The Indianapolis journal., 1884-12-01

careless lives from reckless conduct-that class
naturally may be reduced, and l should say that
society would do we'll to give some attention to
the reduction of those classes, those that are
not industrious, those that are careless of their
acquisitions. We can reduce that number
How2 By influencing them to habits of indus
try, and care and providence. Thrift
and industry, if they can only be made universal
will reduce the number of those that are de-
pendents upon public charity very largely. This
can not altogether be accomplished by society
1t rests primarily upon the parents to teach hab-
its of industry from boyhood and girlhood up.
and if it be discharged faithfully, | feel very
sure that the number of those that become OBJ
jects of public charity would be
largely reduced Habits of industry pro
6uce the very best results upon character.
Habits of care-care in respect to that which
has been aequired-are almost equally important.
L will not undertake to speak further upon the
subject how should reduce the poverty in
the country We would all say there ought not
to be any poverty in this country upon the first
blush-a country so rich in its soil. so blessed by
| Providence with rain in its season All would
say there ought to be objects of public
charity; but L have given instances
enough to show you that the poor
| will always be with us, even in the
United States of America. The habits that are
! cultivated do not stop with the generation that
| are thus impressed Perhaps l may say that
they are indeed inheritable; from generation to
generation, habits of industry and habits of care
and thrift pass down, while on the contrary
habits of carelessness, of extravaganza, of vice,
| will also 60 down in the generations of men. L
wish to speak very briefly of one question,
and that is whose duty is it to respond
to the application of these people
| that maintain these institutionsl Now in week
or two Mr.. McCulloch and others, no doubt, will
be in our offices, in our places of business, and
in the shops, asking the people of this society to
| contribute. Who shall contributes Some say 1t
| belongs to the church. Charity, in respect to
relief of the poor, is not obligation alone upon
the church AS church we do not expect it. AS
! M m of thA chureh the 0hliOatiOn iS
nized. Who rather shall escape this
| oblgationl Is it not upon US allF
! Upon the banker, well as the priest
and clergyman; upon the laboring mechanic
that is able to add to his accumulations above
the demands of his life, as we'll upon the
members of the church9 1t is an obligation that
rests upon everybody N proportion to their abll-
| ity. Once, in speaking on this platform, | at
tempted to show that it would be well if the
! State would undertake portion of this ooli-
CATION. 1t is not probable that that will
| soon be undertaken. [ think the time will
| come when the obligations of charity will be col
| lected by the tax gatherer as the obligations to
| the State in any other respect are colleetedi
! but now it is not so and so the question is for
| you and me who shall respond. And know of
| but one answer for that-that we must all re-
! spond in proportion to our ability to do So The
poor man that lay by the wayside found but one
neighbor in the olden time. With US he should
man and woman that passes by the way.
! He should be taken up and carried by
the first, not waiting for the Pharisee, not wait
| ing for the priest, not waiting for the clergyman;
| but whoever meets with this claim upon his hui
manity should respond to it And so, now,
when the plea is made next week or the week
after, there any in the goodly city of Indian
! apohs that will not respond in proportion to
| their ability This society is worthy all your
confidence and all mine That it has discharged
its duties has been without question. Its col
| lection of money and its expenditures wisely,
prudently and justly made have attracted the
Lott of Oth thnT R1f aG lf
no man or woman need hold back for fear that
too much will be expended in the enterprise or
/ business.
81 notice here the beautiful society of flowers
was able to collect large sum of money and ex-
pend it, retaining from the expenditures in
actual benefaction only II per cent Is there
any other organization in our society that can
| collect money and expend it so entirely for the
cause intended as this that L have re-
| ferred to2 So l can say of the other branches
of this society. The money is collected and it
is wisely used. 1t is not matter of trust,
! matter of accident, matter merely to save the
disagreeable feelings that one has when they are
| asked to do an act of charity to attend to dis
! tributing that-it is not that 1t is wisely man
/ aged by the persons having charge of these
| moneys No persons application is taken merely
| upon the word. Careful persons sent to the
neighborhood- ladies, careful, prudent,
! diligent ladies-who go and see whether the
case that has been presented IS a true one, and
whether the benevolence OF tho city ought to be
| taxed in the case and when it is found and the
report is made that it is all right that it is such
a case that the people ought to respond to, then
the money is expended. You cannot have it
| better than that I do not know personally of
| any voluntary organization where SO wisely and
| so prudently the money be collected and
| expended as there, under the agency of
| this society. They have everything. l think, to
! crafty them. So much good has been done, so
many poor people have been relieved Is it not
a sad thing to see one without food and raiment.
! shuddering in the cold of winter, and when you
and destitute person through the instrumentality
of this society do you not feel that
you are LITTLE little better than you
were before9 Who can see the child
! shiverng in the winter winds, without covering
to protect it from the cold its little feet exposed
| TO the snow and the frost! Oh do you not long
| to contribute somewhat that that child may cry
| and moan in the winter winds no morel Do you
not want to be a party to cause that is so pure,
so near to heaven as this? And this is all the
! speech, my countrymen, that l have TO make to
you tonight" lApplausel.
DR. M'LEoD's ADDRESS
Rev James Mcleod pastor of the Second
Presbyterian Church, followed with an address
on the work of the Charity Organization Society
! He said:
ut is not usual for church to give up its
services in order that the pastor and his flock |
| may &c to the theater And yet, for such an |
| unusual act, think there might be found more |
than a shadow of scriptural authority. You will |
doubtless recall q celebrated page of ancient |
history where are told that two prominent |
Christians were forced, greatly against their
will, to go to theater. 1t a classic theater
1t was in classic city The surroundings |
were all classic There happened to be- Just |
then, famous bishop in that city He was a |
cosmopolitan bishop for he had the care of all
the churches. When this good bishop saw his |
Christian brethren, who were his travelling com |
panions, on their way to the theater, he de- |
termined to accompany them. This stirred up a |
great commotion. The whole city was moved. |
Perhaps the crowds were anxious to see how the |
bishop and his friends would look and act in a |
theater. Hence there a great rush for |
seats. But the crowd was disappointed, for the |
bishop was persuaded by some of his friends |
mot tn adv tura him sole intn thu theatnr