The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-01-06

erty but satisfied that he working In the in
forest Of wealthy creditors at the expense Of the OBJ
jects Of charity. that he holding out inducoment
the churches to into debt and rely upon the
agency Of religious coercion 10 secure It's payment
and that however much his work may to be
good work it does in TACT do mucR more harm than
good.'
HARD CASH AND PLEDGES
The Christian at Work takes a very different view
OF Professor Kimball's mission. Referring more
particularly to tho debt Of $4,000 lifted OF Dr. Rob-
nson's Memorial Church. IL thinks that fact 'is deeply
significant and shows that IN church affairs, well
as in other matters, whore is VIII there 10 pretty
sure to be way. The lifting Of the debt done
under tho supervision OF Mr. Edward KimbalI, with
whose assistance tho church raised $751; 55 the balance
OF $22 34S being secured by the PASTORS influence.
Mr. Kmbil seems have fallen into this business
OF debt lifting regular professionalism, however,
for personal gan-as he has been equally successful
In San Francisco, whero short tmo he succeeded
in removing the burden OF debt from TOUR churcnes
We believe Mr. Kinba.is method is pretty much
the same as that Of the Rev. Mr. Ives. who has
been SO successful In the work that he has
been dubbed Apostle Of Hard Cash., though
Mr.. Kimball Is far moro effective worker Tho
method Of procedure Is somewhat as ollows:-rhe
first thing IS 10 ascertain how many private suo-
scriptions toward the DO hud contingent upon
raising the whole amount. Then tho ''Hard Cash
SUBSCRIPTIONS. Those VINO had privately subscribed
call OIL their subscriptions IN public for tho encourage
sums arc often pledged The only difference between
kmbnll and Ives Is that tho latter gets his leverage
fund inside the church and tho former outside. But
pledges Of subscriptions to churches any purpose
dnerent from tho paying down OF the hard cash.
There rs church IN Brookyn, on ''the Ill., at the
ueuicatiou OF whicE, nearly dozen years ago. one
man subscribed 81 700. not ono cent OF which has he
paid yet. and docs not intend 10 pay. And further
mole, when he made tho subscription he did not in.
tend 10 pay and his fellow mombers knew at the time
that he would not pay. But nc was good enough u
dccoy Tor otncrs 10 part with their money This IL
quite common way among church debt paying
people. Anotner church, not mile from 'tno
ton paper plcdges dobt OF $50, 600, tue
largest part oi which remains to-day il II md never
been pledged But TINS method OF debt paying is moro
satisfactory TO creditors than effort NJ all or than
tho custom which has lately prevailed in tins vicinity
OF allowing Inc mortgages to be iorecosed; then buy.
ing III tho cnurcn property tor onchaf lis cost auQ
leaving tho major number Of creditors without
penny. THIS kind Of sharp practice has been tried 100
sarance companies have become shy church
property. rhey have therefore stirred church soci
cites who are IN debt and this III part accounts Tor the
PRESENT ..revvnl" ia tho debt paying line II
ply tue from tho loose and dishonest prac-
lces oil the past and the pressure OF puullc opinion
and OF creditors OF those religious organizations
In Its essence ~ Is worry much ike tho present spas
modc forts OF the Police Commissioners TO enforce
the Excise law through fear Of ioreclosure anu the
pressure OF public opinion. II the churches will pay
their debts they Will do what every honest man. Chris
tan or heather, ought to dol but II they merely prom
se to pay tho creditors won't DC much better on than
they wore before. We might multiply where
pledges unpaid were made lien on the property ami
II passed into other hands.
OTHER METHODS OF PAYING.
When Dr. Ives travels IRON homo 70 do this work
anu no answers dis from other denomination as
we'll al Mcthod,sts--hs expenses aro paid and he,
too is puid Tor his labor IN sums ranging from S25
to $500. Sometimes, we believe. he taxes per-
centlgo on The amount 10 DO raised. DO has
travelled moro than 50. 900 miles throughout the
Unlteu states within few years doing ths kind Of
work; but he seldom prOtracs meeting half an hour
beyond the regular tlme Tor closing There is ano.
cash" ms cad Of promises Anu this Is the way that
the Jew ish congregation VI Forty-ourth Street Syna
ago mortgage OF 500, 4s9 on their property. Their
annual EXPENSES have been $40, 800 The membership
is l7s and their receipts durn. the past year wore
1000 less than thsir expenditures. Fearing that
the present year might come out IN the same way
they have wisely r. solved " reduce expenses 81 500
by combating the o1ics OF Reader aud Shnmus IN
man and by dsbanding their paid choir and ntro
ducing congregational singing. THIS Will make their
services more attractive and Interesting, and.
uoubrwil increase the membership also and thereby
the income oil the society. Last year. by means OF
fair contributions oil the people, th debt
was raa uced to $Sl, 1885, which Is quite as much ~
any l73 members OF u jewish or a Christian Church
ougn, 10 DO expected to boar But SLaarai rcphila
proposes 10 reduce this still moro IN tho years
to come unit u has gons 10 naughI Tneir present
Reader The Rev. H. Phillips has toen thirteen years
Win the congregation, und will stay with thom until
May.
THE QUIET WAY The LEST.
Another church without AID from Mr.. Kmball or
Mr. Ives oiher specialist IN this line has paid
OF debt OF xlA5,0 within couple OF weeks, amt
paid II with Cash, too and not pledges. THIS was Inc
way the wealthy congregation o, ST. Bar.holomews
did their work. Dr. Cooke, inc rector, who has
served the church for twenty-five years, VISITED nnd
correspondet with his pnrishoners on the subject.
Ono guve him 1000, anotner $4,000, many more
larger or smaller sums untii tho entire amount was
raised quietly and without parade. The Churchndn
bcileves that there iek parishes in debt which
could not thus DO relieved oi their burden II they
would go to work In the same quiet but determined
way IL holds It to be quite within tho limits OF possi-
biiity that every church tho land be AZ once
made free from mortgage. What Is needed Is deter
mination 1t therefore urges upon Episcopal churches
the feasibility OF paying OF parish debts ana tho I'm
portauco OF dong this promptly St. johns church,
in Mount Morris, Western New York, has just paid
oil parish debt OF $l,200 So that the revival has
gone beyond the large cities. Tho Examiner and
Chronicle condemns church debts AS larry freezing
out the spiritual lilo Of the church. No cause, II
says, leads to 50 many doubtful ways OF raising
moncy-in many cases to ways that cannot even be
called doubtful, because they arc unqucsionaby bad.
The scandal 10 the oil Christ thus caused Is OF
incalculabe duinaRo 10 the working force OF CHRIS
tans. Tho Examiner admits that the charge OF
sationalism may properly lie against Mr. kimball's
method OF paying church debts, but long us IL Is
open 10 serious moral objections II need not be
very strongly opposed II II be successful one. Ths
baptist Weekly thinks that ii II WAS lawful In Cnrss
time Lift ass out Of pit Oh tho sabbath
day Il can't be unlawful morally wrong TO LIT
suffering church out OF debt Nevertheless Il con-
dcnps Mr. Kimball's mode OF debt paying There
better ways VI raising money, says, tnan those un
der which some church debts nave beea subscribed.
THE WEEK OF PRAYER