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The Commoner.
WILLIAM J. BRYAN, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR
VOL. 9, NO. 4
Lincoln, Nebraska, February 5, 1909
Whole Number -420
THE PRICE OF A SOUL
Address delivered at the commencement exer
cises of the Pierce School, Philadelphia, Pa.,
ecember 23, 1908.
Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen:
i Tho inf orrnfntnrv lina rvrr hnnn vannfrnW.nrl
iby orators as a forcible method of presenting
an argument, and illustrations of it can be
found in nearly all the great speeches of the
world. Christ, whose utterances are not sur
passed in clearness and in power, used the in
terrogatory with telling effect, and he used it
in the presentation of the greatest subject that
can engage the attention of a human being.
I .offer no apology for bringing before a gradu
ating class the startling question in which the
Master focuses attention upon a tremendous
theme, "What shall it profit a man if he shall
gain the whole world and Jose his own soul?"
Holding the scales in His hand, He weighs the
'soul against all things else. Who will dispute
the correctness of His estimate, or challenge the
;l righteousness of the jadgmert which He pro
nounces?
Think not that the question is an unimpo'lont
one, or that Christ was dealing with a senti-
mental subject. Some have sought to brush
waside the teachings of the man of Galilee as
visionary, but no other philosophy is so practi
cal as His; no other code of morals so harmon
izes with human experience, or so completely
diagrams' a noble life.
Christ .never spoke thoughtlessly; He never
dealt with trifles, or with things insignificant.
His words are full of meaning, and to those
.who, having completed their preparation, are
about to enter upon the serious work of life,
no more weighty thought, no more searching
question, could be presented than this which
deals with the soul.
In choosing this theme I am not invading the
domain of the minister of the gospel. It is a
mistake to suppose that this is merely a Sab
bath day subject. Every day the individual has
an opportunity aye, is called upon to place
a price upon the soul, for he is every day tempt
ed to barter it away for something which, ,for
the moment, may seem more desirable. In fact,
character is formed by resistance to these temp
tations; the character is good just in propor
tion as the interests of the soul are preferred
to that which is offered in exchange for it.
The soul shrivels when it is treated as mer
chandise. I am not stating a new truth when I state
that the interests of the soul are paramount.
Socrates, in presenting a defense of his con
duct, declared that in obedience to God he was
CONTENTS
; ' ;;
' 1 1
. THE PRICE. OF A SOUL ' .!
NOT THE TREATMENT FOR HEROES . '
THE RUDOWITZ CASE ,Sl
EDUCATIONAL SERIES THE CARNEGIE
FOUNDATION MR. BRYAN'S ARGUMENT
CAMPAIGNING WITH BRYAN . . . ,
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE '
RAINEY AND THE PANAMA CANAL, ,
GOVERNOR HASKELL'S STATEMENT J '
COMMENT ON CURRENT TOPICS ' i'Jj
HOME DEPARTMENT -i'.iV
WHETHER COMMON OR. NOTJ. lijj
NEWS OF THE WEEK '' !
BY W. J. BRYAN
accustomed to address the Athenians and ask:
"Are you not ashamed of being careful for
riches, how you may acquire them in greatest
abundance, and for glory and honor, but care
not, nor take any thought for wisdom and truth,
and for your soul, how it may bo made most
perfect?" If that ancient sago was able to thus
accurately measure the worth of the soul, can
we excuse ignorance of its value in this day and
generation? If he was barely convicted in that
early day for teaching that man's immortal in
terests are superior to temporal blessings, can
we forgive ourselves, or be forgiven, if wo
ignore so great a truth as that presented by the
Nazarene?
Let me briefly enumerate some of the ways
in which this temptation approaches us. He
who for truth's sake drank the deadly hemlock,
had observed that riches sometimes benumb
the better impulses, and he, therefore, put
riches first in the question which he propounded
on the streets of Athens. You will find that
more of your temptations will come from a de
sire to get rich quick than from any other
source.
.How much wealth can one rightfully acquire?
As much, be that amount great or small, as
measures the service which he renders to so-.
ciety. If one is limited to less than that he
feels that he has been wronged; if ho conscious
ly acquires more than that, he can nqt escape
the conviction that ho has defrauded some'ohe,
and it. destroys one's self respect to continue
in consciouu Wrong-doing.
How much wealth should one desire? Only,
so much as he can wisely use. We need food
and clothing and shelter, buf; there is a limit
to each. We must have the food necessary to
strengthen the body for its work, but we can
not go much beyond this limit without injury
to ourselves. We need clothing, but our needs
in this respect are moderate, and one T,as but
a poor conception of the value of time if he
employs It all in changing his raiment. We
need shelter, but here, too, we can not greatly
exceed our needs without multiplying our cares.
We need education, and yet education is a'
means to an end, and in . ursuing it, we must
be mindful of the fact that education is not
to be used like an ornament, to gratify one's
vanity, but to increase one's capacity for service.
Money can be spent in traveling, arid yet travel-
ing can be over-done; unless it results in a ben
efit that can be communicated to others, it may
cost more than it is worth. One may acquire
money in order to give it to some cause or in
stitution that deserves support, but it is often
better to give one's self than to give any amount
of money.
Man is a social being. He needs the com
panionship of others, and money may enable
him to meet legitimate social demands, but
there is nothing more empty than a life devoted
entirely to social enjoyment; no investment
yields a smaller dividend in happiness than years
wholly consumed in gratifying a social ambition.
Let money be your servant rather than your
master. Some are stronger than others and can
.caTry a heavier load; some can possess more
money than others and yet remain, the owners
, .of. their money; others with less money may
allow themselves to become subserviont to the
dollaT. No one can afford to acquire enough
money, even though he acquires it honestly,
to change this relation, between the money and
the man. The love of money is still the "root
of all evil;" and the man who is dominated
by this passion Is not only useless to society,
but is, ,in the end, contemptible and miserable.
In the parable of the Sower we learn that even
nineteen "hundred years ago, "the cares of this
world and,-the deceitfulness of riches" choked
j, the truth, The indictment, stands today, aiid
t: i every, generation presents many, visible evidences
of -this cruel fact. : .
7- .... Love of money has a multitude. of ways. in
which it works -the demoralization of those
whom it rules. It manifests itself in every oc
cupation and profession alas, even the calling
furnishes no sure protection against it. Lot
me illustrate what I mean by roferring to some
of the more important spheres of activity. '
Take the occupation in which I am engaged,
journalism. It presents a groat field a grow
ing field; in fact, there are few fields so large.
The journalist is both a news gatherer and a
moulder of thought. He informs his readers
as to what is going on, and ho points out the
relation between cause and effect Interprets
current history. Public opinion is the control
ling force in a republic, and the newspaper gives
to the journalist, beyond every one else, the
opportunity to affect public opinion. Others
reach his reader through the courtesy of the
newspaper, but the owner of the paper has full
access to his own columns, and does not fear
the blue pencil. The journalist occupies the
position of a watchman upon a tower. Ho is
often able to see dangers which are not observed
by the general public, and because ho can seo
these dangers he is in a position of greater re
sponsibility. Is he discharging the duty which
superiqr opportunity Imposes upon him? I
might mention a number of temptations which
come to the journalist but I shall content my
self with a few. First, there is the temptation
to conceal the name of the real owner of the
paper, The proprietor of a paper should be
known, but his Identity is not always disclosed.
The corporate entity whiph plays so large" a
part in the business world has entered the nows
. paper field. The names of the stockholders are
not published and we do not always know what
individuality directs the paper's policy. Year
by year the disclosures aro bringing to light the
fact that the predatory Interests arc using the
newspapers and even the magazines, for the de
fense of commercial iniquity and for the pur
pose of attacking those who lift their voices
against favoritism and privilege. A financial
magnate interested in the exploitation of the
public secures control of a paper; he employs
business managers, managing editors and a re
portorial staff. He does not act openly or in the
daylight but through a group of employes who
are the visible but not the real directors. 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 paper
and if the news brought in is not entirely sat
isfactory It is doctored in the office. The col
umns of the paper are filled with matter, writ
ten not for the purpose of presenting facts as
they exist but for the purpose of distorting facts
and misleading the public. The editorial writ
ers, whose names are generally unknown to the
public, are told what to say and what subjects
to avoid. They are instructed to extol the
merits of those who are subservient to the in
terests represented by the paper, and to misrep
resent and traduce those who dare to criticise
or oppose the plans of those who hide behind
the paper. Such journalists are members of a
kind of "Blackhand society;" they aro assassins,
hiding in ambush and striking in the dark; and
the worst xt .it. is that the readers have no way
of knowing when achange takes place In the
ownership of such a paper. Editorial poison,
like other poisons, can be administered more
successfully If the victim is In Ignorance as to
who administers it.
There are degrees of culpability and some
are disposed to hold an editorial writer guilt
less even when they visit condemnation upon
the secret director of the paper's policy. I pre
sent to you a different and I believe higher
Ideal of journalism. If we are going; to make
any progress in morals we must abandon the
- idea that morals are defined by the statutes;
we must recognize that there is a wide margin
between that which the law prohibits and that
which an enlightened conscience can approve.
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