Mississippi leader. (Jackson, Miss.) 1892-1895, 1895-02-19
lcoprRreHr. 1891

OS oNASAeNSOfo Aahos HSe&
tiply.
Charity is a New Testament Scrip
ture term, meaning simply practical
deed kindly done for a brother.
Our Saviour gave us an illustration
of pure, simple charity in the follow
ing parable: "a certain man went
down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and
fell among thieves, which stripped him
of his raiment and wounded him and
departed, leaving him half dead. And
by chance there came down certain
priest that way, and when he saw him
he passed by on the other side. And
likewise Levite, when he was at that
place, came and looked on him and
passed by on the other side. But a GER
Samaritan, as he journeycd came where
he was, and when he saw him he had
compassion on him and went to him
and bound up his wounds, pouring in
oil and wine, and set him on his own
beast and brought him to an inn and
took care of him. And on the morrow
when he departed he took out two
pence and gave them to the host and
said unto him: Take care of him and
whatsoever thou spendcst more, when
come again will repay thee"
The priest by his very obligation was
bound to care for n brother, the Levite
none the less bound by his vows. The
Samaritan, who hated the jew and
without conscience upon the question,
was the man who practiced charity.
Out of kind heart he did practical
deed to help brother.
In this country we have organized
charities and bcnevolences which look
toward the amelioration of the condi-
ton of humanity. In these times these
institutions arc not equal to the task
Collections for the poor are taken every
Sunday in the churches; they range
from eighty-fve cents to forty dollars.
Most of these collections would seem to
come from paupers, and as charity be-
gins at home the money ought to be re-
funded on the spot.
Then we have committees in the
churches that look after the poor.
Some churches give charity balls, and
thus they connect the sweetest word
in all the Christian language with one
of societys most baleful and hurtful
things-a ball.
Then we have contributions from
millionaires. l saw the other day an
millionaire in Washington City had
given five thousand dollars to the poor
of the city. This makes good news tor
the Associated Press; it is rare occur.
renee. / have often wondered if such
gifts would be made at all if the giver
thought that it would never be known;
there may be few still alive who give
in the Scriptural way to charity, who
Twill not let their left hand know what
their right hand doeth."
A man who gives five thousand dol
lars to charity and circulates it, or suf
fers it to be circulated by press and
mouth, really gives about one dollar to
charity and four thousand nine hundred
and ninety-nine dollars to himself-he
takes that much in glory.
a millionaire out west boosted the
other day that he raised several thou
sand bushels of wheat this last year on
his Iowa farm, and that the railroad
rates were so heavy upon his wheat that
it would not pay its own way to market.
Out of the generosity of his soul he pro-
posed to the president of one of our
leading railroads that if he would haul
the wheat free of charge to the Ne
braslka sufferers he would generously
give them the wheat. The trade was
made, and he did a mighty charitable
deed by giving wheat that was worth
nothing to him.
There are mighty lot of folks in
this world who are willing to give away
anything and everything that they do
not need and do not want.
The charities of the average man in
this country would shame him to his
face if he would keep record Of them.
Many man thinks he is giving away
thousands when, If the record had been
made as honestly as he gave, it would
amount to such pittance that he
would destroy the record in sheer con-
tempt for himself.
How much we give does not test our
generosity, but how much we have
after we have given is far better test.
She who gave most and made the
record as the most generous of all
givers was the poor widow who gave
two mites, which was all she had. "If
thou seest thy brother have need and
shut up thy bowels of compassion
against him." condemnation instead Of
commentator comes to every such a
man. These are times of millionaires
and paupers and the masses of human
ity range between the two. Poverty is
indeed poverty when brought in con-
tact with great riches and luxury.
Take it as it is in New York city. Mil
lionaires with half dozen luxurious
homes more or less, when right down
the street a dozen families crowd into
one little tenement house and thou
sands sleep on the awnings and in the
parks when the weather will admit.
No wonder men sour and rebel. Phil
osophers may prattle and political and
social economists may write, but after
all we are not a brotherhood, we have
but little interest each in the other. My
own native state few days ago shipped
train load of provisions to starving
Nebraskans. A citizen of my own town
said: ave should make up a car load
here" l replied: II will give one hun
dred bushels of corn to the enterprise. {"
Some one remarked: what a fine adj
vertisement for our town when it shall
goabroad that Gainesville, Ca, shipped
a car load of provisions to the starving
west" ! replied: II don't want any
stock in advertising business, but II