Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1882-03-02
Cause Instead OF Effect,

. NAEs. lGli2aDath lhompson IS 8 pAllan-
thropic woman Of Nsw York city, who
earnestly desires to help people who
help themselves. In pursuing her OBJ
jeet she has dearly bought much
experience and has grown cautious
and discriminating. Her Story is a warn n
ing to unrefeeting and impulsive charity.
She says: I have to be very CAREFUL not to
innocently become q promoter Of some
thing that may injurs rather than benefit
mankind. Many anen and women Who ap-.
ply FOR help come with 80 much elegance
in their mandacity, that I am sometimes
puzzled to know in what terms l may de-
cline the honor Of gi-ing.
Now, after thirty years Of constant Civ
ing OF time, money and thoughts to these
IN high places, as we'll as in a low, to those
1 who only ask FOR q loan, as we'll as TO those
Who ask q gift. / have come to the NOR
tifying conclusion that the giving Of money,
except in rare cases, is q positive sin Instead
OF charity. We need. and hope some day
WILL have, q new soience-ths science Of
charity 8 science that shall deal with the
cause rather than the effect. Many OF the
evils that affliets mankind have their origin
in remote causes. We are too much in
.clined to try to mitigate existing evils and
wholly neglect the cause. Year after year,
4
\ and desolations of the yellow fever, little or
nothing vas done in thorough, practical
way to ascertain the cause Of these reour-
rences till 1873, when the disease assumed
the proportions Of . great national calamity,
I WAS asked hundreds Of times to contribute
Tor the relief Of the suffering people of the
south. I always said No, unless can do
something to expose the cause, something
to prevent the recurrence of the evil, stall
give to little purpose.
There are in this city IL, 200 saloons and
drinking places, and S75, OO0, coo is an.
nually expended to support them, and most
of this enormous sum comes from the hard
earning OF the laboring classes, whom in
the end drinking degrades and impover-
ishss, Ifall these places were placed side
BY side, allowing each twenty I'VE feet
front, they would extend q distance Of
seventy ono miles. have only mentioned
these two evils to illustrate my ideas Of a
wisely discriminating charity. ' Il
| But do You never grow weary In we'll
doing and feel like shutting the door
| against all appeals? /" said the visitor On,
no. was the reply, except fora moment.
| L find noble and refined natures, high
| minded, ambitious young men and women,
! who are well able and willing 70 strike out
! for themselves when once on their Feet, and
! those unf 5rtunate men and women who have
seen better days, who suffer much, often
almost death itself, rather than force Them
| felvss upon the attsntion Of any one.
! Such as these go around among us, hoping,
praying, and as + have known, existing for
/ days upon 10 few dry crackers, washed
4 down their hungry throats with tears such
I as these it has been my JOY TO meet, and
/ then learn that it is indeed most blessed
\ to give. ! am sometimes utterly Devil
4 dersd ST the number OF recruits that year
1 after year are added TO the other class, and
/ / do sincerely believe that extravagancs ID
one Of the ruling sins Of the day and gener-
| alton extravag Id what we eat and
drink as well as In what We wear. Why,
we waste annually more than the French
/ nation eypends. : 81 B s#6 I'll E x ii