The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1891-12-20
PHILANTHROPISTS IN CONVENTION.
Debate as to Which Profession Performs the
Largest Amount of Grstuitous Work.


public the most gratnitOus scrvice-in 9TH
er words. which did the most work for
nothing. A preacher thought the clergy
did. He said: "In addition to our regular
preaching and Sunday work, for which we
are generally inadequately paid. we are ex-
pected to officiate at all funerals for moth
ing. This is a continual draft on our time
and strength. Then We have to make pas
toral calls. visit the sick. take an active
part in charity work. speak at public meet
ings. and so on and SO forth. Undoubtedly.
gentlemen. you must admit that we minis
ters do more work for nothing than any
body else"
A doctor said he thought not. "You
would be surprised" he said, lat the
amount of gratuitous work We do. In the
first place, we lose q great deal by bad
debts. 1t is sort of unwritren law with
many people to beat the doctor if they can.
Men who pay all other debts promptly and
cheerfully hate to pay doctors bill. and
great many Will not if they can help it.
doctor hates to beg for what is his due,
so the result is that he loses good deal IN
this way. Then he has to do q great deal
people who he knows cannot pay anything.
often not only prescribing but furnishing
the medicines. think the money value of
the Rratuitous work we doctors do is much
greater than that done by the preachers"
Alawyer in the party stroked his chin
with an air of judicial impartislity. and
said: Undoubtedly. gentlemen, your hon.
orable professions render a considerable
amount of gratuitous service to the public.
but in point of money value it cannot COM
pare with that rendered by lawyers. 1t Is
we'll that the spiritual welfare and physical
health of people should be looked after but
we deal with their property affairs. which
to most men are more important than
either of the others. From time immemorial
men have regarded lawyers fees as exor-
bitant, forgetting how much time and
money We have to expend in becoming
lawyers. But human nature is selfish and
unreasonable, and men cannot be made
to SEQ this The result is that we often
do not charge as much for our services
as we ought to. on account of this uni
versal prejudice A good lawyer often
puts his fee at q figure which he
knows is too low, and even then the client
il he pays 1t at all. does so grudgngly.
We also lose by bad debts. and by havin g
to give gratuitous advice. You would be
astonished at the number of people who
expect to get legal advice for nothing, on
she score of personal acquaintance"
The discussion continued at some length,
and seemed TO leave each one still of the
opinion that the members of his own pro-
fession did more gratuitous work than
those of any other, when a philanthropic
looking individual who had heretofore
maintained solemn silence proceeded to
break il. He said: Gentlemen. you have
all made good showing for your respect
i've professions. aud undoubtedly you oil
deserve the credit. of rendering the public
q good deal of gratuitous service, but the
profession which represent renders more
than all OF yours combined. ! am q news
paper man, and / undertake to say that.
taking one consideration with another, the
press serves more people in more ways and
does more work for nothing than the min
istry, the medical profession and the bar
combined. We work for the public while
you are sleeping, and we do it 365 days IN
the year. lou all come 10 us tor favOrs
The preacher expects his sermons TO be re-
ported gratuitously, and If he il neglected
too long he sometimes comes around with
report or sends IL by tho hand of
friend who thinks. perhaps we
would like TO print what the Rev.
Mr.. So-and-sO said this morning. Ii
the doctor sets a sprained ankle. performs
a surgical operation on an In-growIng toe
nail. or administers an emetic 10 q school
boy who is suffering from overdose of
green apples, he expects II 10 be exploited
III the press. with an incidental mention of
the street and number of his Office. Ii the
| lawyer argues demurrer In the case of
| smith VS.. Jones. or gets a divorce for Mrs.
WIenerwursf from her drunken husband,
| he expects the fact 10 be mentioned. and If
| he makes a jury speech he expects it to be
| reported in full. Now, some of these things
we like TO do. because they are in the line
of our business. especially if they are in
| the nature of news. bnt We have to fight
| from one years end to another to keep
| things ont of the paper that are of no pub
| lie interest and We do not always succeed,
either co., Every . single type ,n that j;
| PAPER. and press work. but people
| never stop to think of this. They argue
| that we must put something in the paper.
| and lt might a. we'll be their matter as
| something else. The paper has to be filled
M. So we 20 on, advertising every body,
exploiting every body. serving everyb body,
| not only without pay. bnt generally with.
out thanks. Then. see what we do in the
way of writing up public movements and
enterprises. Everywhere the pre.s Is ex.
pected To lead the march of progress. de.
| vising. suggesting. originating, forum lating
| aud encouraging public enterprises. ap-
| pealing TO State pride and city pride foi
| this. that and the other thing. starting su II.
scriptions and heading the list, advertising
| tho advantages of the city. it's central iocs