The Wilmingtonian., 1886-11-13
Charity Begins at Home.

ence to that largest city of the world, Lon
don, happens along with other most impor
tant topics to dwell upon the subject of for
eigu missions and the large sums annually
sent abroad by the United States and En-.
gland for what in relation tn the urgent de.
mands of what is needed at home can prop
erly be called triHing business.
Mr.. White is firm believer in charity and
mission aid, but it must do its work at home.
Let the fat heather in more favored corners
of the earth's surface "tike care of themsel-
yes, and rejoice in the remembrance of the
millions of pounds they have received. "Per-
nit them now to take care of themselves.
The question is, how much good has England
or America done the heather? Mr.. White
says nothing of American labors, but he
adds "Tribes chaste and temperate are de-
cmated by loathsome diseases, and ruined
by raw spirits preferred by the hand that
does not hold the Bible"
Il will be remembered that at certain d, :
nomination held a meeting ia Wilmington
Within the last twelve months when it was
determined to aid in raising an even million
dollars for mission purposes A very large
share of this enormous sum was of course to
be applied to the purpose of foreign mission.
1t must strike any ordinarily intelligent
person who is at all oonversant with the
moral and religious needs of their oommun-
ity that there is the greatest need of real
genuine mission work at home. That high
salaried missionaries are really equally need
ed iu our own communities. Just such work
as Livingstone, Moffatt, Judson and other
distinguished foreign missionaries accom-
pl,shed in equatorial Africa or China, in aid
ing the physical as well as moral and reli-
gious needs of the communities among whom
they found themselves, is asked for here in
our midst.
This coming Winter Undoubtedly hundreds
will need such assistance as is sent across the
seas in drafts of thousands of dollars upon
London banking houses to be re-dsrb buted
among the gross brutality of Dahomey and
Unyanyembe while our own people are starv-
ing for spiritual and physical aid.
TN: \
What greater demand has the call of For
eign missions over that of such an assoca-
tlon as our Provident Society ofWilmingtor.
| Yetscores and scores Of those who can afford
to give in charity place Foreign Mission al
way sat the head Of their beneficiary list while
Home Church Missions, Associated Charities,
| Provident Societies and associations of that
ilk are left almost to starve.
For instance the foreign missionary en-
route to the Congo is not simply Peter the
Hermit. He does not simply display the
flag of the cross. He is additionally quail
fed. Usually he has received the ground
work of medical teachings in order that he
may heal first before he teaches, The SO.
ciety which he represents mast take care
that sufficient funds are at the bankers that
means are at hand to be forwarded al
regular intervals for the discretionary use ol
the missionary should hunger or famine
afflict his flock. He is expected, in his limit
ed way, to be the helper in physical drec
ton of those he has gathered around him.
Millions OF dollars have undoubtedly beer
used for this purpose, money collected il
America and England for foreign missions
It is not intended to sDeer at that work or Il
attempt to belittle its intent But tn
question is certainly in order as to the ne
glect of Ho me missions while such large at
tention has been given to "the heathen."
Do we not in our own community, VII
mington, need just such physical aid as
being daily dispensed to the equatorial Afr
, can or almond-eyed Malay
, Salaried missionaries such as are sent
e Zambezi, Natal an Burmah, with we'll file
medicine chests and fairly lined purses, wit
that christianity yearnlng to help ard elevat
q their fellow-man are equally needed at hom
d We have the sick poor and ignorant wit
n us. Why should the lusty barbarian
cherished and nonrished whire the deserte
= white woman at home, thin, pale, alternate
4 with hunger, and almost hopeless from lac
,s Of sympathy in misfortune, be left to peris
Yet this is the unsystematic Unbalanced r
!. suits that exist. Then again what sma
Iv percentage of our people are church atten
~ ants or have any church affiliations at all.
the churches of this community claim the
is no work to be done here, how is it that
;" population of 10000 there is bare t
be thousand church membership with Sa
as bath attendance of scarcely half that
ny The greater and more important ralt
n mission work is demanded at home Perha
m it would not be uuwise also to place
ng greater share ofchurch mission subscriptiC
NC in that field for the next few years,