The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-05-10
CHRISTIANITY AND SOCIALISM.
The Rev. DR.. Behrends Discusses the Personal
and Social Causes of Pauperism.
Special to the Indianapolis journal.

Special to the Indianapolis Journal
BROOKLYN, May 9.-Rev DR.. Behrends de-
livered the eighth in his series Of discourses
christianity and Modern Socialism," in the
Central Congregational Church, this evening.
The edifce was completely filled, and the address
was listened to with the closest attention. The
topic of discussion was 1.-THE Personal and Social
Causes of Pauperism." DR.. Behrends said
''The Gordian knot of industrial life is the
problem of pauperism. It is evil of many
firmly twisted strands whose tough fibre have
momentarily relaxed under the determined
handling, only to fly into closer alliance and to
offer a more determined resistance. No sword
has been able to cut it, no skill has succeeded in
unraveing 1t. Many, indeed. claim that the evil
has only been made worse by meddling, and that
we should let it severely alone. Modern social
ism, the other hand, insists that the state
should provide every man with work and secure
him against future want But what is pauper
smE 1t is not poverty. which cannot be eradi-
Gated. 1t is not indulgence which may be
lieved and which may be nnocently suffered.
Pauperism is voluntary and deliberate poverty
and the suffering it entails is criminal. The
pauper must be eradicated He is drone and
thief, who wants to live by the industry of
others At bottom, the problem of pauperism is
this-what shall be done with the lazy
and the improvident, with those who
will not work and save9 Ideness
and improvidence are the personal causes of the
evil. If there is one thing that nature forces
man to do it is to work for his living. and she
leaves him to find mis- own work or starve. And
from that necessity of caring for himself and for
those dependent on him, no man should expect or
enjoy the slightest exemption. An able bodied
pauper is a criminal, and should be dealt with as
SUCH So, too, is it every mans duty to provide
against the day of sickness and the infirmites of
age; and no agencies of relief are to be encour
aged that place premium upon idleness and
improvldence These personal causes are might
lily reinforced by social causes. in whose treat
ment government has clearer duty. These are
illiteracy, overcrowding, intemperance and the
looseness of the marriage tie. Ten years ago
the almshouses of New York were carefully in
spected. and nearly TO- 900 of their inmates per-
sonally interviewed. Few were found who had
ever owned any property. Thirty-two per cent
were wholly illiterate and only 80 per. cent had
received fair, common school education.
Eighty-fve per cent. of the men had been in
temperate. and AZ per cent among the women
an average of 62a per cent Fifty-fve per
cent. had Incorporate fathers and over 80 per
cent Incorporate mothers The gradual de-
crease Of pauperism in England dates from the
introduction of an enlarged educational policy.
Our own illiteracy is of alarming proper
tions, reaching from 2 per cent in some
States to 40 per cent of the population in
others. Two things are needed-compulsory
education and the introduction of manual train
ing in ali our schools. But it is intemperance
that holds the citadel of pauperism. 1t furnishes
paint the picture. Drunkenness is the great
curse of our time. Its horrible cave is full of
the bones of its victims 1t is always busy. 1t
is defiant and aggressive. 1t controls parties.
1t buys up Legislatures 1t brides judges. 1T
commands an annual traffic of nearly 1,000
900, 900, and masters an army 900 strong.
What shall be done to check the evil2 believe
the moral sentiment of our time to be in favor
of effectual restriction and control 1t will not
undertake to say what a man shall eat and
drink. 1t will not permit guard to be placed
in his dining-room. It will not tolerate offensive
personal inqusitlon. But il will insist that per-
sonal liberty shall not be so exercised as to en-
danger public order High license, strict SUI
pervlsion and local option seem to embody the
methods of control that command general and
growing approval. The fight must be narrowed
to ward and township The State must not
look to the Nation; the city must not depend on
the rural districts. The responsibility must be
laid on each separate community. Overcrowd-
ing is first lieutenant in the army of pauperism,
whose captaincy belongs to intemrerance,
Intemperance compels herding in cheap.
scanty, unwholesome quarters, and these en-
courage the free use of stimulants The dis
number and the vilest dram shops. No city
suffers so deeply from overcrowding as New
York. The tenth ward has density of 243, 900
to the square mile, which would give the city
population of over 5000, 000-more than the
tire State contains A space of thirty acres in
the Fourth ward shelters II, Gil persons. nearly
600 to plot 200 feet square. Sixteen families
in single 25foot dwelling are common. One