The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1881-09-22

Mrs. Elizabeth Thompson, the WELL
known philanthropist of New York, is
constantly beset by applications for as
sistance from all parts OF the country
and for bewildering variety of objects.
In an interview with New York Times
writer she thus describes one morning
mail: ssThis is my mornings mail, yori
see, and the first letter opened was a
request to buy bell tor a new church
not a hundred miles away. am daily
appealed to for money to build churches,
buy bells and organs, or assist clergy
men to means for few months vaca-
ton, or to increase their meager sal
aries till / am lost in amazement I
wonder why there are not more COM
munions in one, why so many creeds,
why so many empty pews, and so few
practical advantages! Now, / believe
in churches and the sacraments; I be-
lieve in all that is essential to the
growth and exaltation of humanity, but
can not for my life comprehend the
necessity of so many different ways of
worshiping and honoring our Maker,
and the necessity of so many different
routes to heaven. believe that greater
good on earth and honor to His holy
name would be attained if some of these
numerous churches were turned into
school houses or workshops. just look
over that pile of letters, and you will
find applications for means to accom-
plish all sorts of things. Here is an,ap-
plication for contribution to build
church in Arkansas costing $4,000,
which, If / grant, I am promised that
the name and the amount given are to
be engraved on tablet and placed in
the church. This is a solicitation for
money to publish medical book, which
the writer says is "a gigantic benevolent
work. This is from the financial agent
of a Western college. He says: T de-
sire you to enjoy with us the luxury of
building up and sustaining it. We need
larger endowment and new building
would like the pleasure of giving you
a prominent place in the history OF the
college
This letter is from woman asking
for $500 in cash, or if she can not have
that amount. $26 to enable her husband
to join the Odd Fellows, when, if he
gets sick. he will receive benefit Chi
cago writes and saws that he wants
$4,000 to buy grocery with, and that
if he had such a start he could manage
to support himself and family This
one is from Missouri. A physician
with family and an income of 81. 200
is in need of surgical instruments, and
requests me to send them at once. He
incloses me long list of articles that
never heard of before. Here is one
from a temperance lecturer, who invites
me to aid him in the broad field of
philanthropy by sending him about
$50 worth of Illustrated views And
a married lady from - City, in this
State, writes to ask, would [ be SO
kind in my gracious goodness to pro-
vide her with pocket money, as her
husband is one of those kind of men
who thinks more of his money than his
family, consequently keeps tight hold
upon his purse strings Then here are
a dozen or more solicitations for money
to start or sustain newspapers, etc.,
ETC., dd tnfi,situnz Ell GtI a9auseGn. These
letter applicants are easily disposed of
by fling their letters. Not so with
those who are within personal reach of
me. They come. And If by chance
am induced to give aid or even audi
ence to one of those who have request
or scheme to benefit mankind, am
at once possessed of an affiiction worse
to get rid of than the neuralgia. To
give, to assist, to investigate and then
refuse to continue, is to be Just like a
woman'-what ever that means. But
after all said and done, to become dis
gusted with trying to do good. because
the object benefited is Unworthy, is to
render charity worldly calculation
and not the impulse of a grateful heart.
That fellow-creature suffers is suiIi-
clent reason forus totry to aid him and
the remembrance of that act is, believe
ample recompense.