Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-08-11
+ QUESTION OF CHARITY.

Good churches make good ministers"
said distinguished clergyman recently.
Possibly but il is certain that they do not
always make the old age OF q servant Of the
church, who mas been for years faithful to
it, secure against want in his latter days.
Here is the Chicago Current telling most
pitful tale of superannuated clergyman
of the Methodist Church living near that
city, bat living upon the very verge of alb
solute starvation. This man served the
Christian Church for forty three years. He
was a valiant soldier, and never fsltered in
the ranks He preferred, according to our
contemporary. neither his ease nor his
personal advancement. He sought the
hard roads. His income during those
forty-three years Of toll, devotion and self
sacrifice was never more than $3.50 year,
and frequently as low as 500 He could
lay up nothing for inactive old age. When
he heard he bad been relocated to the ranks
Of the superannuatcd il is said he tainted.
II meant absolute poverty. We have no
idea how the Methodist Church in Illinois
proposes to respond to this case. 1t is
rich church. 1t pays some of its clergy
large salaries. 1t supports costly structures,
and provides some elegant parsonagcs. It
has money to invest in publishing schemes
and more TO send 60 the heather in far-off
lands But it maintains a system that pre-
vents the acquisition Of homes by its clergy
aud f1- f,iu yar,- cnaeNr Il ubn,,l1 10
so literally for its ministers that they may
be made Independent of charity when the
cold days come Mcthodists arc excellent
givers, the laity contribute ia spirit and
with open-handcdncss not often riyalcd. but
Interpolation oftheir benefactions does not
always result AZ superannuatcs have right
10 expect. Now, our contemporary is a re
liable informant. and here stands its charge,
that one Is starving who for forty- three
years was = CONSIDER Of the afflicted whose
lie was a pattern Of the virtues whose la
bors were all for n cause in which he de-
voutly believed. For forty-thrc years he
rallied recruits to the ranks Of the church
that leaves him TO starye- For forty three
years he lived upon pittance to serve his
religion, and now it denies him the crust
of the charity that for forty-three years
he preached IS its chief virtue.
What IS there in such case
10 encourage devotion 70 the church. Had
this man gone to The ways of the sinful. he
could scarcely have Jared worse-nay. he
might have we'll provided against the rainy
day. Sin could not have left him more
worldly helpless than has righteousness if
the story the Chicago paper tells be true,
and there is no reason TO doubt il, since il
is told with touching regret, and without
bitterness, and the editor in his select col
umn <ouches for its verify We have sat
indignant, silent and ashamed in the back
seats OF conferences" spectator to the
debates Of the clergy and laity representa-
ton, as they discussed in minufcst detail
the minimum amount upon which some
superanuate could possibly live Very
often the faiiings OF the man, the mental
weakness incident to the worn out physical
machinery, the financial incompetency and
improvidence the itincrant system Of the
church cultivates, were debated as oon5id-
erations operating for or against given
measurement of allowance to he
awarded the pcnsioner. We have felt the
glow of approval when some more than
broadly-minded man appealed for fattening
the superannuate fund until It's Golfers should
run over with case and comfort for its de-
pendents. The moral ofthe story of the Chi |
cago journal breaches loudly Of the true
beginning of charity at home, the neglect
of which too often blemishcs the es-
cutheon of the Christian Church. the solic-
itude Of which for those afar of is un-