The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-12-03

and shug of the shoulders, and cold. The only
ones that look TO the church are the poor, the
desolate, the helpless, the cripple, the si3k and
contemplate brethren and sisters who have
heard the story of old. The widow is a mother,
and the mother will not forsake her children.
This church ideal found, she is, but in her lOneli-
ness and isolation her heart is full and her hands
are ready to support. Give something to
this evening. Give something 30 her.
Give your jewels, give your gold, give your sill
yer, give your pennlesIglye, and she VIII ne
finite love-she will be able to give, and she
will not ask to whom. She gives to everybody
as long as she has something herself. That is
the "widow's mite" and upon that broad plat
form of the church ideal !, the rabbi, stand
here to-day, and you all join. with us. and you
Will all be with me, and you will all see that l am
right; and your very chief magistrate whO spoke
before me-, and the reverend gentleman who
was kind enough to embody the Jewish religion
In his beautiful prayer; we all stand on the same
platform. even those who have no church, The
spirit of God is moving the breath above, and
Tor that chaos "let there be light" and the VOID
will be at an end, and the widow will no longer
be forsaken, and peace and plenty will reign,
and the church ideal viii once more
and with all the pursuits and material
interests, and you will never forget how to full
fill the mission of supporting the ideal duties of
the world in that golden day to come, aud the
widow will not feel her mite a mite, but a
m-i,g,h-t; and all over the world the church ideal
and the state ideal will clasp hands in defense
OF worship and bless Goo cSaln. So mote Vt be.
A paper on District nursing" prepared by
Miss Benedict, was read by Miss Martina G"ubbs,
ayoung lady OF excellent elocutionary powers.
The paper gave an interesting account OF the
work in New York city, the character of which
is indicated by its title, citing numerous in
stances where relief had been afforded and much
good done.
Mr.. BUFFERS ADDRESS.
After music Hon. John NJ. Butler spoke at
some length on Scientific charity, and organized
efforts to effect it" saying:
One of the greatest men the earth has ever
produced once used the words, Though be-
STOW all my goods to feed the poor and hayenot
charity, it ~profteth me nothing" Was that a
parallel WHAT did Paul meant He undoubt-
eddy meant that mere giving is not charity;
friendly counsel, words of sympathy and mani
festations of brotherhood form an essen
tial part of true charity. A large de
posit in some national bank, or an in
srant donation of a large block of
Notwithstanding stocks and bonds
would have been Of but very little value to the
wounded and robbed traveller as he lay bleeding
and almost dead on the Jerlco road. He needed
the friendly touch and strong arm and the ten
der hand of the Good Samaritan to lift him up,
bind up his wounds aud help him on his way.
That is charity. Then charity means not only
giving, but more. 1t means doing, and even
more. 1t means loving pauperism, or, perhaps,
to put il a little more inildly-the more or less
dependent classes Of society are the natural out
growth of civilization. Civilization means or
gaUized society. Organized society, touched by
the feeling of brotherhood, means hospitals, in
nfmaf1eS, MONIES, refugees Anu SuCu ike. In
other words, organized society has overcome
and set aside the law of nature about which
we hear so much, called the law OF
survival of the httest, and has, in its place, es-
tabiished the law of the survival of the unfit.
The weak. the sick, the helpless and the depend
emf are enabled to continue their struggle for
life, ami live simply because they belong to Or
ganiZed societies and are helped and aided by
common consent Then, pauperism, being a re-
suit OF organized society, in order to prevent it
from becoming an indispensable burden and a
curse to society, society again must organize
and band together to prevent the indiscriminate
and voluntary resort to pauperism. UnorganiZed,
indiseriminRte giving has utterly failed and al
ways Will fail to stay the tide for the increasing
of pauperism. Between 1860 and 1869, before
the charity organizations were formed IN Lon
don, the number of paupers dependent unon
public charity for livelihood increased from 3d.
900 to 125, 900. Since the organized char
ity societies have been formed shat number has
wonderfully diminished. Organization, then, is
necessary. Whya Because investigation of
nniocks the mystery about pauper-
ism. Ii is the key that will fenable the
suppression of voluntary pauperiem. You, in
the whirl of business, cannot stop 10 investigate
each case that is presented to you. You are
driven to adopt the creed OF Charles Lamb,
thereby committing almost a crime;
and, at all events, very surely increasing the
crime; or you will quit giving at all, thereby
dwarfiDg your soul and making yourself a CURSE
to society. Now. what are the results of organiza-
tion2 First, that the lazy, able poor snail nos be
helped to lead lives of idleness, ending in vice and
IL oSOOG0g bA0O AN "OhhhI 6l0 NNoOA Ah1
poor shall, in every case, being helped, help
themselves, thereby preserving their self-re-
spect and keeping alive ambition and the
spirit of self dependeDc e. When this IS done give
us the third result of organization, that kind
words shall fall upon the ears of those that are
just lowering between hope and despair, ready
to be raised up and start anew, and fight the
battle of life encouraged by kind counsel and
the showing of a better way, or ready TO fall
and fainti if they meet a cold word and q cold
look. The fourth result of organization is that
it prevents the overlapping Of the work
of the different charitable organizations and
societies, and at the same time sees 10 1t that no
deserving case shall be omitted. The fifth and
last that 1 will name is this: 1t saves an i'm
mense amount of money. At Buffalo alone since
the charity organization societies have been
formed, and that is the first city in this country
in which it took its rise, not less than $4,000
annually have been saved by means of the
methods used by these organized societies.
More than that, it tends to keep down the
spirit of communism by manifessing a friendly
spirit and disposition between all classes and
conditions of society, as Eow we have our char
liable Organizations of Indianapolis, consisting
of four societies that, are represented here to-
night. Thirteen hundred AMI ninety-One appli-
catiOus for aid have been made during the last
year, representing a, 1852 of the population of our
city. Each one of those 1891 cases have been
kindly and thoroughly investigated, and what is
the RESULT One thousand and twelve were found
worthy of some sort of aid: $40 were found
utterly unworthy. The ,012 representing
thousands of our popLlatiol-those 1,012 appli-
cations have each in some way been aided; not
always by money. Oftehtimes a word of advice
Is hOIln d bhnh lJOhCJ OltChblllVb u
friendly hand outstretched is of far more value
than dollars; but they have in some way been
aided. Then charity organization by ex-
perience, so far, has been shown
to be the method and the only
method thus far found that tends to the
suppression of the increase of voluntary pauper-
ism, and 1t will be an unfortunate day for these
societies that we represent If there shall, at any
time, be any UNCONVENTIONAL or sectarian feel
ing, or for a single thing done to mar or hinder
the unity of the WORK as it is now established
and being carried on. Then let us go on as
we are going, on faith-faith in humanity, faith
in the divinity in humanity. faith III the
the final reclamation of our race, and charity
a charity that will ~glve-yes; more than that,
a charity that will work-yes; more than thar,
a charity that will love-. And now, let me close
as l began, by using the words OF the apostle:
"And now abldeth faith. hope and charitY; and