Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1879-12-10
Sunday Runners,

Tho poor wc have always with ~,
and whenever We will We may dc
them good, And the will To do them
good, in n spiritual and religious
sense, At least, is very genuine aud
very Astounding, Tho churches, ~ u
rule, cherish no desire mare drccra
than preaching Tie gospel {" the poor,
without money and without pncc,
We do not stop to inquire how much
OF the proselyling spirit may be con
nectcd with,this desire, or what worth
less motives may sophislicaIc it. Their
wish to good to do the poor is gen
nlne enough, and to do il at their own
expense, II the poor could know
how heartily they would he welcomed
in houses Of worship ireqpentcd main
~ by the rich and the well 10 do, they
would certainly lose their shyncsS, and
learn kindlier feeling for those more
fortunate than themselves. II is un-
doubtedly tho business Of the rich to
provide religious privileges :or the
poor, aud the duty Of the poor to ac-
cept them. They may do this with
out loss OF selfrespcct, and Without
the cultivation OF the proper spirit.
There IL, however, u real difference
between Goods poor and mans poor.
There are great multitudes who, do
what they will and what they can,
must always be poor. Few and net.
fcient hands to labor, and many
mouths to feed, sickness, misfortune
all the causes of adversiiy-producc
poverty which seems to DO remedies /;
and those who are afflicted with such
poverty may iegltimatoly be called
Goods poor" These are the invol-
untary poor, enveloped and embar-
assed by circumstances which render
it impossible tor them 10 rise out OF
poverty. For these, the Christian
man will do what he can, without
pampering them, and he knows that
there is no form of beneiicence so lit
tie likely to do them harm as that Of
providing for their religious instruc-
ton and inspiration. He knows also
that the rectifcation and elevation Of
habits which are the natural outcome
of religious and spiritual influences,
are ministers always to the poor mans
temporal prosperity.
In contradistinction from these,
there are these whom we may proper
ly call "man's poor" They are PEG.
pie who spend upon themselves, ont
of an income not generous, perhaps,
but competent, so much that they
have nothing left with which to bear
their portion of the burdens of soci-
ETY.. They live well, they dress well,
they maintain wha: they consider a
respectable position in society, they
60 to the theater whenever 1t may
seem desirable; they spend upon
themselves and their Injuries their
entire income, and habitually steal
their preaching. Many of these peo-
pie arc quite regular in their attend
ance upon the Sunday services of the
church, but they never unite with it,
Or assume a single responsibility con-
nected with it. There are churches
in New York, as we presume there
may be in most cities, which are the
tavorite resorts of the bummers-
churches which, by the Numbers in at
tendance :on Sundays, seem to be
prosperous. but which, from the fact
that they are so largely miie up of
bummers, cannot support themselves
or their pastors. These worshippers
make very well.dressed congrega-
tion, but they offer very poor field
for preaching and pastoral work.
They do not even introduce them
selves to the pastors TO whose preach
ing they listen. When they become
little ashamed of this Sunday bum
ming at one church, they 60 to anoth.
er. The sexton knows them at last,
and understands exactly what they
are and what they are doing. A little
self-denial would give all these people
the right to pew. and save them
from the meanness of appropriatipg