The sun., 1895-02-18
PARKHURST TALKS DARKLY
A FUND THAT WAS DIHERTED FROM
ITS PROPER OBJECT.

CIersymen Were Among the Onsnders. but
re VIII Not Say who They Are-An
Illustration In His Sermon of His State
n,ent that a Crowd Has No Conscience.
The Rev. DIR. Parkhurst set his congregation
wondering yesterday morning to whom he re-
ferred when he arraigned anonymously group
of clergymen and elders for misappropriating
fund consigned to their care for specific pur-
pose. His text was from Romans VII, 13.
THAT sin by the commandment might become
exceeding sinful" In the early part of his
sermon DIR. Parkhurst devoted himself to in
dividual sin in tho usual homiletic way. But
in amplifying his lesson he stirred his hearers
curiosity by averrlng that men individually
honest took advantage of their collective as
sociations 10 be otherwise and escape censure.
In those circumstances, he said. we merged our
selves In the crowd. and formed our moral
estimates as one of toe crowd instead of feeling
our personal relation to our own particular sin.
He continued: Now a crowd has no con-
science. 1t is customary TO say that u corpora
tion has no conscience, and 1t is likewise true
that q crowd has conscience: society has no
conscience. There is no quick and clear move
ment Of the moral faculty except when there Is
a distinct cause of individuality. That is an
unquestionable fact, and goes far toward ac-
the associate character of the community.
Twill give you concrete illustration of that
in a moment. If you were to put a certain
amount Of money in the hands of Christian
man to be applied by him to q specific object
which you yourself designated, he would
feel himself morally bound to apply
the money according to the designation.
Now \ few weeks ago there was an
amount Of money raised for a specific object,
and it was put in the hands not OF one man. but
of a body of men, and a good many OF them
were. am told, clergymen-and some who were
not clergymen were elders-and they voted to
apply that money in a way that was not intended
nor specified by the donors; and not only that,
they applied 1t in way that was positively dis
tasteful and offensive to q good many Of the
donors.
If II had been one man that misappropriated
funds In that way 1t would have been rascally,
and he would have felt it to be such. and the
associate act of q body of men was every whit
as rascally; but perhaps not one indivdal OF
that body so voting felt the individual niquity
of the proceeding. for the reason that he acted
as one Of the crowd, and a crowd has no con-
science.
living to be able to preserve ones individuality
scientiously that which one does in his corporate
capacity. In matters in which men have an
conscience decide. and the associate conscience
is no conscience. Other people do it, and why
IN done it. and viii fHfs do TEat s
the process. We are all familiar with It, and all
have suffered from it. probably.
wrong to the popular decision 1t is not because
we have more confidence In the popular iudg-
ment than we have in our own. but because we
want moral questions passed upon by somebody,
and because we know that collective moral
& minimum of mOralA That "a
way way society drifts down stream and we drift
After this Dr. Parkhurst reverted to the ind-
vidual course Of righteousness and bade his
auditors have a care Of the Judgment day.
To q reporter for THE Sun DR.. Parkhurst said
last evening that he did not care to comment on
ent. Some of his congregation understood him,
he thought, but not many Of them. In the near
future something further might come of it, he
us it proper TO infer that your remarks re-
lated TO- q matter concerning only your own
No; my congregation are not of that kind,
thank Heaven" the Doctor replied.
is the matter a public one or purely denomi-
1T is, as I said. a matter OF the misappropria-
on of funds PLACED in the ha1ds of body Of
Does it have reference to the community out
No it's purely local. Certain gentlemen who
contributed to the fund are displeased that it
than that for which they contributed. TO pur-
pose for which possibly they would not have
contributed at ALL"
Has any complaint been made by them2"
mo formal complaint"
"Then. Dr. Parkhurst, apparently you have
been the spokesman of the dissatisfied for the
purpose of bringing the matter to public atten-
tion2"
II have not been requested TO do so. but this
came to me the other day, and when get hold
Of these things like to use them. / am not
much of Calvinist some. but believe in
straight moral lines. 1t is the fashion among
some clergymen to rail against Wall street,
against the business methods prevailing there
] am inclined to the belief that those methods
are as straightforward as those employed in
business generally, including those In use among
clergymen. There is no suggestion that any
one prohted by the transaction referred to- and
IL is not the amount involved that counts. 1t is
the diversion OF the fund to purpose other than
that for which IL was specifically intended; IL is
the principle OF the thing only with which am
concerned"
"Will any future reference TO the matter be
made In your own pulpt?'
Probably not In my pulpit"
As the congregation OF the Madison Square
Church was dispensing yesterday morning the
people gathered in groups and asked one an
other 10 whom and to what fund the pastor re-
ferred. Some OF the men TO whom reporter
spoke requested that these parts OF the sermon
be not published. DIR. Parkhurst said last even
lug that he could not believe that any of his
iahf had Aa oh