acres of diamonds-第4部分

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and　in　the　pulpit　we　believe　it　is　wicked　for　any　man　to　have　moneyuntil　the　collection…basket　goes　around；　and　then　we　almost　swear　at　the　people　because　they　don't　give　more　money。　　Oh；　the　inconsistency　of　such　doctrines　as　that！

Money　is　power；　and　you　ought　to　be　reasonably　ambitious　to　have　it。　　You　ought　because　you　can　do　more　good　with　it　than　you　could　without　it。　　Money　printed　your　Bible；　money　builds　your　churches；　money　sends　your　missionaries；　and　money　pays　your　preachers；　and　you　would　not　have　many　of　them；　either；　if　you　did　not　pay　them。　　I　am　always　willing　that　my　church　should　raise　my　salary；　because　the　church　that　pays　the　largest　salary　always　raises　it　the　easiest。　　You　never　knew　an　exception　to　it　in　your　life。　　The　man　who　gets　the　largest　salary　can　do　the　most　good　with　the　power　that　is　furnished　to　him。　　Of　course　he　can　if　his　spirit　be　right　to　use　it　for　what　it　is　given　to　him。

I　say；　then；　you　ought　to　have　money。　　If　you　can　honestly　attain　unto　riches　in　Philadelphia；　it　is　your　Christian　and　godly　duty　to　do　so。　　It　is　an　awful　mistake　of　these　pious　people　to　think　you　must　be　awfully　poor　in　order　to　be　pious。

Some　men　say；　‘‘Don't　you　sympathize　with　the　poor　people？''　　Of　course　I　do；　or　else　I　would　not　have　been　lecturing　these　years。　　I　won't　give　in　but　what　I　sympathize　with　the　poor；　but　the　number　of　poor　who　are　to　be　sympathized　with　is　very　small。　　To　sympathize　with　a　man　whom　God　has　punished　for　his　sins；　thus　to　help　him　when　God　would　still　continue　a　just　punishment；　is　to　do　wrong；　no　doubt　about　it；　and　we　do　that　more　than　we　help　those　who　are　deserving。　　While　we　should　sympathize　with　God's　poorthat　is；　those　who　cannot　help　themselves　let　us　remember　there　is　not　a　poor　person　in　the　United　States　who　was　not　made　poor　by　his　own　shortcomings；　or　by　the　shortcomings　of　some　one　else。　　It　is　all　wrong　to　be　poor；　anyhow。　　Let　us　give　in　to　that　argument　and　pass　that　to　one　side。

A　gentleman　gets　up　back　there；　and　says；　‘‘Don't　you　think　there　are　some　things　in　this　world　that　are　better　than　money？''　　Of　course　I　do；　but　I　am　talking　about　money　now。　　Of　course　there　are　some　things　higher　than　money。　　Oh　yes；　I　know　by　the　grave　that　has　left　me　standing　alone　that　there　are　some　things　in　this　world　that　are　higher　and　sweeter　and　purer　than　money。　　Well　do　I　know　there　are　some　things　higher　and　grander　than　gold。　　Love　is　the　grandest　thing　on　God's　earth；　but　fortunate　the　lover　who　has　plenty　of　money。　　Money　is　power；　money　is　force；　money　will　do　good　as　well　as　harm。　　In　the　hands　of　good　men　and　women　it　could　accomplish；　and　it　has　accomplished；　good。

I　hate　to　leave　that　behind　me。　　I　heard　a　man　get　up　in　a　prayer…meeting　in　our　city　and　thank　the　Lord　he　was　‘‘one　of　God's　poor。''　　Well；　I　wonder　what　his　wife　thinks　about　that？　　She　earns　all　the　money　that　comes　into　that　house；　and　he　smokes　a　part　of　that　on　the　veranda。　　I　don't　want　to　see　any　more　of　the　Lord's　poor　of　that　kind；　and　I　don't　believe　the　Lord　does。　　And　yet　there　are　some　people　who　think　in　order　to　be　pious　you　must　be　awfully　poor　and　awfully　dirty。　　That　does　not　follow　at　all。　　While　we　sympathize　with　the　poor；　let　us　not　teach　a　doctrine　like　that。

Yet　the　age　is　prejudiced　against　advising　a　Christian　man　（or；　as　a　Jew　would　say；　a　godly　man）　from　attaining　unto　wealth。　　The　prejudice　is　so　universal　and　the　years　are　far　enough　back；　I　think；　for　me　to　safely　mention　that　years　ago　up　at　Temple　University　there　was　a　young　man　in　our　theological　school　who　thought　he　was　the　only　pious　student　in　that　department。　　He　came　into　my　office　one　evening　and　sat　down　by　my　desk；　and　said　to　me：　　‘‘Mr。　President；　I　think　it　is　my　duty　sir；　to　come　in　and　labor　with　you。''　　‘‘What　has　happened　now？''　　Said　he；　‘‘I　heard　you　say　at　the　Academy；　at　the　Peirce　School　commencement；　that　you　thought　it　was　an　honorable　ambition　for　a　young　man　to　desire　to　have　wealth；　and　that　you　thought　it　made　him　temperate；　made　him　anxious　to　have　a　good　name；　and　made　him　industrious。　　You　spoke　about　man's　ambition　to　have　money　helping　to　make　him　a　good　man。　　Sir；　I　have　come　to　tell　you　the　Holy　Bible　says　that　‘money　is　the　root　of　all　evil。'　''

I　told　him　I　had　never　seen　it　in　the　Bible；　and　advised　him　to　go　out　into　the　chapel　and　get　the　Bible；　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　trueall　trueas　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　tried　it。''　　‘‘What　business　are　you　in？''　　‘‘I　kept　a　store　here　for　twenty　years；　and　never　made　over　a　thousand　dollars　in　the　whole　twenty　years。''

‘‘Well；　then；　you　can　measure　the　good　you　have　been　to　this　city　by　what　this　city　has　paid　you；　because　a　man　can　judge　very　well　what　he　is　worth　by　what　he　receives；　that　is；　in　what　he　is　to　the　world　at　this　time。　　If　you　have　not　made　over　a　thousand　dollars　in　twenty　years　in　Philadelphia；　it　would　have　been　better　for　Philadelphia　if　they　had　kicked　you　out　of　the　city　nineteen　years　and　nine　months　ago。　　A　man　has　no　right　to　keep　a　store　in　Philadelphia　twenty　years　and　not　make　at　least　five　hundred　thousand　dollars　even　though　it　be　a　corner　grocery　up…town。'　　You　say；　‘‘You　cannot　make　five　thousand　dollars　in　a　store　now。''　　Oh；　my　friends；　if　you　will　just　take　only　four　blocks　around　you；　and　find　out　what　the　people　want　and　what　you　ought　to　supply　and　set　them　down　with　your　pencil　and　figure　up　the　profits　you　would　make　if　you　did　supply　them；　you　would　very　soon　see　it。　　There　is　wealth　right　within　the　sound　of　your　voice。

Some　one　says：　　‘‘You　don't　know　anything　about　business。　　A　preacher　never　knows　a　thing　about　business。''　　Well；　then；　I　will　have　to　prove　that　I　am　an　expert。　　I　don't　like　to　do　this；　but　I　have　to　do　it　because　my　testimony　will　not　be　taken　if　I　am　not　an　expert。　　My　father　kept　a　country　store；　and　if　there　is　any　place　under　the　stars　where　a　man　gets　all　sorts　of　experience　in　every　kind　of　mercantile　transactions；　it　is　in　the　country　store。　　I　am　not　proud　of　my　experience；　but　sometimes　when　my　father　was　away　he　would　leave　me　in　charge　of　the　store；　though　fortunately　for　him　that　was　not　very　often。　　But　this　did　occur　many　times；　friends：　　A　man　would　come　in　the　store；　and　say　to　me；　‘‘Do　you　keep　jack　knives？''　　‘‘No；　we　don't　keep　jack…knives；''　and　I　went　off　whistling　a　tune。　　What　did　I　care　about　that　man；　anyhow？　　Then　another　farmer　would　come　in　and　say；　‘‘Do　you　keep　jack　knives？''　　‘‘No；　we　don't　keep　jack…knives。''　　Then　I　went　away　and　whistled　another　tune。　　Then　a　third　man　came　right　in　the　same　door　and　said；　‘‘Do　you　keep　jack…knives？''　　‘‘No。　　Why　is　every　one　around　here　asking　for　jack…knives？　　Do　you　suppose　we　are　keeping　this　store　to　supply　the　whole　neighborhood　with　jack…knives？''　　Do　you　carry　on　your　store　like　that　in　Philadelphia？　　T