The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1874-02-14
Systematic Reneficence.

Systematic Beneflcence.
To the Editor of the Press:
You have recently given one of your readers
an opportunity of expressing through your COL
umps his dissatisfaction with the weekly system
of contributions lately adopted by the church
with which he worships. If you will make
room to-day for communication which is IN
tended to remove that dissatisfaction, your paper
will complete its kind Office of restoring peace
to your correspondents mind. Inc pread'a
and general interest of the principles touched
upon may prevent the discussion Oh mater
which directly concerns but small portion OF
vour readers. from seeming altogether out of
place.
If the spirit in which your correspondents
criticisms were made was not SO evidently an
earnest and kindly one as to warrant the belief
that he would fairly admit their groundlesness.
should it be shown, this reply would not have
been written. His article embodies five objec-
tions to the system of which he complains Ia
ken from the connection in which they are SO
clearly joined, and stated separately, these are.
~ That the expense Of supporting the wor-
ship of the church alluded to. is so heavy that
church-goers should not be laden with an adj
ditonal burden.
(2) That when contributions were taken less
often they were sufficiently large.
(3) That it is better to give to ones poor
neighbors than to the missionary work of the
church.
az That it is better for ones self to give to
persons in whom one is interested than to have
ones charities divided by ecclesiastical machin-
cry.
(5) That it is better to give in secret than in
the sight of men.
The assertion contained in ~ could hardly
have been deliberately made. Surely Clay
man. does not believe that church can find
| in the expensiveness of its own worship an ex-
cuse for not giving money for charitable uses
He must see that man who lived in sumptu
GUS style might as reasonably give the expen-
siveness of his living as his reason for his not
relieving his aged parents from want. The re-
ply would evidently be, that in one case in
| the other, the expenditure plead as an excuse
was really sign Of ability to give. If clay
| mans" assertion be we'll founded then those
churches of New York city whose current ex-
| penses are twice as large as those Of that one
to which he aludes, should be expected to give
| but half as much.
~ Would not have been written if "Lay-
man" had been rightly informed. Under the
previous system the contributions were meagre
as compared with those of churches of similar
standing in other cities, or even as compared
with those of this church in previous years.
To discuss the truth of (S) at this time is OBJ
viously out of the question 1t is plainly un.
necessary for our present purpose also. For it
(3) be true it condemns the principle OF taking
collections in churches for missionary WORK,
| n.,I fhar ho Fol rrrodo on, oh
lection to a special method. 1t is proper to ask
'Layman' to remember that the obligation
resting on each church to help or the spread of
the gospel is part of the christian religion and
church with which he worships for acknowl-
edging it to be so by taking up mission con-
tributions. He cannot expect Christians ia
cease giving for the spread of the Gospel on
the ground that he does not think it their duty
to do So He may disbelieve in prayer, and
think the portion Of time given to it in the
public service to be unproftably spent, but
surely he would not write communication to
the PRESS complaining that the church with
which he worships by maintaining useless
exercise deprived him of portion Of valuable
time and so inflicted on him weekly griev-
ance. He must recognize the right of a Chris
tian organization to embody the principles of
| Christianity in its worship. Besides "Layman''
should have known before writing his article
that by no means all of the collections taken
in the church to which he evidently refers are
devoted to the general work of the church,
but, that, on the contrary, a fair proportion of
the weekly contributions are separately devot-
ed to local charities, and that of each of these
notice is duly given.
~ is also irrelevant If (3) be true it is
true, of course. If (3) be not true, then it has
no more weight than saying that it is better
for man to pay his debts than to keep amia-
ble 1t is highly important that ne do both,
Christianity regards both giving money for
the spread of the religion of Christ (which has
to be done through some sort of machinery
and to ones poor neghbors as essential No
one is expected to give SO much for the spread
of the Gospel as to render himself unable to
assist the poor, and no one who believes in and
properly understands the gospel will allow his
gifts to his poor neighbors to prevent him from
contributing towards its advancement
~ Is quite true, but gift whose amount is
unknown is to all intents and purposes a secret
one.
Now having seen that "Layman's' objections
us go on to consider moment the advantage
| of the system under discussion Every wise
man adapts his habits to his own character in
| such way as to have his weaknesses hinder
| him as little as possible from doing what he
means to do. For instance, if his memory be
defective, he forms the habit of using a mem
orandum book; if he be impulsive he forms the
habit of taking second and cooler view of a
question before deciding, in order that his i'm
pulsiveness may not hurry him into mistakes.
Those who believe in giving and intend to
give religious OUJcCtS, nave Cdkou CIllS COln-
mon sense principle as the basis of the system
| in question. Their many cares have made
| them ftful and careless about doing this duty
| which they mean to do Aud so to prevent
| their good intention from being thwarted by
their infirmity, they have instituted a custom
| which shall help them to be regular, and so
| faithful. As in secular matters they adjust
their practice to what they recognize as the
needs of their character And, in consequence,
they are giving far more ION the average) than
under previous systems
Now in taking this course, they have no wish
| whatever to influence the action of those who
(like "Layman" have no interest in many of
the objects to which they contribute. If clay
man" prefers to give his money through other
channels he is no more obnoxious to criticism
and no more likely to be criticised for acting
out his preference, than man who travels by a
pass over railroad is likely to be blamed by
his fellow passengers for not giving asticket to
| the conductor, as they do
If he will remember this while the collection
is being taken and will also remember that as a
result of it. the religion of Jesus Christ is to
| carry its civilzing and life-giving power into
many a community now dark and wretched in
degradation and guilt he will find it less try
| ing and wearing" to see Christian assembly
| carrying out the principles of its religion in a
| judicious and efficient manner.
JUsr1T1A.
| "SYsTEMATIc BENEFICENCE." - Your CORE
|