Daily Republican., 1884-02-25
Severe and Uucallod For.

D0V0f0 ann VuColh0u
We admire the independent and
fearless manner In which our priced
contemporary, the Wilmingtonian, han
dies every subject it either advocates
o. condemns Its vigorous pen, driven
by vigorous mind, lays bare TO the
bone and its subject gets the benefit OF
clean, skillful, surgical operation. But
this does not prevent our neighbor from
what others at times deem to be errors
that is, it is as liable to make mistakes
as other papers with a less polished
scimetar and a scalpel not SO keen on
the edge. We regret indeed that our
neighbor should have felt itself inspired
to so severely criticise the management
or rather the distribution of the pro
ceeds of the charity concert held on
Thursday night in the Opera House.
So far as we can discover the concert
from its first inception to the final dis
tribution of the proceeds, was as nearly
as it possibly could be divested of every
semblance of sectarianism. The origna-
tiOn thought itself was grand one. Here
were hundreds of needy, ,necessitous peo-
pie suffering with hunger and needing
clothing and fuel. Let us do something
to help these unfortunate people, was
the uppermost thought. Nobody at
that time ever thought Of a narrow
sectarian line The big benevolent
heart of the public only saw suffering
people and did not stop to inquire if
they were Jew or Gentle, Pagan or
Christian, Protestant or Catholic
While our kind Benefactor lets his
sunshine and rain fall alike upon the
evil and the good, SO the evils and sOr-
rows of life fall equally upon all de-
nominations, sects and caste. What
could be done 10 assist these unfortu-
nate people?
What more likely than another to
prove successful than grand concert, a
concert of home talent one in which
everybody should be and would be in
tereSted one where none OF the pro
ceeds would be paid to foreign star sing.
ers in short, one in which every cent
paid by a ticket purchaser should be
turned into the grand benevolent chan
mel intended, Everybody was agreed
upon that. The next thing was 10 pro-
cure the singers, and this part was left
to the local singers themselves. Carry
ing out the grand general idea sectarian
lines Were again overlooked, and fol
once more all crrrds and sects frater'
niZed. True charity overloOks sectariai
bonds Then what was to be done with
the proceeds OF the concert? They
were for the poor but there was no regu
larly organized city society recognized
as such for the relief of the poor. Hac
there been such an association ther,
would have been the place 10 put th'
money for distributions But there wa
none, and 50 what was to be done
Where could the money be put that j
would do the most good"
In looking around for these place
need We wonder that the PrOviden
Society and the ST. Vincent de Pau
Conference should loom up as the mos
prominent" II before this there haC
not been a single thought Of a sectariaI
character, nobody need be SURPRISED
that thought of that kind should aris'
at this point. Here We're two promi
nent societies, both dispensers Of large
charities. The least recognition q
their usefulness would have disclose,
the fact that one Of them was undel
Protestant supervision, though no
exclusively Protestant in the distribu
tion Of its means. and that the OtLr
was a CaihOlir institution, but not eX
cluSively so in the administration o
charitable acts.
What then was more natural than
both Of these societies should have beeI
selected, each TO receive equal share
Of the proceeds" There need not ne
cessarily be any clashing Of interest
between the two societies, They ar,
both engaged in the same noble work
Tie same concessions and the SAM
spirit that brought all sects together Il
give concert and raise the money vii
dictate a iudicious distribution of th
funds. In a business point Of view
leaving out the consideration Of tn
leading christian virtue--Charity, tn
st. Vincent de Paul Conference, in con
sideration Of the aid given by Catholic
10 make the concert a success entitle
that society to all it no matter wha
distribution it makes of its share Of tn
proceeds. Fortunately, however, it
deeds of charity are not hidden, thougl
like the Provident Society, it does no
make habit of letting the left ham
know what the right hand docth W
really see no occasion for the Whining
tOnian'S severe criticism,
THE fact that one Of the fire alarr
boxes had been struck by lightning o
Saturday morning and rendered useles
nccrssitates an examination and testin
of alarm apparatus after every thunde
storm where the lightning has bee
vivid and sharp The accident, n
doubt, resulted in a greater loss of proI
erty at the Riddles mills fire tha
would otherwise have occurred had tn
fire alarm box been in good orde
at the middle depot, This is one of tn
accidents which could not be attribute
to the carelessness Of any human agel
Cy. Nevertheless it behOOves the cit
authorities to lookout and see tina
everything in connection with the fir
department is in good condition immedi
ately after thunder storms.
AND NOW IT is ex-Attorney Genera