The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1880-03-17
AProposed reform.

New York Times.
There is growing feeling among praei
teal men that there Is room for improve
ment in the present method Of taking up
collections in churches. The plate, which
gives publicity TO the amount contributed
by each person, has driven out the old
fashioned bag, with its facilities for the
secret disposition of buttons and one cent
pieces, and, though spasmodic efforts TO
bring about return to the bag are made
from time to time, they are rarely, II ever,
successful. Ifany reform is to be made, 1t
must be in connection with the present
plate system, and it Is in this direction
that the hopes and labors Of practical re-
formers now tend. /,
Il Is generally conceded that the small
eat amount which any self.respecting man
can put on the plate is ten.cent piece.
He may allow his children to limit their
contributions to the copper coinage OF the
country, and Il he smiles benignantly when
his little girl chipa one cent on the plate,
he may successfully create the impression
that he Is encouraging her TO give OF her
own pittance Of spending money, and mat
he Is not personally responsible for Its
trivial value. He cannot, however, re.
duce his own contribution 10 an amount
less than ten cents without exciting un-
favorable comment from the occupants OF
neighboring pews. II he does not happen
TO havea ten.cent piece In his pocket he Is
in a difficult. situation. Either he must
give q twenty-five or fifty.cent piece, as
the case may be, or he must assume the
air OF having forgotten his purse. The
latter expedient may be permissible once
in while, but It is seldom successful.
Few men, conscious OF large coins in
their pockets, can assume the look OF min
gled sorrow and indignation which ought
10 accompany the pretended discovery
that they have left their money at home,
aud qlick.witted deacon can nearly al.
ways detect an imposture Of this kind, and
can oyerwhelm the unhappy perpetrator
by prolonged and significant presepta-
ton OF the plate at his elbow. Occasion
ally, o nervous man makes the terrible
mistake OF contributing gold dollar in
stead OF ten cent piece. An accident OF
this kind is, OF course, purely the fault Of
1.-THE sutfererihimself, but II must necessari-
/ ~ IL q pthbo Va AA4tuA
renders him unable to give his attention
to the subsequent sermon and TO obtain
the full benefit therefrom. Almost
equally unfortunate is the case OF the
man who really wishes to give some
thing, and who, having no small coins in
his purse, will not pretend that he is
without money. There is nothing for
him to do but 10 put his smallest coin or
bank note, whatever may be Its value, In
the plate. In this way many conscien-
tious man has been compelled 10 give fifty
cents, or even five.dollar bill, when he
wished to give only the usual ten.cent
piece. The mental anguish thus caused
has in many instances been followed by
prolonged sickness and occasionally by
even fatal results.
1t Is claimed that the first reform to be
adopted should be to grant every contrib.
utor to church collection the right Of
taking change out OF the plate. As is well
known, this is at present impossible, and
whatever sum Is now placed on the plate
must remain there. Gould man put in
say twenty-five cents, and take out fifteen
he would never be compelled to choose
between giving too much or giving moth
ing at all.