The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1872-01-29
"THE W0RLD AND THE POOR"
Lecture by the Rt. Rev. p. N. Lynch, Last
Evening, at St. Patrick's Church.


The announcement that Bishop Lynch
would lecture ON 1.-The World and the Poor
caused quite large attendance at ST. Patrick's
Church last evening.
The Right Rev. lecturer began by showing
how vain was the boast of superior progress
and enlightenment so frequently claimed for
this nineteenth century. The bloody wars
which, during the last decade, had desolated
the most civilized regions of Europe anu
America, were wholly inconsistent with lhat
boast. But war was q hurricane, which soon
blew over, and the damages OF which might
be repaired. But there were other evils far
worse than war which were flowing ceaselessly
by our very doors, like some unwholesome
stream, always exhaling noxious vapors.
Chief among these were Poverty, Ignorance
and immortality, three great evils with which
social life Is o continual battle. The conflict
with Poverty was no new issue Of our time or
land, though the communistic movement and
the struggle between labor and capital had OF
late become the chief disturbing element Of
the modern world. Men, said The Bishop, In
spite of the sophisms of socialists, are In fact,
unequal unequal in body, in mind, In charac-
ter and in deeds-unequal before God and be-
fore their fellow-men. And the tendency OF
the times Is to increase this inequality. The
distinction between the rich and the poor is
becoming more strongly marked. The rlen
are getting richer and lever. The
poor are growing poorer and more
numerous. The antagonism between labor
and capital is increasing. These, however,
were questions for the political economist. He
dgelt more especially upon the twin infiu-
ences of Religion and OF Home, in their bear
ing upon the poor. he portrayed what Home
should be, and cited the atrocities perpetrated
during the recent reign OF the French Com
mune as an instance of the disastrous results
of the poor of community being steadily SUD-
iected TO influences allen to religion. Tne
Bishop then discussed the several modes lnat
had been adopted for the relief OF tne poor
he first considered the English plan OF work
houses, poorhouses and hospitals, and setforth
the good and evil effects of the system. de
next took up the plan Of personal cnarlty,
which he termed the American mode Of relief.
This he commended for many reasons,
though he deemed it liable to The objection
that it lacked the important element OF dis
crlmlnatlon. he urged, however, the merits
of that especial type of personal charity which
consists in encouraging self.relying and profit
able Industry. The third mode which ne COM
mended was the assistance given to The poor
through the medium Of associations. In this
connection he held up the societies OF st. VIM
cent de Paul and The Little Sisters Of the Poor
as conspicuous models of what charitable as
socIations should be. These organizations,
formed in France, had already been trans
planted to the United States with excellent re-
suits; and, in concluding, the lecturer ex-
pressed the hope that we might, ere long, see
branches of these societies engaged In their
good work in our own city. The lecture
throughout was listened to with earnest al
tenliOn.