The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1885-11-18

| difficulties to battle with, which has
its hands full of good works, which
has neither time nor room for evil,
but, aiming at great things both for
God and man, promptly and samma-
rily dismisses temptations with Nehe-
miah's answer, II have a great work
to do, therefore I cannot come down"
Whiting The Poor.
Miss Octavia Hills says, I am con-
yinced that one of the evils of much
that is done for the poor springs from
the want of delicacy felt, and c. ar
tesy shown towards them, and that we
cannot benefcially help them in any
spirit different to that in which we
help those who are better of. The
help may differ in amount, it should
not differ in kind" Apply these words
to visiting as we'll as to giving. Do
not try to visit many families, but only
enough to be able to go often, so that
atrue friendship may spring up. Oace
win the friendship of the various
members of the home, aud they can
be influenced for good. In visiting do
not give money. Let Miss Hills again
speak, II hope you will notice that l
have dwelt on the need of restrain
lng yourselves from almsgiving, on
the sole ground that such restraint IS
The only true mercy to the poor them
selves. I have no desire to protect
The purses Of the rich, no hard feeling
to the poor. lam thinking continual
" and only Of what is really kindest
to them, kindest in the long run GER
tainly, but still kindest. think small
doles unkiud to them, though they
bring a %momentary smile to their faces.
First of all, I think they make them
really poorer. Then I think they de-
Grade them and make them less inde-.
pendent. Thirdly, I think they destroy
The possibility of really good relations
between you and them. Surely, when
you go among them you have better
things to do for them than to give them
balf-crowns. You want to know them
to enter into their lives, their thoughts;
10 let them enter into some of your
brightness; to make their lives a
little fuller, a little gladder. You
who know so much more than they,
might help them so much in the
crises of their lives. . The GIT
you have to make the poor, depend
upon it, is the greatest Of all gifts you
can make-that of yourselves, follow
ing in your great Masters steps, whose
life is the foundation of al! charity.
The form of it may change with the
aqes;the great law remains, Give to
him that asketh of thee, and from him
that would borrow OF thee, turn not
thou away But see that thou give
him bread, not a ~stone-bread, the
nourishing thing, that which wise
thought teaches you will be to him
helpful, not what will ruin him body
and soul; else, while obeying the letter
of the command; you will be false to
it's deep, everlasting meaning. My
friends, I have lived face to face with
the poor now for some years, n
7 have not learned to- think gifts Oh
necessaries, such as a man usually pro-
yides for his own family, helpful to them
I have abstained from such, and expect
those who love the poor, and know
them individually, will do so more and
more in the time to come. l have
sometimes been asked by rich acquain-
tances, when I have said this, whether
I do not remember the words, Never
turn your face from any poor man.
Oh, my friends, what strange perVer-
sion of words this seems to me. L
may deserve reproach I may have
forgotten many a poor man, and done
as careless a thing as anyone but 1
cannot help thinking that to give one s
self, rather than ones money, to the
DOOR is not exactly turning ones face
from him. If I, caring for him and
striving for him, do in my Utmost
heart believe that my money, spent IN
providing what he might by effort pro-
vide for himself, is harmful to him,
surely he and I may be friends all the
same. Surely, I ain bound to give him
only what I believe to be best. He
may not always understand it at the
moment, but he will feel it in Gods
own good time"
The following suggestions, taken
from the New York Charity Organiza-