The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1877-12-17
Anniversary of tho Portland Benevolent

1 society,"
The anniversary of the Portland Benevolent
Society was observed ct the First Parish church
last evening by an address from Gen. j. L..
chamberlain. The church was filled by the
time the full notes of the organ had ceased
playing the voluntary. Rev. Mr.. Fem of High
street church read passages Of scripture touch
ing upon the subject of charity, after which be
offered prayer. Rev. DR.. Hill gave out hymn
which was sung with fine effect by the church
choir. AT its close Gen. Chamberlain COM
menced his address. He said that the old max
i'm that Property is robbery" and the COM
mand "Thou'shalt not steal' seem wide apart
aud contradictory. The first states that no
man shall hold for himself what he has &C.
quired, while the second recognizes that there
Is a right to hold property and that others
should respect that right. The command gives
property high and exalted position by rank
ing it with other gifts of much value. The
Ideasthat property is robbery has doubtless
touched responsive chord in class of people
who have been abused by riches until they
have rebelled and declared that to hoard riches
is robbery There is trath in both state
ments and Christ has reconciled them by say
ing, Lay not up treasures on earth but in
Heaven" There is such a thing as Christ
like communism which prevents boarding up
riches for selfish ends.
The speaker next referred to the object of the
society in whose behalf he was speaking As
he understood it, it was to assist those who had
seen better days. He said he should first con-
slider what it was that gave riches such great
dignity. The world was made for man and he
is the only master of it, 1t was made for good,
and he must be the means of producing these
good results. Man is to lie satisfied and
be filled. These goods and qualifications may
be used simply to satisfy his appetite or to the
much higher purpose of improving and enlarg.
ing him; they should enlarge his impulses and
hopes, his social condition and consummate
his true destiny hereafter 1t is not for self
alone, but to influence others and help the m
forward. By the right use of property here we
may lay up reward for the life which is to
come. Earthly riches are not to Ds despised
and will not be if considered rightly. Money
need not be as it often is ''the root Of all evil"
Brownson says that property is communion
with God through the external world. The
above is the nature and Office of property and
the place it holds, but we now pass to consider
the right, to hold property There is no
property and he should ask God to
help him get and increase his riches.
The rights by which men hold property may
properly be stated under three heads. LIST, by
possession and occupancy; I'd, by labor expend-
ed in getting it; Sd, by the asserting of the
will. The first of these reasons may be called
the lawyers for Blackstone says. ''UnchalleDg
ed use becomes Ownership The right of the
law rests back farther. This is enough, how
ever for the lawyer and the sheriff, but such
right is simply might. The second reason
which is known as the economical one, is that
labor is the Foundation of the right to property.
But the right to labor on thing and then
claim it as ours for the work done upon it
should be considered. The possession of prop
erty one moment does not give us right to
hold it the next. The possession in the mere
will has nothing to do with right. If will is to
be made an arbitrary law, animals should not
have been driven back from where our cities
now stand. If by will is meant what is divine
in men it is right. Property is an instrument
to help accomplish Gods end.
We are, to the best of our ability, to win and
save property, and with it help others. No
man has moral right to be hermit or
pauper, though misfortune may come to those
who strive the hardest to avert it, Those who
have striven we'll and worthily under high mo-
tives deserve well of society. There is much
due to those whom much have been taken
from. Those who have lived in good circum-
stances and are suddenly brought to poverty
feel their condition much more keenlythan those
who never enjoyed riches For this class the
speaker claimed the attention of the large con-
yregation.
At the close Of the address a liberal centribu-
lion was taken.