V

THE FUTURE

37i

Professor said to the children, “if you’ll just wait aminute. How much is it, this year, my man?” Thetailor had come in while he was speaking.

“Well, it’s been a-doubling so many years, yousee,” the tailor replied, a little gruffly, “and I thinkI’d like the money now. It’s two thousand pound,it is!”

“Oh, that’s nothing!” the Professor carelesslyremarked, feeling in his pocket, as if he always carriedat least that amount about with him. “But wouldn’tyou like to wait just another year and make it fourthousand? Just think how rich you’d be! Why, youmight be a king , if you liked!”

“I don’t know as I’d care about being a king,” theman said thoughtfully. “But it dew sound a powerfulsight o’ money! Well, I think I’ll wait-”

“Of course you will!” said the Professor. “There’sgood sense in you, I see. Good-day to you, my man!”

“Will you ever have to pay him that four thousandpounds?” Sylvie asked as the door closed on thedeparting creditor.

“Never, my child!” the Professor replied emphatic-ally. “He’ll go on doubling it till he dies. You see,it’s always worth while waiting another year to gettwice as much money!”

Perhaps it is not an accident that the racewhich did most to bring the promise of im-mortality into the heart and essence of our re-ligions has also done most for the principle ofcompound interest and particularly loves thismost purposive of human institutions.

I see us free, therefore, to return to some ofthe most sure and certain principles of religionand traditional virtue—that avarice is a vice,that the exaction of usury is a misdemeanour,and the love of money is detestable, that those