

Then he had it right, and when one does quote aright from that same old
Book he quotes the absolute truth. I have lived through fifty years of
the mightiest battle that old Book has ever fought, and I have lived to
see its banners flying free; for never in the history of this world
did the great minds of earth so universally agree that the Bible is
true--all true--as they do at this very hour.

So I say that when he quoted right, of course he quoted the absolute
truth. "The love of money is the root of all evil." He who tries to
attain unto it too quickly, or dishonestly, will fall into many snares,
no doubt about that. The love of money. What is that? It is making an
idol of money, and idolatry pure and simple everywhere is condemned by
the Holy Scriptures and by man's common sense. The man that worships
the dollar instead of thinking of the purposes for which it ought to be
used, the man who idolizes simply money, the miser that hordes his money
in the cellar, or hides it in his stocking, or refuses to invest it
where it will do the world good, that man who hugs the dollar until the
eagle squeals has in him the root of all evil.

I think I will leave that behind me now and answer the question of
nearly all of you who are asking, "Is there opportunity to get rich in
Philadelphia?" Well, now, how simple a thing it is to see where it is,
and the instant you see where it is it is yours. Some old gentleman gets
up back there and says, "Mr. Conwell, have you lived in Philadelphia for
thirty-one years and don't know that the time has gone by when you can
make anything in this city?" "No, I don't think it is." "Yes, it is;
I have tri