The Portland daily press., 1892-01-25

cross, He prayed: ''Father, forgive them,
for they know not what they do" The
example of Christ warns us against be-
lifting His words.
Such an Interpretation is not true to
the teaching of Christ. You will find no
word in the counsels of Christ that will
! justify you in narrowing the circle of
sympathy and service, He crystallized
| His thought of beneicence into that
beautiful parable of the Good Samaritan.
It gives no hint of All eXclusiveness that
would deny aid to anyone in need The
mangled half-dead traveller, of the para
BILE did not belong to the Good Samari-
tan's church. He was bound to him by
His distress was his claim
| 1t might also be suggested that it is
impossible for us to decide who are
really the brethren of the Christ in the
sense of true spiritual relationship. The
| Omniscient alone can scan the names
written in the Lambs book of life, so
that if we were TO say that none but true
brethren of Christ were proper objects of
Christian charity, we would then stand
face to face with the impossibility of
knowing who they are. Let us then
clearly understand that the objects of
| Chaistian charity are those who need.
| Upon this
Broad Foundation
brethren of the Portland Benevolent As
ISOLATION, have pleasure in knowing
and saying that your society was found
ed. The gentlemen who organized it,
declared its object in these words: ''Its
business shall be to relieve and assist
those objects of compassion whose cir
| cumstances may require relief in a man
ner different from that which is by law
provided for the support and employ
ment of the poor; comprehending there
/ in the widow and the fatherless, the
destitute and helpless stranger, and all
who, by sickness, infirmity or misfortune,
may be reduced to indulgence; and re-
garding the case of those fatherless
children whom poverty may deprive of
an opportunity to obtain instruction and
employment; and, generally, to exercise
such acts of charity, hospitality and be-
nevolence as the funds of the society
shall allow 1t is q pleasant privilege
to point out the essential agreement of
your association with the principles of
true Christian charity as regards its
objects.
We also learn from Christ treatment
of our subject that Christian charity is
characteristics as set forth in the account
of what had been done. The sick were
visited, those in prison were looked after,
the naked were clothed, the strangers
were sheltered, and the hungry were fed.
Such work could not be carried on
without activity on the part of those en-
/ gagged in it. Much of our charity today
Seems to lack this element of activity.
Charity lives in peace on the avenue,
while poverty haunts the alley. Charity
dwells in a comfortable home, out of
sight of the poverty that shivers in the
hovel or garrett. Charity must be sought
after, and when found must be reused
from torpidity by means of a personal
appeal or charity sermon. Charity sits
at home until need knocks at the door
and moves the heart by fearful recital
of woe.
Charity Needs Feet and Eyes
as well as hands and ears. Charity
needs to know that those who are most
worthy of help are not those who thrust
themselves into notice, but those who re-
tire out of sight with their affection
Charity should realize that the greatest
sufferers are not the most clamorous, but
that the world is full of silent anguish.
Charity should initiate Christ, ''who
went about doing good.' Stationary
charity is not Christlike.
True Christian carity is also set forth
as being intelligent and discriminating.
think we may draw this conclusion
from the adaptation of its gifts. For
the hungry there was food, for the thirs-
ty drink, for the naked clothing, for the
sick visit, for the stranger shelter, and
for the prisoner the cheer of personal
sympathy. The gifts fitted the needs.
These elements of timeliness and adap-
tation characterized the good gifts of
Christ. He gave according to need. He
bestowed no gift simply for the sake of
giving He entered into the circum-
stances of each individual case as it came
to His notice, and in SO doing He always
blessed intelligently. In this we need
i TODAY to follow our Master. Good sense
ought to be mixed with generosity. The
lack of discriminate giving has resulted
in the fostering of an unworthy class of
mendicants who feed and thrive on the
law impulses of well-meaning but mis-
taken generosity.
A child comes to your door with a pit
iful story about sick mother and a lot
of little brothers, and wants something
to eat. Nine times out of ten you put
some food in the basket and send the
child away, and thus ease your con-
science. You have either done too much
or too little If the child has sick
mother it is your business to look the
family up and see that they have proper
care. If the story is false you have sim
ply encouraged the vice of lying, and
have assisted in fattening those who are
preying upon a counterfeit charity. A
beggar stands on the street corner with
the stereotyped appeal for help hung
about his neck The good natured but
thoughtless passers-by toss their dimes
and pennies into the worn hat and go on
their way congratulating themselves that
distress has been alleviated. Perhaps at
the end of the week the grocer presents
his bill to the thoughtless giver and it
goes unpaid, while the
Corner Solicitor of Aims
goes down town and makes deposit to
the credit of his bank account. In this
thoughtless giving which is not Chris
tian charity, because it lacks intelligence,
lies the origin of the ''padrone' system
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