New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-04-20

AM" ~<'
THE REV. DR.. DAVID II. GREER
eei, vows and offer up their within the precincts
Of TIE sacred eneosure and there ali the Wo 'r
man sat, O cripple from his BIRTH ana hAciE " 0
such down TO the day OF HIS death -, or
Uun one occasion, however, two disciples Oh 'he NJ"
rei,n passed that way who. being enteated or au W
this claimant charity, give him something more ',',i
he ssts or thinks, saying: In the name OF Jesu" Ch'
rise I'M and walk"; and Immediately he arose. cufeu Vi
his inirmlty, with life throbbng IN nm, ledplns'
danchg for very joy and going with them ih'o 'ne 'P
Of God , At. 10.
srN ts the story interesting and suggestive that has
come down to US apostolic times, illustrating very
harpy what was felt be then and has been fegueu
since as the distinctive spirit genius purpose so lar
t leas. rs this world is concerned OF the Csuah rE
Gan desire this morning make 1t the basis OF some
remarks on the subject OF Christian benevoence or pre-
serving the phrascology of the story Itself VIII call my
subject this: christianity and the Cripple"
What Is Christian benevolencel What primarily GOES IL
seek to dot Its ultimate aim as understand H. is the
accomplishment. not of material but OF moral anu
sn,rta result and while, OF course, IL implies haeHe
,s.hods and bestows material gifts these are not an emu
o. ,bomseves hut only a means end and that emu
Is Characterize lift the poor into manhood the pest
purest strongest manhood to say, rise up ana walk I"
evolve character, moral and spiritual life
Vow bis Il seems to me- is apt to be overlooked by two
glasses OF persons both whom trying in different
ways to help poor to-day First by those VINO content
themselves with intering unto the immediate physeai
radical change or changes social economy are hoping
20 Danish poverty. The method of the former is anus
giving the method Of the latter is social feVoutoh anu
while respects they are ulameIlcanS OPP"s'e'
her, Is implicit in both-not always but very ofte-tat
raterastc philosophy prevalent IN our uhe "iuoh
teaches or assumes that the great desdel"tum OF hud
life IN this world simply physical comfort the Ger'
ence between them being that While one gives htAe
nhvs&l comfort to meet the immediate eHgency saying
'Here is ointment. brother, here is oil and twopenee
and then goes on nothing and Is content Win
that the other despises the Oil and the twopece saying
'We want nothing of your aims and VIII only be cohNh1
when through some radical change in the social economy
we can share your goods your Eled barns ana STORE
houses"
THE DEVELOPMENT OF CHARACTER
Now. the purpose Of Christian benevolence' as inter
,ot and understand It, is something different from either
q something beyond them both. II does not proceed
upon tins assumption that the CHIEF desdeatunl Oh human
life I'm this world is simply physical COMFORT "hetneI
,+o y, much crumbs from the feast or the feast Inc
80, d.s,derotuu of human life in this world, rich or
moor It matters not, character the Christian reneoh
teaches ard therefore the aim OF Christian teheVONcc
Is so to minister unto the poor that that may oe "c
,esult In doing that Of as have sad IL must
confer material benefit it must give charity to the poor
nroydnc houses and inrmGrIes and nurseries ara orphan
ages and asyums and hospitals Not however Us III Vhe
case Of ams.giving, which so often has the euect 10
degrade them with to ministeIing unto their I'M
rldiae exgenees but because from the poor when thy
are taken care Of best and finest material the
nobest manhood sometimes comes and the highest type
Of character is evolved.
Christian benevolence, however, in providing charity
for the DOOR as it has learned to do today, must go on
beyond todays lesson and learn something else 1ha'
is only part It's task and the least consideraoe part
1t must also try make some changes In the physlca
environment Of the poor, the surroundings ana ue cLeu
stances in the which they live, not as III te case
OF the social revoutionist with view TO banishna pow
ertv as AN end IN itself, but with view TO removing
those difficulties ard obstacles out OF the pain OF inc
Door which they themselves not able to remove anu
hieh hem
seltieliant, Christian manhood.
OF the 1900 900 people in the city OF New-iorA'
100000 than three-quarters OF the numger az
coding 10 the latest Statistics live in tenement houses
NewYork in other words the great and prosperous New
York the metropolis OF America is vast tnemehthouse
nopuaton with comparatively small minority living In
what you and / would call comfortable houses
WHAT TENEMENT.HoUsEs ARE.
And what are tenement.houses Not theoretically, as
YOU will find them defined in the stautebook but pract'
eally as they exist in fact Have you ever seen the-e
inside Of them mean? Their squalor, their fetor' uer
alth their overcrowdng and what the conolsoAs OF ne
are or rather ard DEATH DO physical ana moral
In them1 $3.50
II So you will think that the author OF the little
book which doubtless many Of you have read you nave
not you ought follow the Other Half Lives does not
nut the case too strongly, does not unduy emphasize MS
tone when he lays that all the influences in them are
influences that make evil that they are the hobeds OF
our epdemics physical and moral, that they are tho
nurseries Of crime and paupern that MI our JAMS ana
polee-eourts that from them every year come the scum
OF 40 900 human wrecks that to our Island asyums
and Workhoues that they maintain among US stahuhg
army of 10000 tramps, with all that that implies
and that IN the last eight years they have turned out
round half.milion beggars to prey upon our charity
Some OF these CT course are not so bad
as others Some there are which have been recently built
or remOdeled by benevolent capitalists, men and women
who have money and there no wiser beneVolence IN
Ney.York City today-remOdelled upon mole health
plan, upon better system Of sanitation but the
great majority OF them are far from being what theS
ought to be what they might be- the humanity OF
their landlords were commensurate with their greed for
some Of these are also owned by capitalists to their deep
and burning shame said and worked by them for all
they are worth every cent Of income that can be
exorted and drawn them without regard TO the degra
dalton Of character destruction Of manhood the po-
ton Of and the PROCLAMATION OF childhood which
that income represents and involves
WHY THE SALOONS ABOUND.
Is it any wonder, men and women, that we have in
New.York upward Of 10000 liquor seloons and grog'
geries as the solace and only refuge from this dray
don Of exstencei is II any wonder that all our efforts
to exterminate them by prohibition or to reduce the
number by high license. have been unsuccessful for how
stop the current and dry the stream when the
supplies it day after day remains? How can
live pure, disnercsted sober lives in the midst OF
environment that is unnvitng and 50 easily persuades
To the GROCERY and the brothell
That there are some who do live pure good
lives who despite their environment noby fight against
resist and overcome It's demoTazing and degrading ten
denotes, is indeed true All honor 10 them for It,
Tor cannot how they do It, Brt many
= strong they, and all our beneyo'
Vent efforts, all the benevolent activities OF the Chfl
dan Church, help to redeem. to lift them up. "a
ave them by the preaching Of the Gospel Of Jesus Christ
will amount little nothing The haekEeyed smile
"a drop in the bucket" inadequate as IL is COM