their unnecessary and really criminal oppression, I need indulge in no hope of mansions river front in heaven, robes splendid, and all that sort of thing. The article that interests me here is headed:

"Less food, more wages-earners, due to high living cost. Cases of 2,084 families, not specially selected in New York City, show meatless and milkless households, extra jobs for women and children to eke out inadequate income, and serious effects on health." Here is a table across the page prepared under the direction of Dr. Louis I. Harris, director of the bureau of preventable diseases. He says: "Nearly 60 per cent of the families were visited for the primary purpose of supervising cases of tuberculosis. . . . To the person who properly translates such statistics as these, and who discerns as he reads them the far-reaching influence of the conditions they reveal on the daily lives of thousands of families of which they are typical, they constitute a powerful argument for the necessity of social, economic, and legislative remedies. If economic conditions are such that the housewife must enter industry in order to make the family income adequate, it is inevitably bound to follow in greater or less degree that the sick members of the family, as well as those who are well, will be neglected. . . . . It may be amazing to many that of these families which represent a fairly typical cross section of conditions in New York City, 21 per cent should have had a total income of $600 a year or less for the support of an average family of five persons during the beginning of 1918. An additional 30.5 had a total income of from $600 to $900 a year, and about 21 per cent, an income of from $900 to $1,200 a year. In other words, 51 per cent of all these families had a total income not exceeding $900 a year during a period when the price of essential foodstuffs and other necessities went soaring to an unusual altitude

To those who have read the statements of Royal Meeker, U. S. Commissionr of Labor Statistics,, that in 1916 the average white family consisting of father, mother and three children under 15, could not make both ends meet in Washington, D. C. on less than $1,200 a year, and that in 1918 it required $1,800 a year, facts here presented will come with special force."

Miss T.-Frightful!

Judge W.-Damnable;-somewhere . . . . . Now, Miss Templeton, I have called you in because some of us are overhauling all our beliefs to find out where the fault is. One of the things that have always looked more or less suspicious to me is our custom of overthrowing the law of the Creator with respect to interest-taking. Life insurance is of course founded on our custom of breaking this law. Your name was suggested as one unusually well informed on the subject.

Miss T.-That is very nice of you.

Judge W.-No, that's your reputation. Now, until recently, I have been perfectly willing to go along with what I will now

call our temerity in setting aside direct commands from the Headquarters of the Universe. Of late, however, I have been moved with the desire, not to say a sense of duty, to get to the bottom of this subject. I have in mind to ask others to come to throw what light they can on the subject. Among thesepossibly before you go-today Mr. Jones, the superman of wealth of Michigan, will come. As a multi-millionaire with a rough but honest tongue, Mr. Jones is reputed to have no equal. He is not only very rich, but still in his thirties, unmarried, as you know. They tell me that he has made his money out of land, interest and food. If he will consent to open his mind, the interview may be to some purpose.

Miss T.-I hope so.

Judge W.-Here is a note from the church historian, Dr. Rauschenbusch, on the laws of God in the Bible forbidding interest. It is a very fair statement. He says, "Interest was forbidden, so that debt could not breed more hopeless debt. This also counteracted the tendency to inequality in mobile capital."

Miss T. Of course it is the inequality of the burden that makes interest oppressive.

(Enters Jones of Michigan)

Jones.-Judge Warner, what can I do for you?

Judge W. (rising with Miss T.).—Mr. Jones, this is Miss Templeton, a friend of mine. (they have chairs).

Jones. Said you had some questions-eh? Well, shoot 'em. Judge W.-Mr. Jones, you are said to be one of the foremost men of the country who justify interest on capital, and I've been one of the members of the Bench that has justified interest on capital.

Jones. You are mistaken, I have never justified, I take, interest.

Judge W.-You mean- -?

Jones.-What I say. I have never presumed to justify interest. I don't justify it. What are you going to do about it? Judge W.-Who does justify it?

Jones.-Well, don't you know that we had several thousand years B. C., then years A. D. to 1638, and that this is the year 281 Salmasius?

Judge W.-Salmasius?-this is the year 281 Salmasius?

Jones.-Exactly. Want a story about myself and interest? Well I will tell you. Put it down in your head to think on. I'm from Michigan, and proud of it. I went off to seek my fortune when I was a young fellow in my teens. Had a pastor who said good by. 'Jones,' he said, 'I want to give you a verse in the Bible for a keepsake.' 'All right,' I said, 'if you haven't

anything better; let's have it.' 'Proverbs 28.8,' he said; 'because, boy, you are bound to be a rich man some day, and I want to have you remember the Lord's word to you.' 'What's the proverb; Elder?' I said. And he got the Book and opened it and let me see it and read: 'He that by usury and unjust gain increaseth his substance, he shall gather it for him that will pity the poor.' Then he said again, Jones, you will be rich, but be rich right; never take any more interest than the law allows.' 'That's usury, is it?' I said, and he said, 'Yes.' Then I went away. I grew rich, but I took no more interest than was allowed me. I grew rich so fast, when I began compounding my money, and acquiring my lands and dealing in eatables as a promoter of prices, that it would make your head swim. You are wanting the facts, and I'll just give 'em to you. I learned to despise the Almighty. He said take no more than the law allows of interest, and I just got fat while others just got lean. I could eat 'em alive and still keep the charge of the Almighty. But I just dodged paying any attention to the Man up in the sky after that. If he knew no more about running his business when calling it righteousness and justice and all that, than to give me a charter to pluck 'em alive all the country round, I could get along without him. But by and by I met a fellow who knew something. He called me a landgraber and a usurer. I sassed him back that I was the first but not the last, and could prove it. 'I've a regular magna charta from the Almighty, Mr. Fellow,' I thumped, and I am going to prove it.' He grinned, and I opened the Book. 'Here it is,' I proved, letting him see Proverbs 28.8. 'I don't thing much of it, but here it is.' He just hollered. 'Jones,' you're a good one, but why aren't you up to date?' 'What's that?' I growled. He just took my arm and marches me into his study; for he too was a preacher. And he showed me something. He showed me religion is as much sinned against as sinning. He had my text in a different Bible-the American revised, he called it. And it put the Almighty in a different light. I just looked and looked, and felt a sort of respect for the Almighty growing deeper and deeper as I peered. In place of advising me to take no more interest than the law allowed, he was ordering me to take none. 'Elder, here's my hand,' I said. And I went away to do some thinking. That's all I have to say, Judge.

Judge W. (producing a letter from his file).—Mr. Jones, here is a letter you wrote me on this matter three years ago.

Jones. Let's have it read, probably isn't much.

Judge W. (reads).—“But I would give a penny to know what I have flung at me around corners: Is human society tricked, corrupted and misshapened by my taking all the interest the law allows me? Is my interest a deceitful blessing? By taking all I can now do I make it certain that fewer will be able to take it a hundred years from now? Do I snag society by my per cent? Am I certain that I won't hurt the Almighty's plans

by writing my interest against folks off the slate? I give a lot to the Lord, mightn't I be followed by some one who would give him none at all? How are we going to keep up the colleges and hospitals, city councils and legislatures, missions and charities, and the whole, without money out at interest? But that'll do. Good luck at election time."

Jones. Well you had the good luck didn't you? As to questions on interest, three years is a long time to keep 'em from growing sprouts. We have had a war since then. The subject is bigger now.

Judge W.-You mean you could answer some of them yourself now?

Jones. Some of 'em, yep.

Judge W.-Mr. Jones, what is to become of the world when your interest amounts to several hundred million dollars a year? Jones.-Tax it out of me, if you can; and then squander it in pork barrels, and costly nothings.

Judge W.-Why not tax it out of you and let you invest it for the people?

Jones.-Interest comes out of the people.

Judge W.-I know; but if we could only equalize it, so that we could harness it to civilization for a forward pull. Jones. There is only one hindrance to that. Judge W. (brightening).—And that one hindrance is-? Jones. That no one has any serious idea of doing it. Judge W.-I agree with you; no one of weight, that is. Miss T.-O Mr. Jones, why don't you think of doing it?

(Jones laughs.)

Judge W.-You know, Mr. Jones, when I was offered the presidency of that little college out in your state, you offered me a million dollars as a starter for an endowment fund.

Jones. A couple million.

Judge W.-Yes, a couple of million dollars, half on condition. Would you care to repeat the offer, now that they are after me again, giving me the right to use the money to start a country-wide discussion on the problem of equalizing interest? Jones (bluntly).-I would think about it. (rising). Yes; I would do it. It's a good thing; and it's needed. I will give you five millions more if you can get five other millionaires interested in seeking a Christian solution of the matter. No; you needn't thank me. Good by. (exit).

NOTES

1 Martha Evans Martin, The Friendly Stars, New York and London, 1907, p. 154. (Introduction by Harold Jacoby, Ph.D., Rutherford Professor of Astronomy, Columbia University.) 2 William T. Ellis, New Era Magazine, A Traveller's Conclusions, December, 1919, p. 720. 3 Rev. H. S. Bigelow, Sermon, Cincinnati, Ohio, May 28, 1905, preserved in King C. Gillette's Social Redemption, Boston, 1907, p. 419. 4 I. Sam. 8. 4-18. 5 Walter Rauschenbusch, D. D., professor of church history, Rochester Theological Seminary, Christianity and the Social Crisis, New York, 1910, p. 8. 6 Lev. 25. 23. 7 Frederick C. Howe, Privilege and Democracy, New York, 1910, p. 30. 8 Professor of economics, formerly of the U. of Chicago, now of the U. of Missouri, The Economics of Enterprise, New York, 1916.

9 Ezek. 18. 10-13. 10 Ezek. 18. 8. 11 Ezek. 22. 12. 12 Jer. 15. 10. 13 Isa. 24. 2. 14 Luke 6. 34-5. 15 Ps. 15. 1-2, 5. 16 Neh. 5. 11-2. 17 Prov. 28. 8. 18 John 5. 39. 19 Neh. 5. 7. 9. 20 Ex. 22. 25. 21 Lev. 25. 36. 22 Deut. 23. 19. 23 Matt. 5. 17-19.

24 The phrase "kingdom of God" on Jesus' lips always refers to the theocratic hope. 25 A few days before his crucifixion. 26 Of high rank. 27 The word is doulos. 28 The sense is missed in the authorized version, which has it, "occupy till I come:" lost atmosphere is at once imparted to the reader; there had never been anything in common between Jesus and the traders. 29 This is Westcott and Hort's translation: the R. V. has "required." 80 Thus far Luke's narrative. ch. 19. vs 11-28. 31 Matthew's addition; observe that all these words are put into the mouth of the sordid king. ch. 25, vs. 14-30.

"

32 "In the great Roman empire, such a circumstance as this can have been of no unfrequent occurrence.' Archbishop Trench, Parables, The Pounds. 33 John 9. 34-35; John 18. 17. 34 Matt. 21. 12-17; Mark 11. 15-19; John 2. 13-22; Luke 19. 45-48. 35 Matt. 21. 15. 36 "Bite" and "exaction" the word for "interest" in the law and the prophets. 37 The Greek word is austeros, meaning hard, rigid, rough, harsh. It is as though Jesus chose the word as a label for interest-bites. 38 No less a distinguished scholar than Archbishop Richard Chenevix Trench gives himself to these words; see his works, The Talents, The Pounds.

39 Dynamic Sociology, New York, 1894, i. 694; 1913, 1. 684. 40 Wealth of Nations, Bk. V., Article iii. 41 John 18. 36. 42 Mt. 5. 17. 43 Mt. 28. 19-20. 44 Mt. 6.9-10. 45 Compare lexicon, Westcott and Hort's Greek New Testament, London, 1905, cosmos, pp. 107-108. 46 Work and Wages, New York, 1884, pp. 574-75. 47 Industrial Revolution, with Memoir of Toynbee by Dr. B. Jowett, Master of Balliol College, Oxford University, London, 1902.

48 Professor of economic history, Harvard, English Economic History, New York, 1892, p. 148. 49 William Cunningham, D. D., Archdeacon of Ely, Politics and Economics. London, 1885: Christianity and Economic Science, London, 1914: The Progress of Capitalism in England, London, 1916. 50 Politics and Economics. 51 Ibid, pp. 41, 258.

52 The books bear the same title: Introduction to English Economic History and Theory, New York, Part I., 1892: II., 1893. 53 Statute 25 Edward I., A. D. 1297. Text of the Revised Statutes, London, 1870-2. iv. pp. 96-97. 54 Patmos a barren rocky isle, 10 mi. long and 5 mi. wide, in the Icarian region of the Aegean Sea. The highest hill in the island, some 800 ft. above the sea, shows a cave half way us, in which it is said the Revelation was given. Gibbon's Rome, vol. i., ch. iii, fifth from last paragraph, and following, gives the political setting. 55 James Russell Lowell, Boston, April 2, 1842. 56 Rev. 2. 27. 57 ch. xv.