St. Paul daily globe., 1890-05-22
GIBBONS ON CHARITY
The Cardinal Addresses the
Conference of Charities
and Correction.
ALI Men Are Brothers When
1t Comes to Aiding the
Poor.
Some Men Are Blessed With
Wealth That They May
Be Generous.
Fl. B. Hart, Of st. Paul, Among
the Officers Named by the
Conference.

business of the seventeenth national
conference of charities and correction
was begun this morning at 9:90 o'clock.
The international conference to be held
in Chicago in connection with the
worlds fair is looked forward to with
much interest, and the especial exhibit.
illustrative of the methods and results
of charitable and correctional work of
every description, in every country,
will be of great help, the delegates
hope, in aiding the general public to
understand the work for the advance
ment of which national conferences of
charities and correction are held.
Several papers were read this morning.
The following officers were elected:
President, Rev, Oscar McCulloch, Indian
more; A. o. Wright Madison, Wis; Rev.
Myron W. Reed, Denver, Col; Oscar Craig,
Rochester, N Y; Mrs. j. j. S. Spear Jr., San
Francisco; treasurer, W. P. Letchworth, Buf-
falo, N. Y: secretaries, Alexander Johnson,
Indianapolis; Lucius c. Storrs, Lansing,
Mich; Il. B. Hart st. Paul. M1nn:;
A. L. Welsh, Denver Col; Mrs. M. D. Good
let, Nashville, Tenn; Miss Ellen G. Bailey
Boston. Executive Committee-Rev. Oscar
G. McCulloch. Indianapolis; Rev. A. G.
oyOlSs NOluulDtS. ". III y, .. 1lON -A1UdlAS3
n. Y; F. H. Wines, Illinois; Philip c. Gar
rett Philadelphia.
The closing session was held in the
Academy of Music tonight. j. M.
Gushing, of Baltimore, presented
Cardinal Gibbons,
who spoke in part as follows: "As I
had not an opportunity of uniting with
my fellow citizens in rendering you a
hearty welcome, l beg to unite with
them in wishing you all a safe and
happy return to your respective homes.
Whatever may be our differences in
point of faith, it is gratifying to re-
fleet that we stand tonight shoulder
to shoulder and hand to hand
on the common platform of charl-
ty ana benevolence. There is
enormous wealth in this country;
there is great poverty; but there is
more charity where wealth and poverty
abound-thanks be to God, charity
superabounds. What better evidence
can we have of the spirit of benevo-
lence that pervades the land than the
spectacle which presents itself before
us tonight. But it is only by contrast
ing our christian civilization with the
pagan civilization which. preceded it
that we will fully appreciate the bless :
lliS onO OOOllilIO oUUlUllOO VI q ihNNOAi~
like this. The vocabulary of Greece
and Rome did not contain single word
to express hospital or asylum. 1t
Remained for Christianity
To coin the word and create the institu-
ton. No matter what efforts may be
made by philanthropists and social econ
Omists for the removal of poverty, we
must make up our mind that poverty,
in one shape or another, will always eX-
ist among us. The words of Christ will
be ever verifed-"The poor ye always
have with you." You might as well
try to legislate vice out of existence as
to legislate poverty and suffering out of
the world. In accordance with the
economy of divine providence, men exist
in unequal situations in socie ty.
If all were equally rich, all would be
equally poor. Some are blessed with
the good things of this world. that they
might exercise towards their less IA
vored brothers the virtues OF charity,
benevolence and generosity. Others are
poor, that they might practice the vir-
tues of patience and gratitude to their
benefactors. And thus the stream of
social virtues is continually kept in mo-
ton. The great question which con-
1IOuGD yOu, AliA SOiCiN iiOLt 10
this: How are you to subserve the in
terests of the poor and suffering? There
are
Three Methods,
first, by promiscuous alms-giving; Sec
ond, by relegating the poor and dis
tressed to state and national institu-
tions, thus converting the state and ma
ton into paternal governments; and
experience has shown that paternal
governments are not the most desirable.
They hamper individual efforts. The
third method is when a number of men
and women, animated by spirit of zeal
and charity for their fellow beings, vol
unfairly band themselves together for
the purpose of relieving the distress.
This is the best of all methods, and
it is yours. 1t Combines all that is
good in the other methods. Your
heart is in your work. You dill
gently search out the poor. You are
discriminating in your charity. You are
trying to remove the cause of the mis-
cry, to reclaim the unfortunate, to put
them on their feet and to make them
useful and honorable members of So
ciety. You do not say with Cain of old:
"Am 1 my brothers. keeper?' What
would become of you and me-What
would have become of society if Christ
the Lord had said Am l my brothers
keeper" Yes, we ars and ought to be
our brothers keeper. No matter how
limited our means and how circum-
scribed our influence, every one of US
has a mission and can do good in our
day and generation.
Mr.. Cushing then spoke Baltimore's
farewell. President Byers responded,
as did Rev. F. II. Wines, of Illinois,
after which the conference closed.