New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-12-23
DoING BHlYWE CAV


II i, the season Of giving. The natural I'M
pulse of mankind has made it a moral, %, the
revealed command OF God has made it a re-
Iigious. duty. a, this is q time for recalling
old memories and venerable SAWS. why should
We not repeat 10 ourselves the ancient tnism
that charity i. twice blessed. and delights bo,h
the giycr and the receiver! The economists,
with their philosophical accuracy, have in
formed n, that impulsiyc and iudl5cIminatc
almsgyiug is worse than the mos, sordld re-
rusal. and have cndeayorcd 20 cheat H. ont Of
one of the sweetest of our cll-uGul.'cnccs;
but there will always be enough left to keep
M the bad habit, and to mitigate the mise
lies of the undcscrylng.
II is undoubtedly good rule not to give
to bcggars, 10 chance alms-sccscrS, 10 those
who make trade OF their wants, real or pre-
tended. But alas, nobody seems Ia under
stand this 50 well a. those who never, by any
chance, give anything at all. They feel that
they have done their duty when, with super
cilious yIsage and q shake Of the head, which
is Il yibratory expression OF rare and delicate
consccntiousncss, they have rapidly passed
bv on the other side, their hands clenchcd and
thcir nockcts buttoncd. But the question
Will come I'D. lldNt my bVI' tlAt my
could If the hungry and naked have been
driven from the gate, have they been sent
where food and clothing can be procured
Have they been put in the way OF helping
themselves! Have they been advised cncOur-
aqca. stimulated aroused TO industry, to tenn
urrance. to thriftinass! Or nave they merely
been dismissed hopeless and hcartess as ever.
to keen upon the old rucful road till inel-
6cicncy and ill-succc,s have been sadly but
inevitably supplemented by crime, and all the
weary wandering has ended in prison!
Haycyou done what you could Thisis qucs-
ton for Hospital Sunday and, indeed, for all
SUNDAYS, and for all other days OF the week.
,Judirious giving is a. easy az the mjudCious,
If we will only think 80. There are good peO-
nile in plenty who will take all the trouble off
our hands. if we will but furnish them with
the means of dong 50. They have devoted
their time and their thought to organization,
until now there is in this City of New York
no form of human misery or wrctchedncss or
want. no sorrow Of youth or Of age, which has
not its special and pitiful helper or hospital
For the blind and for the lame; for the fe-
vcred and the decaying; for the lunatic and
the cper there is shelter and such rescue
~ there may be in medicine. 1t would seem
"a if half the city had taken the other half
into its special keeping. The mere money out
Law is enormous, TO say nothing of time and
labor, TO n great extent gratuitously bestowed
That is an excellent text about casting bread
upon the waters But those who have no great
confidence in their own administrative ability
are not driven to this. Our philauthropic
operations have reached a wonderful degree
of precision. TO put what money we can
spare where it can do a maximum of good is
now no difficult matter. The main business
is TO spare ii, and TO spare il chcerfully We
do not intend to preach sermon on the SUP
ject, for we do not think that il is needed. What