DEVOTEES of MAMMON by ROBERT B
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ufte AMERICA'S PROPHETIC WEEKLY VOLUME 48 MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA, DECEMBER 6, 1921 NUMBER 48 Int 027 national Allied chiefs present for the dedication of the $2400,000 Liberty Memorial in Kansas City. This is the first picture of them together. Left to right: Generals Jacques, Diaz, Foch, Pershing, and Admiral Beatty. DEVOTEES of MAMMON By ROBERT B. THURBER MERICA is fast developing a type of man that wants on to outdo Christendom and heathendom in thing-worship and to worship a god that tickles his fancy and charms in the deification of ideas. his conscience. Like all men of all ages, he will wor- The old god Baal was the sun god; he was the father of gods; ship something; for the spirit of man craves an object for the glorious solar orb brings nearly every material bless- of devotion. But not finding the God of his fathers ing in its train. It is the greatest visible beneficiary of man- to his liking, he makes his obeisance to every easy- kind. Without the sun, oblivion would come to all things coming benefit that flowers his pathway. He calls this earthly. Hence, sun worship was preeminent. Behold the a material age, and says that now men can- modern god, Dollar, which presumes to take not be satisfied to make their heart offerings the blasphemous title, Almighty'. Millions to spiritual, to immaterial things, and to an make their genuflections before him to-day invisible God, as they, in their ignorance, in America, as the chief deity. He is were content to do aforetime. thought to be able to buy a way for his We dissent. So far as the age is con- devotee to every happiness dear to the hu- cerned, this is no more a material age than man heart. "Money makes the mare go." any age has ever been. It is not the age; "Money greases the wheels of progress." it is the attitude of the majority of the peo- "Money is a man's best friend.". So run our ple of the age. Heathenism has always proverbs. Though they smack of the sordid, been material, and materialism is heathen- they appeal to the candid; and mammon ish to-day. mounts the throne, while education spells •We would not enter into a disloyal dia- $ucce$$ with dollar signs. Lucre displaces tribe, against Americans and everything Baal; it was sun then, it is "mon" now; and American. The whole world is going the the modern devotion is as baleful as the an- same way. But this country naturally con- cient was Baal-full. cerns us more, being our own; and there are Nor is this worship of gold confined to the peculiar temptations and tendencies mani- already rich and the near rich. The "de- fest here in late years that are leading us ceitfulness of riches" presents its greatest 2 The Signs of the Times for December 6, 1921 lure to the poor man. In fact, those who tors of wealth, and heartless grinders of lated with the virus of greed. Retaining have not, seem to make it their special the poor. The fascination of get-rich- to a degree the loves and hates of their worry to long for easy money. The man quick-regardless has developed a cult of former homes, they take up the worship who has, is not blinded so much by the robbers which claims in its membership of the god of this land, and become ven- glitter of money as is the man who has a range of criminals, from the disrepu- erators of wealth. not, and who fondly imagines that su- table to the respectable. But the large and increasing class of preme and unalloyed happiness is found It is time to cry from the skyscraper which we write are not hoarders as a in the backing of a swollen bank ac- tops that Americans are joining them- rule. They are first-class grabbers, and count. selves by the hundreds of thousands to also great spenders—on themselves. A It is a patent fact that the ability to mammonism. Soon we shall have to in- tale is told of a man who was given a acquire wealth is a gift given of God, sert "mammoniac"—money-mad—in our box containing a gold coin which, when just as is the gift of .oratory, of music, dictionaries. The multitude, in snug removed, would be replaced by another, of health, of influence, of genius, and of comfort and smug satisfaction, stop their and so on endlessly. But he was warned, geniality. Yet, while the possessors of ears to the wails of the oppressed within on pain of the charm's being broken, that the great majority of gifts find pleasure our borders, and are deaf to the pleading he must not spend one coin till he had in practically giving away, free of charge, of starving millions beyond our shores. first destroyed the box. He died of star- the products of their accomplishments In the polytheism of the ancient peo- vation, still taking out the coins and pil- for the enjoyment of others, the posses- ples, each land had its tutelary god, and ing them up. But this is not a picture sors of fortunes too often conceive that it was expected that a visitor to any of America. The ingenious and business- the fruits of their efforts are to be country would add its particular god to like American would see if he could not hoarded, or spent on their own gratifi- his already numerous deities, and thus make the machine produce more than one cation. If a capitalist, big or little, would get into the line of luck in his new and coin at a time, and failing in that, would pass on his money as freely as a vocalist strange surroundings. The mixed Sa- work at it till he tired, throw the appara- gives forth his voice, this world would maritans in Palestine, after the return tus in the river, spend the money; and be a far happier place than it is. In the from the captivity, were told that the then try to fish out the wonder-working face of the world's poverty no man God wild animals killed their flocks because machine. ever made has a right to be a millionaire, they were not worshiping the god of that AMERICA'S PANTHEON OF GODS counted by the money he holds; but, land. So they annexed God to their pan- Sunny old Baal was worshiped largely counted by the money he has passed theon, and vainly expected the exclusive through his hands for the uplift of the through lesser gods, gods the existence Jehovah to confine Himself to an all- of which the sun made possible. Sol was world, he has the unquestionable right inclusive religion. to be a multimillionaire. too distant and dazzling to come close WE PROSELYTIZE OUR IMMIGRANTS to the hearts of his disciples, and in- It has been aptly said that when any- spired awe rather than familiarity. So thing was touched by the mythical King We see a vivid parallel to this in the the rivers took on sacredness; and rain Midas it was turned to gold, but that to- United States to-day. Immigrants and wind, animals, and plants, received day when men are touched by gold, they swarm to our ports of entry, congregate the adoration of the people. turn to anything. The grasping for in the centers of population, and, however And so around us to-day money is held riches has become so universal a mania unsophisticated and artless in life and in the highest esteem because of what it that great numbers of men are being aims before, they are soon proselyted to will do for the spender. Money is not an mammonish practices like their neighbors, transformed into bandits, cutthroats, evil in itself. The real root of evil is and join with the throng that is inocu- gunmen, tricksters, profiteers, malefac- in love of wealth for its own sake, or in the passion for the evanescent selfish pleasures its spending will bring. And the possessor of riches escapes the fate of Dives only by considering his owner- ship a stewardship, and his dollars as a means to an end,—and that end, charity. The lesser gods of America are legion. The pantheon that acknowledges the golden sway of Mammon presents an en- ticing array: Business Supremacy, Mil- lionaire, Absolute Control, Political Pre- ferment, Sports, Dress, Sex, Thrills, Speed, Motors, Real Estate, Stocks, Art, Beauty, Theories,—just to take them as they come. They or their satellites are on show almost everywhere; but also there are particular places where they may be seen in ornate display. And these places of exhibit are found in every city, town, and village in the country. AMUSEMENT TEMPLES AND MOVIE SHRINES On the street of a large city the other day we came across a sign advertising "the movies" (not moving pictures—there is a difference). This particular film house was spoken of as a "temple of amusement." And another was called "the shrine of the silent drama." Temple and shrine indeed! how appropriate! For these are the gods of America, on show day and night for the adoration and wonderment of the multitude. There are enough form-fitting seats in the The old god Baal was the sun god. He was the theaters of the United States to seat father of gods; for the glorious solar orb brings every man, woman, and child of America's nearly every material blessing in its train.