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THE RICH—THE POOR
LARGE number of God’s poor enter
tain a great deal of bitterness towards
the rich, some going to the extreme of
saying it is a sin for any man to be
worth a million dollars. All manner of
evil accusations are made against rich
people. But I suspect that if the ac
cusers could come into possession of a
large share of the property of these
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same criticised rich their animosity would suddenly
cease. A great deal of envy and jealousy lies back
of most of the complaints made against the rich.
Many poor people are soured against the wealthy
because they cannot obtain those thing’s which re
quire much money. We should not condemn the
rich unless they have obtained their property by
fraudulent methods and oppressive means.
The rich have not the moral right to withhold
from God’s service such as He demands of them,
but the same thing should be said of the poor as
well. Thousands of our poor or middle class are
just as covetous, just as eager to get hold of money,
even by unfair means, as many of the rich whom
they condemn.
Let us not suppose that all oppression, greed and
unjust exactions are on the side of the rich. Thou
sands of poor people are tyrannical over those who
are in their power; they are merciless in their de
mands upon their less fortunate fellows; they rob
them of their rights; they are envious of each oth
er’s successes.
A fact of special importance is, if there were not
many rich in our land the vast number of great in
stitutions which are of unspeakable benefit to the
poor would not have come into existence. It was
the wealth of very rich men that established humane
hospitals, built and endowed many of the best col
leges, and founded other beneficent institutions. If
all of the people in our land had been poor during all
of the past century, we would not now have rail
roads, telegraphs, steamers and numerous other
things of great utility and mutual benefit whose
blessings are being shared daily by multitudes of
very poor people. Let us not envy the rich, Great
responsibilities crowd upon them. Are we as true
to our own duty as they to theirs?
The Hughes Memorial Home
It is a commendable touch of humanism that
prompts a ready and cheerful response to the
cry that is raised in behalf of the vistims of mis
fortune. Monday morning at the Baptist Ministers’
conference, Dr. Millard in very simple terms told of
a brother who had lost by fire his barn and stock
feed and other accumulations, that were a part of
his preparation to make a crop. That this loss
covered about all that he had. There was an instant
response from those preachers, none of whom are
rich in this world’s goods.
The same sentiment is urged in behalf of the
movement that is in progress to provide a home
for Rev. A. J. Hughes. The Golden Age has
spoken of this matter several times before and
some of our readers have responded to our call.
But beyond the sentiment of mere humanism, there
is, in this case, one of those instances of latent
justice that demands that something like this should
be done. Mr. Hughes has given his life to the
ministry and for small pay. But for years he has
given much of his time and money to the prosecution
of the liquor fight in Georgia. Some of the noble
workers in that cause promised that he should be
compensated for his labors, as well as his advances
of cash. But those promises from those men were
never fulfilled because they laid down their earthly
labors and went to their eternal rewards before
the debt was paid. There is no legal obligation
here, that is now urged, but there is one of those
appeals for justice that every Georgia Prohibitionist
must feel is directed to him. Mr. Hughes did a
work for this cause while the rest of us slept, the
fruits of which we are now enjoying. He is 64
years old. In a little while he will be out of
Their Equal Possibilities and Responsibilities
Personal temperance and prosperity are vitally
linked together. Not all strictly temperate people
are prosperous in the sense of being financially
wealthy. True prosperity is not to be measured
wholly by property possessions. Many a temperate
man, financially poor, is far more prosperous in the
best sense than are thousands of intemperate men
who are rich in money. And yet it is true that
temperate people, as a class, are financially much
more prosperous than are intemperate people in
general. The following story illustrates a general
principle:
11 An Easterner, riding on a mail stage in North
ern Colorado, was entertained by a dialogue, which
was sustained upon the one side by the driver, and
upon the other by an elderly passenger, evidently
a native of the region. ‘I understand that you are
temperance,’ began the driver. ‘Yes, I am pretty
strong against liquor,’ returned the other. ‘l’ve
been set against it now thirty-five years.’ ‘Scared
that it will ruin your health?’ ‘Yes, butthat
is not the main thing.’ ‘Perhaps it does not
agree with you,’ ventured the driver. ‘Well, it
does not agree with anybody, but that isn’t it,
either. The thing that set me against it is a narrow
escape I once had.’ ‘A narrow escape? What was
it?’ ‘Well, thirty-five years ago I was sitting in a
hotel in Denver, with a friend of mine, and I said,
“Let’s order a bottle of something,” he said. “No,
sir, I am saving my money to buy government land
at one dollar and a quarter an acre. I am going
to buy tomorrow, and you had better let me take
the money that you would spend for the liquor and
buy a couple of acres along with mine.” I says
to humor him, “All right,” and we didn’t drink, I
bought the two acres. Well, sir, today those two
acres are right in the middle of a flourishing town,
and if I had taken that drink I would have swallow
ed a city block, a grocery store, an apothecary’s,
four lawyers’ offices, and it is hard to say what else.
That is the escape. Don’t you think it would have
been horrible?’ ” How little men realize what they
drink up with their whiskey. It is a great truth
that temperance and prosperity, physical, mental
and moral, are very closely allied. A great lesson.
C. H. Wetherbe.
the modest emoluments of a Methodist preacher,,
and if he has a home for the old age which will be
on him in a few years, it must be provided for him..
Are you willing to help in this matter? The money
already on hand will be used. It is sufficient to buy
a piece of ground, but not a house. The thing for
you to do is to help to build that house.
Some two months ago I was requested by the
committee to undertake to raise this money. I had
some of my pension money on hand and I spent
it in preparation to do this work. I was preparing
to go out on the roads and canvass the places where
I had worked ten years ago for prohibition.
I was looking forward with eagerness to the
labor. I made an announcement in the Golden Age
about it. Some money came in response to that call,
which I have turned over to Mr. W. >S. Witham the
treasurer of the fund. But just as I thought that
I had things fixed, I was confronted from another
quarter, by a condition of things that made it
impossible for me to leave, home now for this or any
other cause. So far, those conditions have not
been relieved. And the raising of this money should
not be hindered by my personal disabilities. The
committee will try to arrange in some way to push
the work, but they have requested me to continue
my efforts in this behalf. This I shall do. I shall
write hundreds of letters reminding our friends of
the debt we all owe to Hughes. But if you will do
as other friends have done, send me a check, I will
immediately write to you an acknowledgment of
it, and send it into the treasurer.
Address all communications to my residence.
J. L. D. HILLYER.
Edgewood Sta., Atlanta, Ga.
The Golden Age for April 29, 1909.
Snap Bean Farm—Sign of Wren ’s Nest.
“There is something in the life of Joel Chandler
Harris which fascinates us. Os lowly, if not ob
scure, parentage; facing poverty in his boyhood
days and denied the advantages of a college or a
high school; educating himself in the scholastic at
mosphere of a country home in which he made his
living at a compositor’s desk; drinking in the sweet
inspiration of nature as he developed his mind and
supported his widowed mother; leaping at an early
age into the exciting arena of journalism; acquir
ing in a few years a reputation for literary genius
and original insight into the mysteries and glories
of God’s “Out-of-Doors”; wearing through all the
days of his prosperity as a garment an innate
modesty; preferring the song of the mocking-bird
in the cedars to the applause of the world.; going
down the lane of years with the smile of the morn
ing on his face and the sweetness of a simple
reverential spirit in his heart; at last gathering the
draperies of his couch about him and going to his
last home, leaving’ behind him as a soothing bene
diction the words of peace and hope —truly, his
life is full of inspiration.”
It is just this beautiful “something” in “Uncle
Remus’ ” life that has made the women here come
forward with enthusiastic purpose to help raise
$25,000 with which to purchase “Snap Bean Farm
and the Sign of the Wren’s Nest.” These are to
be held in loving memory of one who not only shed
luster upon Georgia, but throughout America, and
in many a foreign land as well the name of Joel
Chandler Harris is held in radiant recognition.
Nor is this the sole purpose of these women who
are laboring with such zeal to set apart this
“Home” as a symbol of the appreciation in Which
his people hold “Uncle Remus”; but it is likewise
their desire to place before the children that ideal
of simplicity, truth and loving kindness—qualities
which characterized his life and shone through deed
as well as word.
While the outside world is responding to the call,
it remains for Georgia, and particularly Atlanta, to
do the major part in making this dream of owning
“Snap Bean Farm and the Sign of the Wren’s
Nest” a reality.
It was here that he lived and did his work, here
that strangers, as well as friends, came to seek him
and clasp his hand, feeling that their hearts would
be happier and their lives fuller for this contact
with him.
Atlanta with her civic pride hesitates at nothing
that will make for progress, nor will she falter now
in doing* honor to one who made her a greater and
a better city for his having lived here. With all
their material blessings Atlanta’s citizens have
other gifts for which they may be truly thankful,
they have the golden gift of holding fast to things
that are good, the things that are true —-the only
things that are real and that endure.
J. S. W.
Dr. Boyd, the genial author of “The Recreations
of a Country Parson,” tells the following humorous
■story of Dr. MacGregor, the distinguished Scotch
preacher:
“Once at a gathering of three thousand people
at Aberdeen I saw and heard MacGregor cause wild
enthusiasm by simple means. ‘There was a day,’
he said, ‘on which an ancestor of mine was sen
tensed to be hanged.’ Loud applause greeted this
tragic statement. The orator went on: ‘I have
no doubt it was for stealing.’ The suggestion was
a probable one and was received with thunderous
cheering. Then, ‘But as he was a distinguished
thief, he was allowed to select the tree on which he
was to be executed, and, with great presence of
mind, he selected a. gooseberry bush. It was at once
objected that it was not big enough, but he said
with dignity, “Let it grow! I’m in no hurry.” ’ ”
“You say local option has improved real estate
value in your community’?”
“Yes,” answered Col Stilwell. “Since the custo
mary remedy has been no longer available malaria
has almost entirely disappeared.” Washington
Star.
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