Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-10-19
MONEY In CHURCHES.
The Recent Criticism Of the Methods
Adopted BY the Ladies.
1T ISN'T FAIR TO CITE ST. PAUL
Men Don't Give Willingly Unless They Get
Something in Return.
NECESSITY Is A STERN MASfER
1T ISN'T FAIR TO CITE ST. PAUL.
NECESSITY Is A STERN MASTER
lwRrrrEx FOE THE prsrArcH. ]

WRITTEN FOE THE DIsPArcR.1
A reverend brother, West by name, has
stirred up the sisters Of the churches very
considerably on their way of raising money
for missionary and other purposes. He
| charges that the standard Of the church
is lowered by the holding of bazaars, and tea
parties and ballad concerts, and the serving
Of ice cream and chicken salad and coffee
for the purpose of making money. He
maintains that it is not apostolic to sing
funny songs, or to recite Shakespearan
soliloquies, or Dickens masterpieces, or
poetic gems.
He asserts that Paul never made . waiter
Of himself by serving ice cream and cake at
charity prices-nor is it likely he retailed
tickets for shows, or gathered in quarters at
the door of bazaars and tea parties, although
he earnestly solicited liberal contributions.
BUT MONEY COMES HARD.
The remarks by Brother West concerning
Paul are probably quite true. The philoso-
pliers tell us that human nature does not
change. 1t is made very plain from PauPs
epistles that the men of the first century
were quite as given to stepping out of the
narrow path to enjoy themselves on the
broad way that leadeth to destruction as
they are in the nineteenth. Hence il is
hardly 70 be doubted that, like those
of the church in 1890, they paid their par
sons poorly and stinted the missionaries.
They lavished "lashings'' of cash on the
luxuries Of life, but slipped mites or nickels
into the contribution box. They loved the
high seats, but were backward in paying
their pew rents and left the labor for the
church, as much as possibleto the Priseillas
A.
church, in which they were servants and
helpers.
1t is quite probable that Paul did not
serve the ice cream at the church festivals
in his time, because the blessed sisters were
on hand to wait upon the beloved brethren.
He does say somewhere, though, that he fed
the Corinthians with milk. But even if
bazaars and ballad concerts and festivals
were not known in the apostolic church,
Brother West should remember that times
have changed since Paul preached; that il
was dishonorable for woman to take of
her bonnet in church, or to wear her hair
short, and said it was shame for her to
speak in the church.
A CHURCH WITHOUT WOMEN.
Women still keep their heads covered
during the services, but more for con-
venience than because they would be dis
honored by chueking them under the seat as
men do with their hats. Moreover in view
Of the many good women of these DAYS who
preach and pray and sing in the church, he
would be bold man who should tell them
to keep silence, let alone to expect obedience.
What would become OF the churches If
women conducted themselves now as they
were ordered to do in PauPs day. Imagine
them all mum and dumb; fancy the church
with all the socials substracted, the bazaars
done away with, the dinners and tea parties
left out, the lawfully suggestive" ballad
concerts" eliminated, the tableaux and reci-
tations omitted! Fancy the beloved sisters
doing nothing to raise money for the
missions or the orphans or the Sunday
schools! Fancy the church sisters being
commanded to be under obedience and told
if they wanted to know anything to ask
their husbands at home, for it was a shame
for them to speak out in meetingl
A SURPRISE TO THE WORKERS.
Yet, as all these things that Brother West
30 sternly condemns are women's work, 1t
follows that it is the women who are lower
ing the standard of the church by serving
ice cream and suppers and getting up enter
tainments and they must be held response
Bile for the degradation OF the Christian
Church. The sorrow of it all is, too, that
the dear girls who have been doing all these
things for 10 these many years, have always
imagined they were doing a good work. It
is pretty hard on them to be told at this late
day that they have been degrading the
church they love and lowering its standard.
But while Brother West goes for the sis
ters and puts the blame of the worldly
church socials upon their shoulders, they
can hit back by shifting the responsibility
to the stinginess OF the beloved brethren.
If the latter furnished the money for church
purposes, the sisters would cease to wear
themselves out by their devices and designs
to do good in this line. According to
Brother West the proper thing is to abolish
the debasing business by women, and collect
the money from the men.
IT'S THE EASIEST WAY.
The trouble about this plan, however, ia
that most of the brethern want quid pro
quo for their dollars. They want dinner
Ior the dollor that goes to the heathen. They
want ice cream and cake for the quarter
hat goes for new library for the Sunday
school. They want to hear the ballads, or
zee the tableau1 for the money that goes to
he Ladies' Aid Society. The ladies would
rather get the dollars that way, too, than by
begging them out and out:
But ifsuch work is demoraliZing of course
hey should quit it. 1t were better to let the
,hurch work drop if the funds are to be
.aised by such bad methods.
But, without conceding Brother Vests
harges altogether, it is plain to anybody
hat women are too much given to letting
heir zeal outrun their discretion in the mat
er of raising money for charity and church
FORK.
IT BECOMES A TAX.
The Lord loveth cheerful giver, but
here are very few cheerful givers as COM
ared with the grumpy taxpayers, and with
lany these everlasting entertainments ior
hurch purposes are looked upon as social
axes and are paid unwillingly. The de-
,ands are too frequent and importunate.
90 many Of the church workers seem to
mink that the end justifes the means. But
fter the setting back Brother West has
iven them, it would be a good thing for
ome Of the sisters to coolly consider this
natter and see in what they have done
miss. They will possibly find that there
re plenty Of young men-and old ones, too,
Y the way-who could not be persuaded to
0 to church fair because they know they