My ships come home a month before the day.
But Antonio’s ships did not come in—just as the farmer’s crop often fails and the artisan’s employment gives out just when the mortgage is due—and Shylock claimed his pound of flesh. “The Merchant of Venice” is a comedy, and Shylock, Bassanio and Antonio are mere creatures of imagination; but there are thousands of tragedies enacted every day in real life in which real Shylocks play a part. The Shylocks of to-day are quite unlike the Shylocks of fiction, however. Banker Morgan, who negotiated with Grover Cleveland the star-chamber bond deal by which the American government sold to the Rothschilds at a premium of only 4½ per cent. $100,000,000 of interest-bearing gold bonds which were immediately after quoted at a premium of 21 per cent., is a philanthropist. As soon as possible after the deal was made his portrait appeared in many of the great dailies with a fulsome account of his many charities! It will take many a pound of human flesh, many a drop of life’s blood, to pay the interest on the bonds which he negotiated, and out of the sale of which he made a cool million in one day.
The Bible has much to say on the subject of usury. The writer has never heard a sermon preached on any of the following texts, however—perhaps because bankers and money-lenders rent the best pews. Remember that usury here means simply interest—not excessive interest:
Exodus 22:25: “If thou lend money to any of my people that is poor by thee, thou shalt not be to him as an usurer, neither shalt thou lay upon him usury.”
Deuteronomy 23:19-20: “Thou shalt not lend upon usury to thy brother; usury of money, usury of victuals, usury of anything that is lent upon usury. Unto a stranger thou mayest lend upon usury, but unto thy brother thou shalt not lend upon usury, that the Lord thy God may bless thee.”
Nehemiah 5:7: “Then I consulted with myself, and I rebuked the nobles, and the rulers, and said unto them: Ye exact usury every one of his brother. And I set a great assembly against them.”
Psalms 15:5 (David describes a citizen of Zion): “He that putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent.”
A Chapter from “Cæsar’s Column.”
I cannot do better here than quote a significant chapter from Ignatius Donnelly’s powerful novel, “Cæsar’s Column,” which certainly did as much as any book ever printed to set people thinking:
“But what would you do, my good Gabriel,” said Maximilian, smiling, “if the reformation of the world were placed in your hands? Every man has a Utopia in his head. Give me some idea of yours.”