The Crucifixion of Philip StrongSheldon, Charles M.
General
The Crucifixion of Philip Strong
Sheldon, Charles M.
Christian fiction
"Mr. Strong said he might if he would be brief. The man then proceeded
to give a list of people, who, he said, were becoming criminals because
they couldn't get work. After he had spoken a minute Rev. Mr. Strong
asked him to come to the point and show what bearing his facts had on
the subject of the evening. The man seemed to become confused, and
finally his friends or the people near him pulled him down, and the
President of the Trades Assembly resumed the discussion, closing with
the statement that never in the history of the country had there been so
much money in the banks and so little of it in the pockets of the
people; and when that was a fact something was wrong; and it was for the
men who owned the money to right that wrong, for it lay in their power,
not with the poor man.
"He was followed by a very clear and intensely interesting talk by Rev.
Mr. Strong on the Christian teaching concerning the wealth of the world.
Several times he was interrupted by applause, 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.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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