The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1894-06-20
Sweet Charity.

OF late the charity Of good people has been
strongly appealed TO in behalf Of storm SUI
ferers ON the coast. The newspapers seem 70
have discovered that there are now persons
In needy circumstances in that section which
was last August submerged by the waves Of
the sea.
We have taken no part for or AGAINST 'nls
recent claim upon our charity. When the
misfortune first befell that people, our recol'
lection is, that the people OF Abbeville re-
sponded. That was right, but We are not so
certain OF the wisdom Of giving to that peo-
ple at this late day. It reminds as too much
of q Circumstance that occurred before the
war. A man had the misfortune to lose his
house and its contents by fire. and after that
he would always appeal to the strangers
whom he met. One OF the beseiged strangers
tnterro9ated him "a TO when he had suffereo
this great loss. It wss ascertained to have
been about twenty eight years ago. 1t has
now been nearly year since the biunton
sufferers lost their crops.
This newspaper doesn't understand chafity
to be the dividing out Of our goods indiscrim-
inately among the unfortunate, the thriftless
or the lazy people who fail or neglect to work,
and then call on us to divide our earnings.
Charity In its first, its best, and Its highest
incentive exists In the heart and not in the
pocket book. II would restrain our tongues
from speaking evil Of our neighbor, and II
would forbid our hearts from believing or en-.
tertaining evil OF our unfortunate people.
While OF course plain and positive facts that
are susceptible Of proof are TO be recorded in
the book OF remembrance, yet large per
cent Of the neighborhood scandal or gossip
Ia based ON the merest fiction-or at worst, Is
founded only on the speakers evil construc.
ton OF an act which in itself may have been
totally innocent
Our understanding ia, If person. be he rich
or poor, friend or stranger. happen TO an acci-
dent In our immediate vicinity, whereby he
needs assistance, 1t is charity to give the
needed help-whether to call bis friends or
q physician, whether TO shelter him or to
feed him. II his horse throw him at your
gate, charity demands that we contribute to
his relief, promptly and quickly. If the
horye gets pick and lies down at onr gate, II
In our bounden duty to render the animal
any assistance possible. That is charity.
But II our neighbor's horse dies, we are
in NO wise called upon to buy him another
horse. That would be to endow him with an
estate, which act would encourage shiftless-
meas.
There Ia no charity lin feeding people who
have work to do, but who seek an excuse for
not doing 1t.
The poor we have always with us, and II
people are amind to give as long as they can
ind somebody poorer than they are, they can
soon divide ont their entire estate.
1t may be that there 10 suffering on the
coast. We do not doubt 1t. We presume the
same 10 true in Abbeville county. There can
always be found suffering, destitution and
hunger. The situation will never be differ
ent
Az the giving away Of the money for which
we have labored and economized in our liv.
ing to save, is q practical thing, and one TO be
well considered, 1t is the duty of our preach
ers to protect their 1ocks from unnecessary
drafts. and they owe 1t to the poor to see thas
they are not encouraged in idleness. and that
they are not led to believe that Christian peo-
pie will support them in the lack Of proper
effort to sustain themselves.
II people need money that they are able to
work for, it is charity to give them an oppor-
tunity to work. 1t is positively sinful to sup
port such people in idleness. People ought to
be taught to be selfreliant.