The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1881-09-17

People Who Want Assistance.
Mrs. Elizabeth Thompson, the we'll
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: "This is my mornings mail, you
see, and the first letter opened was a
request to buy bell tor a new church
not hundred miles away. l am daily
appealed to for money to build churches,
buy bells and organs, or assist clergy
men to means for a few months vaca-
ton, or to increase their meager sal
aries till / am lost in amazement. |
wonder why there are not more COM
munions in one, why so many creeds.
why so many empty pews, and so few
practical advantagesi Now, l believe
in churches and the sacraments: / 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 a contribution to build a
church in Arkansas costing s3O,00O
which, if / grant, am promised that
the name and the amount given are to
be engraved on a tablet and placed in
the church. This is solicitation for
money to publish q medical book, which
the writer says is "A gigantic benevolent
work. This is from the financial agent
OF Western college. He says: i de-
sire you to enjoy with us the luxury of
building up and sustaining it. We need
q larger endowment and new building
like the pleasure of giving you
prominent place in the history Of the
college,
This letter is from woman asking
Tor $500 in cash, or if she can not have
that amount. $40 to enable her husband
10 join the Odd Fellows, when, if he
gets sick. he will receive bene fits. Chi
sago writes and says that he wants
1900 to buy grocery with. and that
1 he had such start he could manage
% support himself and family This |
'ne is from Missouri. A physician |
With family and an income of 81. 200 |
$ in need of surgical instruments, and |
'equests me to send them at once. He |
ncloses me long list OF articles that l |
lever heard OF before. Here is one
rom temperance lecturer, who invites
ne to aid him in the broad field of |
by sending him about
10 worth of illustrated views And
married lady from - City. in this
tate, writes to ask, would be SO
ind in my gracious goodness to pro-
ide her with pocket money, as her
husband is one Of those kind of men
rho thinks more of his money than his
amily, consequently keeps tight hold
pom his purse-strings.' Then here are
dozen or more solicitations for money
D start or sustain newspapers, etc.,
to-, Gd intinitunl Ell adj namsean. These
stter applicants are easily disposed OF
y fling their letters. Not SO with
hose who are within personal reach of
le. They come. And if by chance I
m induced to give aid or even andi-
nee to one of those who have request
a scheme to benefit mankind, am
once possessed of an affection worse
get rid of than the neuralgia. To
i've, to assist, to investigate and then
sfuse to continue, is to be Just like a
oman what ever that means. But
ter all said and done, to become dis
listed with irving to do good. because
le object benefited is unworthy, is to !
'nder charity a worldly calculation
I'D not the impulse of grateful heart.
hat fellow-creature suffers is sufii- ,
ent reason for us to try to aid him and ,,
le remembrance of that act is. believe ,,
nple recompense." II