,,the ,,price ,,of ,a ,,soul  ,by       
,,william ,,jennings ,,bryan   ,,funk   
,,wagnalls ,,company  ,,new ,,york ,,and
 ,,london  #aiad    ,,publishers' ,,note
  ,the ,price of a ,soul is an address  
delivered by ,mr4 ,bryan1 first at the  
,northwestern ,law ,school ,banquet in  
,chicago1 then as a ,commencement       
,oration at the ,peirce ,school in      
,philadelphia and1 in #aiji1 extended   
into a lecture4     ,,the ,,price ,,of  
,a ,,soul   ,the fact that ,christ dealt
 with this subject is proof conclusive  
that it is important1 for ,he never     
dealt with trivial things4 ,when ,christ
 focused attention upon a theme it was  
because it was worthy of                
consideration--and ,christ weighed the  
soul4 ,he presented the subject1 too1   
with surpassing force2 no one will ever 
add emphasis to what ,he said4 ,he      
understood the value of the question in 
argument4 ,if you will examine the great
 orations delivered at crises in the    
world's history1 you will find that in  

nearly every case the speaker condensed 
the whole subject into a question1 and  
in that question embodied what he       
regarded as an unanswerable argument4   
,christ used the question to give force 
to the thought which he presented in    
regard to the soul's value4  ,on one    
side ,he put the world and all that the 
world can contain--all the wealth that  
one can accumulate1 all the fame to     
which one can aspire1 and all the       
happiness that one can covet2 and on the
 other side he put the soul1 and asked  
the question that has come ringing down 
the centuries3 ,what shall it profit a  
man if he gain the whole world and lose 
his own soul8  ,there is no compromise  
here--no partial statement of the       
matter4 ,he leaves us to write one term 
of the equation ourselves4 ,he gives us 
all the time we desire1 and allows the  
imagination to work to the limit1 and   
when we have gathered together into one 
sum all things but the soul1 ,he        
asks--,what if you gain it              

all--all--,,all1 and lose the soul8     
,what is the profit8  ,some have thought
 the soul question a question of the    
next world only1 but it is a question of
 this world also2 some have thought the 
soul question a ,sabbath-day question   
only1 but it is a week-day question as  
well2 some have thought the soul        
question a question for the ministers   
alone1 but it is a question which we all
 must meet4 ,every day and every week1  
every month and every year1 from the    
time we reach the period of             
accountability until we die1 we--each of
 us--all of us1 weigh the soul4  ,and   
exactly in proportion as we put the soul
 above all things else we build         
character2 the moment we allow the soul 
to become a matter of merchandise1 we   
start on the downward way4  ,tolstoy    
says that if you would investigate the  
career of a criminal it is not          
sufficient to begin with the commission 
of a crime2 that you must go back to    
that day in his life when he            

deliberately trampled upon his          
conscience and did that which he knew to
 be wrong4 ,and so with all of us1 the  
turning point in the life is the day    
when we surrender the soul for something
 that for the time being seems more     
desirable4  ,most of the temptations    
that come to us to sell the soul come in
 connection with the getting of money4  
,the ,bible says1 ,the love of money is 
the root of all evil4 ,if ,i had been   
making the statement1 ,i think ,i would 
have said that the love of money is the 
root of nearly all evil4 ,but that is   
probably due to the fact that ,i am so  
conservative in thought and in method of
 statement1 that1 in stating a          
proposition1 ,i prefer to leave a       
margin1 so that if anybody disputes it  
,i can bring proof of more than ,i said4
 ,but the ,bible says1 ,the love of     
money is the root of all evil and ,i    
shall not attempt to weaken the         
statement4 ,if it is a mistake at all it
 is so slight a mistake that we need not

 spend time in correcting it4  ,and     
because so many of our temptations come 
through the love of money and the desire
 to obtain it1 it is worth while to     
consider the laws of accumulation4 ,we  
must all have money2 we need food and   
clothing and shelter1 and money is      
necessary for the purchase of these     
things4 ,money is not an evil in        
itself--money is1 in fact1 a very useful
 servant4 ,it is bad only when it       
becomes the master1 and the love of it  
is hurtful only because it can1 and     
often does1 crowd out the love of nobler
 things4  ,but since we must all use    
money and must in our active days store 
up money for the days when our strength 
fails1 let us see if we can agree upon  
the rules that should govern us in the  
accumulation of the money that we need4 
,how much money can a man rightfully    
collect from society8 ,surely1 there can
 be no disagreement here4 ,he can not   
rightfully collect more than he honestly
 earns4 ,if a man collects more than he 

honestly earns1 he collects what        
somebody else has earned1 and we call it
 stealing if a man takes that which     
belongs to another4 ,not only is a man  
limited in his collections of what he   
honestly earns1 but no honest man will  
desire to collect more than he earns4   
,if a man can not rightfully collect    
more than he honestly earns1 it is1     
then1 a matter of the utmost importance 
to know how much money a man can        
honestly earn4 ,i venture an answer to  
this and say that a man can not honestly
 earn more than fairly measures the     
service which he renders to society4 ,i 
can not conceive of any way of earning  
money except to give to society a       
service equivalent in value to the money
 collected4 ,this is a fundamental      
proposition and it is important that it 
should be clearly understood1 for if one
 desires to collect largely from society
 he must be prepared to render a large  
service to society2 and our schools and 
colleges1 our churches and all other    

organizations for the improvement of man
 have for one of their chief objects the
 enlargement of the capacity for        
service4  ,there is an apparent         
exception in the case of an inheritance1
 but it is not a real exception1 for if 
the man who leaves the money has        
honestly earned it1 he has already given
 society a service of equivalent value  
and1 therefore1 has a right to          
distribute it4 ,and money received by   
inheritance is either payment for       
service already rendered1 or payment in 
advance for service to be rendered4 ,no 
right-minded person will accept money1  
even by inheritance1 without recognizing
 the obligation it imposes to render a  
service in return4 ,this service is not 
always rendered to the one from whom    
this money is received1 but often to    
society in general4 ,in fact1 most of   
the blessings which we receive come to  
us in such a way that we can not        
distinguish the donors and must make our
 return to the whole public4  ,but ,i   

need not dwell upon this1 because in    
this country more than anywhere else in 
the world we appreciate the dignity of  
labor and understand that it is         
honorable to serve4 ,and yet there is   
room for improvement1 for all over our  
land there are1 scattered here and      
there1 young men and young women--and   
even parents--who still think that it is
 more respectable for a young man to    
spend in idleness the money some one    
else has earned than to be himself a    
producer of wealth4 ,and as long as this
 sentiment is to be found anywhere1     
there is educational work to be done1   
for public opinion will never be what it
 should be until it puts the badge of   
disgrace upon the idler1 no matter how  
rich he may be1 rather than upon the man
 who with brain or muscle contributes to
 the nation's wealth1 the nation's      
strength and the nation's progress4     
,but1 as ,i said1 the inheritance is an 
apparent1 not an actual1 exception1 and 
we will return to the original          

proposition--that one's earnings must be
 measured by the service rendered4 ,this
 is so important a proposition that ,i  
beg leave to dwell upon it a moment     
longer1 to ask whether it is possible to
 fix in dollars and cents a maximum     
limit to the amount one can earn in a   
lifetime4  ,let us begin with one       
hundred thousand dollars4 ,if we        
estimate a working life at thirty-three 
years--and ,i think this is a fair      
estimate--a man must earn a little more 
than three thousand dollars per year for
 thirty-three years to earn one hundred 
thousand dollars in a lifetime4 ,i take 
it for granted that no one will deny    
that it is possible for one to earn this
 sum by rendering a service equal to it 
in value4 ,what shall we say of a       
million dollars8 ,can a man earn that   
much8 ,to do so he must earn a little   
more than thirty thousand dollars a year
 for thirty-three years4 ,is it possible
 for one to render so large a service8  
,i believe that it is4 ,well1 what shall

 we say of ten million8 ,to earn that   
much one must earn on an average a      
little more than three hundred thousand 
a year for thirty-three years4 ,is it   
possible for one to render a service so 
large as to earn so vast a sum8 ,at the 
risk of shocking some of my radical     
friends ,i am going to affirm that it is
 possible4 ,but can one earn a hundred  
million8 ,yes1 ,i believe that it is    
even possible to serve society to such  
an extent as to earn a hundred million  
in the span of a human life1 or an      
average of three million a year for     
thirty-three years4 ,we have one man in 
this country who is said to be worth    
five hundred million4 ,to earn five     
hundred million one must earn on an     
average of fifteen million a year for   
thirty-three years4 ,is this within the 
range of human possibility8 ,i believe  
that it is4 ,now1 ,i have gone as high  
as any one has yet gone in collecting1  
but if there is any young man with an   
ambition to render a larger service to  

the world1 ,i will raise it another     
notch1 if necessary1 to encourage him4  
,so almost limitless are the            
possibilities of service in this age    
that ,i am not willing to fix a maximum 
to the sum a man can honestly and       
legitimately earn4  ,not only do ,i     
believe that a man can earn five hundred
 million1 but ,i believe that men have  
earned it4 ,i believe that ,thomas      
,jefferson earned more than five hundred
 million4 ,the service that he rendered 
to the world was of such great value    
that had he collected for it five       
hundred million of dollars1 he would not
 have been overpaid4 ,i believe that    
,abraham ,lincoln earned more than five 
hundred million1 and ,i could go back   
through history and give you the name of
 man after man who rendered a service so
 large as to entitle him to collect more
 than five hundred million from society1
 but if ,i presented a list containing  
the name of every man who1 since time   
began1 earned such an enormous sum1 one 

thing would be true of all of them1     
namely3 that in not a single case did   
the man collect the full amount4 ,the   
men who have earned five hundred million
 dollars have been so busy earning it   
that they have not had time to collect  
it2 and the men who have collected five 
hundred million have been so busy       
collecting it that they have not had    
time to earn it4  ,jefferson did not    
collect all he earned2 in fact1 he began
 public life well-to-do for a man of    
that period1 and died poor--impoverished
 by visits of those who called to tell  
him how much they loved him and how much
 they appreciated his work4 ,lincoln did
 not collect the full amount2 neither   
,jefferson nor ,lincoln would have cared
 to collect five hundred million4 ,what 
would either one have done with such a  
sum8 ,or1 what is more important1 what  
would five hundred million of dollars   
have done with ,jefferson or ,lincoln8  
,in that wonderful parable of the sower1
 ,christ speaks of the seeds that fell  

and of the thorns that sprang up and    
choked them1 and ,he himself explained  
what he meant by this illustration1     
namely3 ,that the cares of this world   
and the deceitfulness of riches choke   
the truth4 ,if the great benefactors of 
the race had been burdened with the care
 of big fortunes1 they could not have   
devoted themselves to the nobler things 
that gave them a place in the affection 
of their people and in history4  ,it    
seems1 therefore1 that while one can not
 rightfully collect more than he        
honestly earns1 he may earn more than it
 would be wise for him to collect4 ,and 
that brings us to the next question3    
,how much should one desire to collect  
from society8 ,i answer1 that no matter 
how large a service he may render or how
 much he may earn1 one should not desire
 to collect more than he can wisely     
spend4  ,and how much can one wisely    
spend8 ,not as much as you might think1 
and not nearly as much as some have     
tried to spend4 ,no matter how honestly 

money may be acquired1 one is not free  
to spend it at will4 ,we are hedged     
about by certain restrictions that we   
can neither remove nor ignore4 ,god has 
written certain laws in our nature--laws
 that no legislature can repeal--laws   
that no court can declare               
unconstitutional1 and these laws limit  
us in our expenditures4  ,let us        
consider some of the things for which we
 can properly spend money4 ,we need     
food--we all need food1 and we need     
about the same amount2 not exactly1 but 
the difference in quantity is not great4
 ,the range in expenditure is greater   
than the range in quantity1 for         
expenditure covers kind and quality as  
well as quantity4 ,but there is a limit 
even to expenditure4 ,if a man eats too 
much he suffers for it4 ,if he squanders
 his money on high-priced foods1 he     
wears his stomach out4 ,there is an old 
saying which we have all heard1 that    
,the poor man is looking for food for   
his stomach1 while the rich man is going

 from one watering place to another     
looking for a stomach for his food4     
,this is only a witty way of expressing 
the sober truth1 namely1 that one is    
limited in the amount of money he can   
wisely spend for food4  ,we need        
clothing--we all need clothing1 and we  
need the same amount4 ,the difference in
 quantity is not great4 ,the range in   
expenditure for clothing is greater than
 the range in quantity1 because         
expenditure covers style and variety as 
well as quantity1 but there is a limit  
to the amount of money one can wisely   
spend for clothing4 ,if a man has so    
much clothing that it takes all of his  
time to change his clothes1 he has more 
than he needs and more than he can      
wisely spend money for4  ,we need       
homes--we all need shelter1 and we need 
about the same amount4 ,in fact1 ,god   
was very democratic in the distribution 
of our needs1 for he so created us that 
our needs are about the same4 ,the range
 of expenditure for homes is probably   

wider than in the case of either food or
 clothing4 ,we are interested in the    
home4 ,i never pass a little house where
 two young people are starting out in   
life without feeling a sympathetic      
interest in that home2 ,i never pass a  
house where a room is being added       
without feeling interested1 for ,i know 
the occupants have planned it1 and      
looked forward to it and waited for it2 
,i like to see a little house moved back
 and a larger house built1 for ,i know  
it is the fulfilment of a dream4 ,i have
 had some of these dreams myself1 and ,i
 know how they lead us on and inspire us
 to larger effort and greater endeavor1 
and yet there is a limit to the amount  
one can wisely spend even for so good a 
thing as a home4  ,if a man gets too big
 a house it becomes a burden to him1 and
 some have had this experience4 ,not    
infrequently a young couple will start  
out poor and struggle along in a little 
house1 looking forward to the time when 
they can build a big house4 ,after a    

while the time arrives and they build a 
big house1 larger1 possibly1 than they  
intended to and it nearly always costs  
more than they thought it would1 and    
then they struggle along the rest of    
their lives looking back to the time    
when they lived in a little house4  ,we 
speak of people being independently     
rich4 ,that is a mistake2 they are      
dependently rich4 ,the richer a man is  
the more dependent he is--the more      
people he depends upon to help him      
collect his income1 and the more people 
he depends upon to help him spend his   
income4 ,sometimes a couple will start  
out doing their own work--the wife doing
 the work inside the house and the man  
outside2 but they prosper1 and after a  
while they are able to afford help4     
,they get a girl to help the wife inside
 and a man to help the husband outside2 
then they prosper more--and they get two
 girls to help inside and two men to    
help outside1 then three girls inside   
and three men outside4 ,finally they    

have so many girls helping inside and so
 many men helping outside that they can 
not leave the house--they have to stay  
at home and look after the              
establishment4 ,and this is not a new   
condition4 ,one of the ,latin poets     
complained of the cares that hover about
 the fretted ceilings of the rich1 and  
it was this condition that inspired     
,charles ,wagner to write his little    
book entitled ,the ,simple ,life1 in    
which he entered an eloquent protest    
against the materialism which makes man 
the slave of his possessions and        
presented an earnest plea for the       
raising of the spiritual above the      
purely physical4 ,i repeat1 there is a  
limit to the amount a man can wisely    
spend upon a home4  ,but a man can give 
his money away4 ,yes1 and no one who has
 ever tried it will deny that more      
pleasure is to be derived from the      
giving of money to a cause in which     
one's heart is interested1 than can be  
obtained from the expenditure of the    

same amount in selfish indulgence4 ,but 
if one is going to give largely he must 
spend a great deal of time in           
investigating and in comparing the      
merits of the different enterprises1 and
 ,i am persuaded that there is a better 
life than the life led by those who     
spend nearly all the time accumulating  
beyond their needs and then employ the  
last few days in giving it away4 ,what  
the world needs is not a few men of     
great wealth1 doling out their money in 
anticipation of death--what the world   
needs is that these men shall link      
themselves in sympathetic interest with 
struggling humanity and help to solve   
the problems of to-day1 instead of      
creating problems for the next          
generation to solve4  ,but you say1 a   
man can leave his money to his children8
 ,he can1 if he dares4 ,but a large     
fortune1 in anticipation1 has ruined    
more sons than it has ever helped4 ,if a
 young man has so much money coming to  
him that he knows he will never have to 

work1 the chances are that it will sap  
his energy1 even if it does not         
undermine his character1 and leave him a
 curse rather than a blessing to those  
who brought him into the world4 ,and it 
is scarcely safer to leave the money to 
a daughter4 ,for if a young woman has a 
prospective inheritance so large that1  
when a young man calls upon her1 she can
 not tell whether he is calling upon her
 or her father1 it is                   
embarrassing--especially so if she finds
 after marriage that he married the     
wrong member of the family4 ,and1 ,i may
 add1 that the daughters of the very    
rich are usually hedged about by a      
social environment which prevents their 
making the acquaintance of the best     
young men4 ,the men who1 twenty-five    
years from now1 will be the leaders in  
business1 in society1 in government1 and
 in the church1 are not the pampered    
sons of the rich1 but the young men who1
 with good health and good habits1 with 
high ideals and strong ambition1 are1   

under the spur of necessity1 laying the 
foundation for future achievements1 and 
these young men do not have a chance to 
become acquainted with the daughters of 
the very rich4 ,even if they did know   
them they might hesitate to enter upon  
the scale of expenditure to which these 
daughters are accustomed4  ,i have      
spoken at length in regard to these     
limitations1 altho we all know of them  
or should4 ,the ministers tell us about 
these things ,sunday after ,sunday1 or  
should1 and yet we find men chasing the 
almighty dollar until they fall         
exhausted into the grave4 ,a few years  
ago ,i read a sermon by ,dr4 ,talmage on
 this subject2 he said a man who wore   
himself out getting money that he did   
not need would finally drop dead1 and   
that his pastor would tell a group of   
sorrowing friends that1 by a mysterious 
dispensation of ,providence1 the good   
man had been cut off in his prime4 ,dr4 
,talmage said that ,providence had      
nothing to do with it1 and that the     

minister ought to tell the truth about  
it and say that the man had been kicked 
to death by the golden calf4  ,a few    
weeks ago ,i read a story by ,tolstoy1  
and ,i did not notice until ,i had      
completed it that the title of the story
 was1 ,what shall it profit8 ,the great 
,russian graphically presented the very 
thought that ,i have been trying to     
impress upon your minds4 ,he told of a  
,russian peasant who had land           
hunger--who added farm to farm and land 
to land1 but could never get enough4    
,after a while he heard of a place where
 land was cheaper and he sold his land  
and went and bought more land4 ,but he  
had no more than settled there until he 
heard of another place among a half     
civilized people where land was cheaper 
still4 ,he took a servant and went into 
this distant country and hunted up the  
head man of the tribe1 who offered him  
all the land he could walk around in a  
day for a thousand rubles--told him he  
could put the money down on any spot and

 walk in any direction as far and as    
fast as he would1 and that if he was    
back by sunset he could have all the    
land he could encompass during the day4 
,he put the money down upon the ground  
and started at sunrise to get1 at last1 
enough land4 ,he started leisurely1 but 
as he looked upon the land it looked so 
good that he hurried a little--and then 
he hurried more1 and then he went faster
 still4 ,before he turned he had gone   
further in that direction than he had   
intended1 but he spurred himself on and 
started on the second side4 ,before he  
turned again the sun had crossed the    
meridian and he had two sides yet to    
cover4 ,as the sun was slowly sinking in
 the west he constantly accelerated his 
pace1 alarmed at last for fear he might 
have undertaken too much and might lose 
it all4 ,he reached the starting point1 
however1 just as the sun went down1 but 
he had overtaxed his strength and fell  
dead upon the spot4 ,then his servant   
dug a grave for him and he only needed  

six feet of ground then1 the same that  
others needed--and the rest of the land 
was of no use to him4 ,thus far ,tolstoy
 told the story of many a life--not the 
life of the very rich only1 but the     
story of every life in which the love of
 money is the controlling force and in  
which the desire for gain shrivels the  
soul and leaves the life a failure at   
last4  ,i desire to show you how        
practical this subject is4 ,if time     
permitted ,i could take up every        
occupation1 every avocation1 every      
profession and every calling1 and show  
you that no matter which way we turn--no
 matter what we do--we are always and   
everywhere weighing the ,soul4  ,in the 
brief time that it is proper for me to  
occupy1 ,i shall apply the thought to   
those departments of human activity in  
which the sale of a soul affects others 
largely as well as the individual who   
makes the bargain4  ,take the occupation
 in which ,i am engaged1 journalism4 ,it
 presents a great field--a growing      

field2 in fact1 there are few fields so 
large4 ,the journalist is both a news   
gatherer and a molder of thought4 ,he   
informs his readers as to what is going 
on1 and he points out the relation      
between cause and effect--interprets    
current history4 ,public opinion is the 
controlling force in a republic1 and the
 newspaper gives to the journalist1     
beyond every one else1 the opportunity  
to affect public opinion4 ,others reach 
the readers of a newspaper through the  
courtesy of the owner of the paper1 but 
he has full access to his own columns1  
and does not fear the blue pencil4 ,the 
journalist occupies the position of a   
watchman upon a tower4 ,he is often able
 to see dangers which are not observed  
by the general public1 and because he   
can see these dangers he is in a        
position of greater responsibility4 ,is 
he discharging the duty which superior  
opportunity imposes upon him8 ,i might  
mention a number of temptations which   
come to the journalist1 but ,i shall    

content myself with a few4 ,first1 there
 is the temptation to conceal the name  
of the real owner of the paper4 ,the    
proprietor of a paper should be known1  
but his identity is not always          
disclosed4 ,the corporate entity which  
plays so large a part in the business   
world has entered the newspaper field4  
,the names of the stockholders are not  
published and we do not always know what
 individuality directs the paper's      
policy4 ,year by year the disclosures   
are bringing to light the fact that the 
predatory interests are using the       
newspapers and even some magazines for  
the defense of commercial iniquity and  
for the purpose of attacking those who  
lift their voices against favoritism and
 privilege4 ,a financial magnate        
interested in the exploitation of the   
public secures control of a paper2 he   
employs business managers1 managing     
editors1 and a reportorial staff4 ,he   
does not act openly or in the daylight  
but through a group of employes who are 

the visible but not the real directors4 
,the reporters are instructed to bring  
in the kind of news which will advance  
the enterprises owned by the man who    
stands back of the paper1 and if the    
news brought in is not entirely         
satisfactory it is doctored in the      
office4 ,the columns of the paper are   
filled with matter1 written not for the 
purpose of presenting facts as they     
exist1 but for the purpose of distorting
 facts and misleading the public4 ,the  
editorial writers1 whose names are      
generally unknown to the public1 are    
told what to say and what subjects to   
avoid4 ,they are instructed to extol the
 merits of those who are subservient to 
the interests represented by the paper1 
and to misrepresent and traduce those   
who dare to criticize or oppose the     
plans of those who hide behind the      
paper4 ,such journalists are members of 
a kind of ,blackhand society2 they are  
assassins1 hiding in ambush and striking
 in the dark2 and the worst of it is    

that the readers have no way of knowing 
when a change takes place in the        
ownership of such a paper4 ,editorial   
poison1 like other poisons1 can be      
administered more successfully if the   
victim is in ignorance as to who        
administers it4  ,there are degrees of  
culpability and some are disposed to    
hold an editorial writer guiltless even 
when they visit condemnation upon the   
secret director of the paper's policy4  
,i present to you a different--and ,i   
believe higher--ideal of journalism4 ,if
 we are going to make any progress in   
morals we must abandon the idea that    
morals are defined by the statutes2 we  
must recognize that there is a wide     
margin between that which the law       
prohibits and that which an enlightened 
conscience can approve4 ,we do not      
legislate against the man who uses the  
printed page for the purpose of         
deception but1 viewed from the          
standpoint of morals1 the man who1      
whether voluntarily or under            

instructions1 writes what he knows to be
 untrue or purposely misleads his       
readers as to the character of a        
proposition upon which they have to act1
 is as guilty of wrong-doing as the man 
who assists in any other swindling      
transaction4  ,another method employed  
to mislead the public is the publication
 of editorial matter supplied by those  
who have an interest to serve4 ,this    
evil is even more common than secrecy as
 to the ownership of the paper4 ,in the 
case of the weekly papers and the       
smaller dailies1 the proprietor is      
generally known1 and it is understood   
that the editorial page represents his  
views4 ,his standing and character give 
weight to that which appears with his   
endorsement4 ,a few years ago1 when the 
railroad rate bill was before ,congress1
 a number of railroads joined in an     
effort to create a public sentiment     
against the bill4 ,bureaus were         
established for the dissemination of    
literature1 and a number of newspapers  

entered into contract to publish as     
editorial matter the material furnished 
by these bureaus4 ,this can not be      
defended in ethics4 ,the purchase of the
 editorial columns is a crime against   
the public and a disgrace to journalism1
 and yet we have frequent occasion to   
note this degradation of the newspaper4 
,senator ,carter1 of ,montana1 speaking 
in the ,united ,states ,senate1 caused  
to be read several printed slips which  
were sent out by a bankers' association 
to local bankers with the request that  
they be inserted in the local papers1   
suggestion being made that the          
instructions to the local bankers be    
removed before they were handed to the  
papers4 ,the purpose of the bankers'    
association was to stimulate opposition 
to the postal savings bank1 a policy    
endorsed affirmatively by the           
,republican party1 and1 conditionally1  
by the ,democratic party1 the two       
platforms being supported at the polls  
by more than ninety per cent of the     

voters4 ,the bankers' association       
opposed the policy1 and1 in sending out 
its literature1 it was endeavoring to   
conceal the source of that literature   
and to make it appear that the printed  
matter represented the opinion of some  
one in the community4  ,the journalist  
who would fully perform his duty must be
 not only incorruptible1 but ever alert1
 for those who are trying to misuse the 
newspapers are able to deceive the very 
elect4 ,whenever any movement is on foot
 for the securing of legislation desired
 by the predatory interests1 or when    
restraining legislation is threatened1  
news bureaus are established at         
,washington1 and these news bureaus     
furnish to such papers1 as will use     
them1 free reports1 daily or weekly as  
the case may be1 from the national      
capitol--reports which purport to give  
general news1 but which in fact contain 
arguments in support of the schemes     
which the bureaus are organized to      
advance4 ,this ingenious method of      

misleading the public is only a part of 
the general plan which favor-holding and
 favor-seeking corporations pursue4     
,demosthenes declared that the man who  
refuses a bribe conquers the man who    
offers it4 ,according to this1 the      
journalist who resists the many         
temptations which come to him to        
surrender his ideals has the            
consciousness of winning a moral victory
 as well as the satisfaction of knowing 
that he is rendering a real service to  
his fellows4  ,the profession for which 
,i was trained--the law--presents       
another line of temptations4 ,the court 
room is a soul's market where many      
barter away their ideals in the hope of 
winning wealth or fame4 ,lawyers        
sometimes boast of the number of men    
whose acquittal they have secured when  
they knew them to be guilty1 and of     
advantages won which they knew their    
clients did not deserve4 ,i do not      
understand how a lawyer can so boast1   
for he is an officer of the court and1  

as such1 is sworn to assist in the      
administration of justice4 ,when a      
lawyer has helped his client to obtain  
all that he really deserves he has done 
his full duty as a lawyer1 and if he    
goes beyond this1 he goes at his own    
peril4 ,show me a lawyer who has spent a
 lifetime trying to obscure the line    
between right and wrong1 trying to prove
 that to be just which he knew to be    
unjust1 and ,i will show you a man who  
has grown weaker in character year by   
year1 and whose advice1 at last1 will be
 of no value to his clients1 for he will
 have lost the power to discern between 
right and wrong4 ,show me1 on the other 
hand1 a lawyer who has spent a lifetime 
in the search for truth1 determined to  
follow where it leads1 and ,i will show 
you a man who has grown stronger in     
character day by day and whose advice   
constantly becomes more valuable to his 
clients1 because the power to discern   
the truth increases with the honest     
search for it4  ,not only in the court  

room1 but in the consultation chamber   
the lawyer sometimes yields to the      
temptation to turn his talents to a     
sordid use4 ,the schemes of spoliation  
that defy the officers of the law are1  
for the most part1 inaugurated and      
directed by legal minds4 ,president     
,roosevelt1 speaking at ,harvard a few  
years ago1 complained that the graduates
 of that great university frequently    
furnished the brains for conspiracies   
against the public welfare4 ,i was      
speaking on this very subject in one of 
the great cities of the country some    
months ago1 and at the close of the     
address1 a judge commended my criticism 
and declared that most of the lawyers   
practising in his court were constantly 
selling their souls4 ,the lawyer's      
position is scarcely less responsible   
than the position of the journalist1 and
 if the journalists and lawyers of the  
country could be brought to abstain from
 the practises by which the general     
public is overreached1 it would be an   

easy matter to secure the remedial      
legislation necessary to protect the    
producing masses from the constant      
spoliation to which they are now        
subjected by the privileged classes4    
,if a man who is planning a             
train-robbery takes another along to    
hold a horse at a convenient distance1  
we say that the man who holds the horse 
is equally guilty with the man who robs 
the train2 and the time will come when  
public opinion will hold as equally     
guilty with the plunderers of society   
the lawyers and journalists who assist  
the plunderers to escape4  ,most of you 
are1 ,i presume1 engaged in what is     
known as business1 altho ,i confess that
 ,i have no sympathy with the narrow    
definition which is often given to the  
word business4 ,every person who        
contributes by brain or muscle to the   
nation's wealth and greatness is engaged
 in business and is a necessary factor  
in the world's progress4  ,commerce is  
an increasing factor in the business    

world4 ,it includes both exchange and   
transportation and stands next in       
importance to production4 ,production   
comes first1 but production could only  
be conducted on a limited scale without 
the exchange of merchandise4 ,to desire 
to gain an honorable distinction in this
 department of labor is a worthy        
ambition4 ,he who improves the          
instruments of trade by bringing        
purchaser and consumer nearer together1 
thus facilitating exchange1 may count   
himself a real benefactor4 ,but even    
here there are temptations to be        
avoided4 ,let me suggest three4 ,first1 
speculation4 ,i do not mean to say that 
the element of chance can be entirely   
eliminated from any kind of business4   
,the farmer takes his chances upon the  
seasons2 the merchant takes his chances 
upon the market2 the railroad owner     
takes his chances upon both the season  
and the market2 and we all take our     
chances upon sickness and death4        
,uncertainty enters into every human    

calculation1 but a distinction can be   
drawn between those uncertainties which 
are unavoidable and those uncertainties 
which are of the very essence of the    
transaction4 ,there is a legitimate work
 for the stock exchange and for the     
chamber of commerce1 but there is an    
illegitimate and vicious speculation on 
the stock exchange and the produce      
market which has lured many business men
 to their fall4 ,the ordinary methods of
 accumulation are necessarily slow when 
competition is left free to regulate    
profits1 while the gambler is spurred on
 by the hope of quickly realizing a     
large profit upon a small investment4   
,it is not strange that many are charmed
 by the siren song of the stock ticker1 
but it means ruin1 and to the extent    
that a man yields to the temptation his 
morals are weakened4 ,there is but one  
sure measure of rewards1 viz41 one that 
compensates each in proportion as he    
serves society4 ,the securing of        
something for nothing by a lucky turn of

 a card1 or by a sudden change in the   
market paralyzes one's purpose1 and1 in 
time1 renders him unfit for patient and 
persistent effort4 ,i might emphasize   
the fact that gambling in stocks and    
farm products often leads to            
embezzlement1 larceny and suicide1 for  
these are the fruits of speculation when
 it becomes a disease4 ,but ,i prefer to
 put my argument against gambling upon  
the broader ground that it is1 in all   
cases1 a demoralizing influence1 whether
 the gambler wins or loses4  ,i might   
dwell upon the evil effects of          
speculation upon innocent parties whose 
property is juggled up or juggled down  
by the manipulations of the market1 but 
,i would appeal1 not only to the        
innocent outsider1 but to those who may 
be tempted by the profits promised to   
the inside ring4 ,i would suggest1      
however1 that those who by cornering the
 market suspend the law of supply and   
demand1 add crime to vice and defraud   
those who are induced to invest in a    

chance which has no actual existence4   
,monopoly is the second commercial      
temptation4 ,monopolies have been       
attempted ever since trading began1 and 
they are more common to-day than ever   
before because more money can be made   
out of them4 ,many well-meaning business
 men permit themselves to be drawn into 
practises which are not only            
indefensible in the realm of conscience1
 but which violate the statutes4 ,the   
officers of the law are constantly      
engaged in an effort to prevent the     
monopolizing of trade4  ,it is strange  
that anyone should attempt to defend a  
private monopoly1 for its plan and      
operation can be easily understood by   
any one who knows either human nature or
 history4 ,no judge would be permitted  
to preside in his own case2 no juror    
would be allowed to serve in a suit to  
which he was a party1 and yet the head  
of a monopoly arbitrarily decides1      
every-day1 questions where his interests
 are on one side and public interests on

 the other4 ,can he be trusted to decide
 impartially and to exact only a        
reasonable profit8 ,it is absurd to     
expect him to do justice to those whith 
whom he deals4 ,the student of history  
knows that the monopolist has always    
been an outlaw4 ,three centuries ago1   
under ,queen ,elizabeth1 the ,house of  
,commons protested against the          
monopolies which she had authorized1 and
 ,i found1 when in the ,holy ,land1 that
 a very complete monopoly existed there 
some seventeen hundred years ago4       
,josephus tells how ,john of ,gishala   
secured a monopoly in olive oil and     
charged ten times as much for the oil as
 he paid for it4 ,for the benefit of    
those who think that all monopolies are 
traceable to the rebate1 ,i venture to  
suggest that the oil trust of ,palestine
 was successfully operated before       
railroads existed4 ,but even tho ,john  
had nothing better than a fast freight  
line of donkeys and distributed the oil 
in goat skins1 he showed as correct an  

understanding of the possibilities of   
monopoly as any trust magnate has       
to-day1 and ,i have wondered whether our
 ,john secured his idea of an oil trust 
from ,john of ,gishala4  ,we need laws  
making the private monopoly impossible1 
but we must have back of these laws a   
moral sentiment which will condemn the  
club wielded by the monopolist1 as moral
 sentiment now condemns the highwayman's
 bludgeon4  ,the third temptation to    
which the commercial man is subjected is
 the corruption of politics4 ,just in   
proportion as a corporation secures a   
monopoly of the business in which it is 
engaged1 in that proportion the         
necessity for government regulation     
increases1 and ,i may add1 the          
difficulty of securing regulation       
increases in proportion to the necessity
 for it4 ,municipal corruption has      
become a byword1 and the lobbyist has   
made his evil presence felt at the      
national and ,state capitals4 ,bribery  
is becoming a fine art1 and neither the 

voter nor his representative is spared4 
,the one lesson that must be taught is  
that the man who gives a bribe is as    
wicked as the man who accepts it--,i am 
not sure but that he is more wicked1 for
 the necessities of the man who accepts 
the bribe--if need can palliate such an 
offense--are usually greater than those 
of the man who offers it4 ,i appeal to  
you to assist1 in every possible way1 in
 the creation of a public sentiment     
which will ostracise the business man   
who purchases legislation with the      
profits derived from privileges already 
secured1 or who advances corruption     
money in anticipation of the profits    
which governmental favors promise4  ,in 
the counting room as well as in the     
editor's library and in the lawyer's    
office one hears the heart-searching    
question3 ,what shall it profit a man if
 he shall gain the whole world and lose 
his own soul8--and happiness1 honor and 
usefulness all hang upon the answer4  ,i
 would not be forgiven if ,i failed to  

apply my theme to the work of the       
instructor4 ,the purpose of education is
 not merely to develop the mind2 it is  
to prepare men and women for society's  
work and for citizenship4 ,the ideals of
 the teacher1 therefore1 are of the     
first importance4 ,the pupil is apt to  
be as much influenced by what his       
teacher is as by what the teacher says  
or does4 ,the measure of a school can   
not be gathered from an inspection of   
the examination papers2 the conception  
of life which the graduate carries away 
must be counted in estimating the       
benefits conferred4 ,the pecuniary      
rewards of the teacher are usually small
 when compared with the rewards of      
business4 ,this may be due in part to   
our failure to properly appreciate the  
work which the teacher does1 but it may 
be partially accounted for by the fact  
that the teacher derives from his work a
 satisfaction greater than that obtained
 from most other employments4  ,the     
teacher comes in contact with the life  

of the student1 and1 as our greatest joy
 is derived from the consciousness of   
having benefited others1 the teacher    
rightly counts as a part of his         
compensation the continuing pleasure to 
be found in the knowledge that he is    
projecting his influence through future 
generations4 ,the heart plays as large a
 part as the head in the teacher's work1
 because the heart is an important      
factor in every life and in the shaping 
of the destiny of the race4 ,i fear the 
plutocracy of wealth2 ,i respect the    
aristocracy of learning2 but ,i thank   
,god for the democracy of the heart4 ,it
 is upon the heart-level that we meet2  
it is by the characteristics of the     
heart that we best know and best        
remember each other4 ,astronomers tell  
us the distance of each star from the   
earth1 but no mathematician can         
calculate the influence which a noble   
teacher may exert upon posterity4 ,and  
yet even the teacher may fall from his  
high estate1 and1 forgetting his        

immeasurable responsibility1 yield to   
the temptation to estimate his work by  
its pecuniary reward4  ,let me turn for 
a moment from the profession and the    
occupation to the calling4 ,i am sure ,i
 shall not be accused of departing from 
the truth when ,i say that even those   
who minister to our spiritual wants and1
 as our religious leaders1 help to fix  
our standards of morality1 sometimes    
prove unfaithful to their trust4 ,they  
are human1 and the frailties of man     
obscure the light which shines from     
within1 even when that light is a       
reflection from the throne of ,god4 ,the
 ministers have for years considered the
 liquor question a moral question1 and  
,i would not chide them for their       
activity2 but ,i think too little       
emphasis has been placed upon the       
importance of total abstinence4 ,whether
 a ,christian can drink in moderation   
without harm to himself is purely a     
physical question1 and some ,christians 
have overestimated their ability to     

confine their drinking within safe      
limits2 but there is a moral question   
which is much larger1 namely1 can a     
,christian afford to indulge the        
appetite for drink if his example leads 
weaker men to ruin8  ,the great apostle 
said that1 if eating meat made his      
brother to offend1 he would eat no meat4
 ,it is a part of the minister's work to
 cultivate such a love of brother in the
 ,christian heart that the ,christian   
will paraphrase the language of the     
apostle and say3 ,if drinking maketh my 
brother to offend1 ,i shall not drink4  
,then1 too1 we have not sufficiently    
considered man's social needs4 ,man must
 have communion with his friends1 and we
 have left the saloon to furnish about  
the only meeting place in the cities and
 towns4 ,rooms should be opened where   
men can meet with wholesome surroundings
 and free from the temptations that are 
ever present where men meet in a room   
provided by one who has a pecuniary     
interest in cultivating an appetite for 

drink4  ,the ministers must deal with   
all questions that involve morals1 and  
every great question is in its final    
analysis a question of ethics4  ,we need
 more ,elijahs in the pulpit            
to-day--more men who will dare to       
upbraid an ,ahab and defy a ,jezebel4   
,it is possible1 ay1 probable1 that even
 now1 as of old1 persecution would      
follow such boldness of speech1 but he  
who consecrates himself to religion must
 smite evil wherever he finds it1 altho 
in smiting it he may risk his salary and
 his social position4 ,it is easy enough
 to denounce the petty thief and the    
back-alley gambler2 it is easy enough to
 condemn the friendless rogue and the   
penniless wrong-doer1 but what about the
 rich tax-dodger1 the big law-breaker   
and the corrupter of government8 ,the   
soul that is warmed by divine fire will 
be satisfied with nothing less than the 
complete performance of duty2 it must   
cry aloud and spare not1 to the end that
 the creed of the ,christ may be        

exemplified in the life of the nation4  
,not only does the soul question present
 itself to individuals1 but it presents 
itself to groups of individuals as well4
  ,let us consider the party4 ,a        
political party can not be better than  
its ideal2 in fact1 it is good in       
proportion as its ideal is worthy1 and  
its place in history is determined by   
its adherence to a high purpose4 ,the   
party is made for its members1 not the  
members for the party2 and a party is   
useful1 therefore1 only as it is a means
 through which one may protect his      
rights1 guard his interests and promote 
the public welfare4 ,the best service   
that a man can render his party is to   
raise its ideals4 ,he basely betrays his
 party's hopes and is recreant to his   
duty to his party associates who seeks  
to barter away a noble party purpose for
 temporary advantages or for the spoils 
of office4 ,it would be a reflection    
upon the intelligence and patriotism of 
the people to assert1 or even to assume1

 that lasting benefit could be secured  
for a party by the lowering of its      
standards4 ,he serves his party most    
loyally who serves his country most     
faithfully2 it is a fatal error to      
suppose that a party can be permanently 
benefited by a betrayal of the nation's 
interests4  ,in every act of party life 
and party strife we weigh the soul4     
,that the people have a right to have   
what they want is a fundamental         
principle in free government4           
,corruption in government comes from the
 attempt to substitute the will of a    
minority for the will of the majority4  
,every measure which comes up for       
consideration involves justice and      
injustice--right and wrong--and is1     
therefore1 a question of conscience4 ,as
 justice is the basis of a nation's     
strength and gives it hope of           
perpetuity1 and1 as the seeds of decay  
are sown whenever injustice enters into 
government1 patriotism as well as       
conscience leads us to analyze every    

public question1 ascertain the moral    
principle involved and then cast our    
influence1 whether it be great or small1
 on the side of justice4  ,the patriot  
must desire the triumph of that which is
 right above the triumph of that which  
he may think to be right if he is1 in   
fact1 mistaken2 and so the partizan1 if 
he be an intelligent partizan1 must be  
prepared to rejoice in his party's      
defeat if by that defeat his country is 
the gainer4 ,one can afford to be in a  
minority1 but he can not afford to be   
wrong2 if he is in a minority and right1
 he will some day be in the majority4   
,the activities of politics center about
 the election of candidates to office1  
and the official1 under our system1     
represents both the party to which he   
belongs and the whole body of his       
constituency4 ,he has two temptations to
 withstand1 first1 the temptation to    
substitute his own judgment for the     
judgment of his constituents1 and       
second1 the temptation to put his       

pecuniary interests above the interests 
of those for whom he acts4 ,according to
 the aristocratic idea1 the             
representative thinks for his           
constituents2 according to the          
democratic idea1 the representative     
thinks with his constituents4 ,a        
representative has no right to defeat   
the wishes of those who elect him1 if he
 knows their wishes4  ,but a            
representative is not liable to         
knowingly misrepresent his constituents 
unless he has pecuniary interests       
adverse to theirs4 ,this is the         
temptation to be resisted--this is the  
sin to be avoided4 ,the official who    
uses his position to secure a pecuniary 
advantage at the expense of those for   
whom he acts is an embezzler of         
power--and an embezzler of power is as  
guilty of moral turpitude as the        
embezzler of money4 ,there is no better 
motto for the public official than that 
given by ,solomon3 ,a good name is      
rather to be chosen than great riches1  

and loving favor rather than silver and 
gold4 ,and there is no better rule for  
the public official to follow than      
this--to do nothing that he would not be
 willing to have printed in the         
newspaper next day4  ,one who exercises 
authority conferred upon him by the     
suffrages of his fellows ought to be    
fortified in his integrity by the       
consciousness of the fact that a        
betrayal of his trust is hurtful to the 
party which honors him and unjust to the
 people whom he serves1 as well as      
injurious to himself4 ,nothing that he  
can gain1 not even the whole world1 can 
compensate him for the loss that he     
suffers in the surrender of a high ideal
 of public duty4  ,permit me1 in        
conclusion1 to say that the nation1 as  
well as the individual and the party1   
must be measured by its purpose1 its    
ideals and its service4 ,let him who    
would be chiefest among you be the      
servant of all1 was intended for nations
 as well as for citizens4 ,our nation is

 the greatest in the world and the      
greatest of all time1 because it is     
rendering a larger service than any     
other nation is rendering or has        
rendered4 ,it is giving the world ideals
 in education1 in social life1 in       
government and in religion4 ,it is the  
teacher of nations1 it is the world's   
torch-bearer4 ,here the people are more 
free than elsewhere to prove all things 
and hold fast that which is good2 to    
know the truth and to find freedom in   
that knowledge4 ,no material            
considerations should blind us to our   
nation's mission1 or turn us aside from 
the accomplishment of the great work    
which has been reserved for us4 ,our    
fields bring forth abundantly and the   
products of our farms furnish food for  
many in the ,old ,world4 ,our mills and 
looms supply an increasing export1 but  
these are not our greatest asset4 ,our  
most fertile soil is to be found in the 
minds and the hearts of our people1 and 
our most important manufacturing plants 

are not our factories1 with their       
smoking chimneys1 but our schools1 our  
colleges and our churches1 which take in
 a priceless raw material and turn out  
the most valuable finished product that 
the world has known4  ,we enjoy by      
inheritance1 or by choice1 the blessings
 of ,american citizenship2 let us not be
 unmindful of the obligations which     
these blessings impose4 ,let us not     
become so occupied in the struggle for  
wealth or in the contest for honors as  
to repudiate the debt that we owe to    
those who have gone before us and to    
those who bear with us the              
responsibilities that rest upon the     
present generation4 ,society has claims 
upon us2 our country makes demands upon 
our time1 our thought and our purpose4  
,we can not shirk these duties without  
disgrace to ourselves and injury to     
those who come after us4 ,if one is     
tempted to complain of the burdens borne
 by ,american citizens1 let him compare 
them with the much larger burdens       

imposed by despots upon their subjects4 
,i challenge the doctrine1 now being    
taught1 that we must enter into a mad   
rivalry with the ,old ,world in the     
building of battleships--the doctrine   
that the only way to preserve peace is  
to get ready for wars that ought never  
to come6 ,it is a barbarous1 brutal1    
unchristian doctrine--the doctrine of   
the darkness1 not the doctrine of the   
dawn4  ,nation after nation1 when at the
 zenith of its power1 has proclaimed    
itself invincible because its army could
 shake the earth with its tread and its 
ships could fill the seas1 but these    
nations are dead1 and we must build upon
 a different foundation if we would     
avoid their fate4  ,carlyle1 in the     
closing chapters of his ,french         
,revolution says that thought is        
stronger than artillery parks and at    
last molds the world like soft clay1 and
 then he adds that back of thought is   
love4 ,carlyle is right4 ,love is the   
greatest power in the world4 ,the       

nations that are dead boasted that their
 flag was feared2 let it be our boast   
that our flag is loved4 ,the nations    
that are dead boasted that people bowed 
before their flag1 let us not be content
 until our flag represents sentiments so
 high and holy that the opprest of every
 land will turn their faces toward that 
flag and thank ,god that there is one   
flag that stands for self-government and
 for the rights of man4  ,the           
enlightened conscience of our nation    
should proclaim as the country's creed  
that righteousness exalteth a nation and
 that justice is a nation's surest      
defense4 ,if there ever was a nation it 
is ours--if there ever was a time it is 
now--to put ,god's truth to the test4   
,with an ocean rolling on either side   
and a mountain range along either coast 
that all the armies of the world could  
never climb we ought not to be afraid to
 trust in the wisdom of doing right4    
,our government1 conceived in liberty   
and purchased with blood1 can be        

preserved only by constant vigilance4   
,may we guard it as our children's      
richest legacy1 for what shall it profit
 our nation if it shall gain the whole  
world and lose the spirit that prizes   
liberty as the heritage of all men in   
all lands everywhere8