The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1890-10-27
MODERN CHARITY.
1t Is a Science Today as
Well as a Christian
Grace, Says Pastor
Scudder.

Pastor Scudder was in excellent form
yesterday when ne ascended to the plat
form of the Tabernacle. He was full Of
fight, appeared to be in perfect condition,
and indicated that he had been we'll
trained. The battle that he fought was
an easy victory for him, and continual
Knockout of frauds big and little.
The pastors subject for his sermon
was:--"M Modern Ideas Of Charity" and he
took for his text; Blessed is he that con-
sidereth the poor,'' Psalms 41--1.
Mr.. Scudder said it was the Office of
Christianity to create new sentiment in
the pagan world. Rome had ever been
full OF courage and ambition, but
life was considered of no value
at all, as the blood shed in the amphi-
theatre amply testified. Christianity is
full of practical sympathy. the pastor
claimed, and he quoted, ''These Galileans,
they shame us; they take care of their
own poor and ours. too" This practical
sympathy was expressed In the erection
of asylums for the distressed.
ANCIENT AND MO DERN CHARITY.
Mr., Scudder then contrasted the early
days with those of the Middle Ages and
showed the great changes that had been
wrought. In the early days the rich were
canonized and in the Middle Ages it was
the poverty stricken and the country was
overrun with mendicant monks. Gradu-
ally bringing his sermon down to the
present time in the worlds history, Mr..
Scudder said:-
To-day we have honest scientific chari-
ty. claim, first, the main objection to
charity is the indiscrfminate giving to the
unworthy as well as to the worthy, for
thereby the worthy are defrauded. Sec
ond, that what is given to the worthy
poor Is done SO in manner calculated to
in no way aid them TO help themselves,
but to induce them TO lose their manhood
and become indolent, for they will take it
easy If they know they can depend on cer-
tain charities to take care Of them. Third,
indiscrimlnate giving makes frauds of
statistics prove first, that in New York,
IS Def cent. of all the beggers are able
bodied men, fitted for work, and that but
per cent of all are worthy poor. There
fore, when man is asked for O penny, no
one can give it with the assurance tina t
it reaches the worthy poor. Second, tn ere
are the house-to-house beggers who visit
every one with tales of distress. The
only way to remedy these evils is to give
no money on the street, but refer the beg
gar to the poormaster.
''Give no clothes to the house to house
beggar unless you are certain the case Is
worthy one, for the clothes generally
go to the pawnshop. Give no food un-
less IL is eaten in yolr presence except in
cases you know the deserving poor will
benefit by it: for generally food obtained
in this manner is used in very cheap
boarding houses or to make swill of.
THE CHURCH BEATS.
s.A third class of beggar5 are the
church beats. These pious frauds IN
some fashion get into the church, beg,
borrow and obtain all they can and then
go to other churches to repeat their skin
game. Modern charity believes that all
outright giving demoralizes the people
and that people should 90 some work for
the charity received.
"By giving to the unworthy the worthy
are deprived and do not get as much as
they ought. What Jersey City needs is
an associated charity the same as has
been elsewhere adopted. A place where
headquarters will furnish all informa-
tion. bureau where all bummers are
registered to enable the charitable to
know to whom he gives. This bureau
would be great saving of time, for peo-
pie cannot take the time to make en-
quiries. This bureau should also be a
great repressive measure to prosecute the
frauds on charity.
'sCharity is not simply the giving of
money. 1t is the stimulating to q life of
self help. The best help one can give
anybody is to put him in way to held
himself >,