once with hisses, several
times with questions. He was hissed when he spoke of the great
selfishness of labor unions and trades organizations in their attempts
to dictate to other men in the matter of work. With this one exception,
in which the reverend gentleman spoke with his usual frankness, the
audience cheered his presentation of the subject, and was evidently in
perfect sympathy with his views. Short extracts from his talk will show
the drift of his entire belief on this subject:
"'Every dollar that a man has should be spent to the glory of God.
"'The teaching of Christianity about wealth is the same as about
anything else; it all belongs to God, and should be used by the man as
God would use it in the man's place.
"'It is a great mistake which many people make, church-members among the
rest, that the money they get is their own to do with as they please.
Men have no right to use anything as they please unless God pleases so
too.
"'The accumulation of vast sums of money by individuals or classes of
men has always been a bad thing for society. A few very rich men and a
great number of very poor men is what gave the world the French
Revolution and the guillotine.
"'There are certain conditions true of society at certain times when it
is the Christian duty of the rich to use every cent they possess to
relieve the need of society. Such a condition faces us to-day.
"'The foolish and unnecessary expenditures of society on its trivial
pleasures at a time when men and women are out of work and children are
crying for food is a cruel and unchristian waste of opportunity.
"'If Christ were here to-day I believe he would tell the rich men of
Milton that every cent they have belongs to Almighty God, and they are
only trustees of his property.
"'This is the only true use of wealth: that the man who has it recognize
its power and privilege to make others happy, not provide himself
luxury.
"'The church that thinks more of fine architecture and paid choirs than
of opening its doors to the people that they may hear the gospel, is a
church that is mortgaged for all it is worth to the devil, who will
foreclose at the first opportunity.
"'The first duty of every man who has money is to ask himself, What
would Christ have me do with it? The second duty is to go and do it,
after hearing the answer.
"'If the money owned by church-members were all spent to the glory of
God there would be fewer hundred-thousand-do
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