The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1879-02-17
STANDARD HALL.

THE INADEouAcY OF sEcTARIAN CHARITY TO
RELIEVE THE suFFERINGs OF THE POOH
LECTURE DY PROFESSOR ADLER.
The Arst outcry against FREQ religion usually is
that it imperils good morals, said Professor Felix
Adler yesterday. He continued:-The triumph of
radicalism will DO the signal for the decline Of char
ity. Now hear the opposite complant-free
religion insists too mitch charity. is only relig
ion of charity. Perhaps real purpose will become
more plain by an analysis of the meaning of charity.
sharp distinction should be drawn between tho
two classes affected by charity-those who
sary and who will always be DEPENDENT and those
who are dependent, but whom 1t should be
our aim to make independent. In the first
class we count the children, the sick and
tho sorrow stricken These will always require
personal sympathy and attention Toward them our
charity is ample and noble. By the second class
mean the poor. Our charity toward them Is by no
means satisfactory 1t is true expend large sums
In this 600 annually for their relief-and
there about three hundred charitable organiza-
tons for the different classes and objects of poverty
But what complain OF is the lack of system in car
rying out the work for which these societies have
been called into being. In the first place the several
societies often go usclessly over the same ground
There Is class Of repeators in charity we'll as
in politics. The very persons who ought to be
whipped from the doors of honest people benefited
whine the shame-taced poor in their obscure homes
remain unknown-reached by no helping hand.
second charge is the frequent incompctency of the
officials. To huve kindly disposition does not
needed, familiarity with the systems adopted else
whsrO, experience. devoted study. Judgment. Arm
ness. Ii q ship is in distress whom WIFI the passen
gers select bring her into saetys Will they select
mason because he can build WELL or butcher. or
L = not ,G' s .nsS % dssn :Sanc nt
which to steer? And in the same manner the fact
that one is good lawyer or BANKER; or merchant.
does not qualify him to take the lead in the war on
pauperism. We need specialists to do the work.
The science of charity must be made special study
sEcTARtANIsM FATAL TO CHARITY
Then there is another charge. relating to the
tartan limits within which the usefulness of tho great
majority OF our benevolent organizations Is confined
One wearies of hearing OF Baptist charity and
Methodist charity and Presbyterian charity and
Protestant Episcopal charity and Catholic charity
and Jewish charity. II some one were to propose
ganxing society on the plan OF extending relief to
poor persons having blue eyes and with
sons having dark eyes. a society for
the relief OF persons holding republican opinions
the wonS not G be nSaag
the color OF poor mans eyes or his political
opinions has connection with the fact OF his pow
erty. And now ask whether the religious opinions
of the poor do connection with the fact of their
| poverty? Is Catholic hunger different from Jewish
| hunger from the hunger Of an inhdel? Arc the
pains of disease not the to all? Is consumption
In Methodist lung different from consumption In a
Bapt,st lung? Is Presbyterian heart disease different
from Episcopal heart disease? Docs the wind. when
it whistles through some garrett stop TO ask whether
the wretch whose blood 1t congeals is Of sect
|
| the Streets stop to look at the church register
before he knocks ut the gate Docs he not smile his
| grim smile, aud say, open wide your doors to my
messengers; am tolerant; take ALL" And now. IL
men are exposed TO the same dangcrs II every rclig-
| ion commands. Thou shalt love thy ncighbor MS
| thyselt"-and each one claims to do this-why do
they not make broad their hearts and take in large
views and that In this matter Of charity
there is but righteous rule and this is it, THAT
the greatest meet should receive the greatest rcei.
| and that the most urgent need should DO first
| in the order of roliei, regardless of all dis
tnctions and divisions aud diverge Of creed II
| We would have in this city central
| bureau with competent STAFF of officials
specialists they must be-and volunteer
visitors TO work under their direction, and IL every
class and part of the community were assured OF
perfectly fair and generous treatment byhs bureau.
| and II all the money which now pours into tho
Golfers of the 800 societies were given in charge Of
| be achieved, how our power or help would be in.
creased. what vast improvement might DO madcl
But there remains last and saddest pont-thc in
odequacies of our supply TO meet the demand, our
apparent inability TO cope with the gigantic evil.
In q report OF OF oldest and largest bcneyo-
lent societies have recently read this statement,
Relieved Ia year 10000 familics; then read
on and found the total expenditures Of this society
in that year had been $4,000 making an average of
81 to each family. And this is what they call relief
| 1t is an illusion; We do not help the poor as we
should. As individuals are powcrloss to help
| them. Wherever probe the surface Of poverty we
| find want Of employment to be the underlying evil
/ The cry "Uive us work" gets to have dreadful
sound In the of those who want TO help and can
not. We must attack the great causes of paupcrism
| that alone will be radical charity. We must take
courage and whether in any OF our social arrange
mcnis lies the poisonous root of tho trouble Just
by looking ut Lazarus in his rags. just by being ap
peacd TO by the beagars and trying to think out con
sistently what IL an honest mans duty with regard
to them, forced TO consider the larger problem
of social ethics. We shall find in tho end that tru,
charity requires larger sacrifices than many pre-
| pared TO make. There 10 charity without justice