The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-01-15
CHURCHMAN'S CLUB.
An Able Discussion at the Trocadero
Last Night.
Bright Speakers From New YORK
Mass, Penn. and North Carolina.

The members OF the Churchman's Club
dined at the Trocadero last evening.
There were many present who are prom
inent In social, commercial and profes-
sional life, and the following gentlemen
sat at the table with President Rathbone
Gardner:
Rev. s. ID. Mcconnell, ID. D.. rector OF st.
Stephens Church, Philadelphia; Rev.
Algernon Crapsey, rector of st. Andrews
Church, Rochester; James A. Mac
Knight, manager Of the st. Bartholomew
Loan Bureau, New York; Silas
McBee, vice president of st.
Andrews Brotherhood, North Caro-
lima; Hon. Robert Treat Paine, of
Boston; Processes j. II. Jewett, of Brown
University; II. III. /. Goddard, j. Nicholas
Brown, j. L. A. Eddy, Il. NJ. Slocomb, J.
III. Stiness, Henry Harmon, George IA.
Ames. Il. ID. Pearce, 4. p. Hawes and 9. Z.
Mumford.
The after-coffee orator was introduced
by President Gardner who, in assuming
his duties as toastmaster, announced as
the subject for discussion The Duty OF
the Church In Matters OF Secular Benevo-
lence," and explained what signih-
canoe the words had to the
ueI1DSTS Vi tDc CounCi WhO
had chosen the theme. Before closing
Mr.. Gardner alluded very gracefully to
the illness and absence of Bishop Clark to
whose influence and encourage
ment, more than to any other
one factor, the Churchman'S
Club owes so much. The announcement
that the bishop is rapidly recovering his
health was received with appreciation SO
manifest as to indicate the love and
esteem which all clergymen and laymen
of this diocese feel for its executive.
Hon. Robert Treat Paine OF Boston was
then introduced. He said that the time
had come when workingmen's loan as
sociations are an imperative necessity in
all large communities; that in 1888 his
eyes had been opened to the needless suf-
fering OF honest working people who were
forced to go to professional money
sharks for loans and be robbed as result
and because OF his discoveries he had
established his institution. Good men
had been secured to serve as direc-
tors and the work OF the institu-
tion had been beneficial. 1t had
always been carried on in accordance with
the strict principles of business, but 1t
was Christian business.
The loans are made on chattel mort
cages at one per cent. per month. And
$120, 900, no one loan exceeding $1,000.
SO far as the relation OF the church is
concerned Mr.. Paine said that there
should be no relation. A loan association
is not the thing to be conducted by
church or parish, and for this reason,
there are things that must be done in
may do with justice, and even
tenderness, but which are nevertheless
disagreeabl and could not be safely
undertaken by a church. He cited as an
example the occasional necessity
OF foreclosure on mortgage
and the dealing with patrons
work belongs more properly to the lay
men as individuals on their independent
The preacher should fur
nish the inspiration and his people en-
gage in the activities.
Rev. s. ID. Mcconnell, rector of st.
stephens at Philadelphia, and Rev. A. 8.
Crapsey, rector Of ST. Andrews Church,
Rochester, were the next two speakers.
Both are bright, thoughtful and eloquent
speakers and they differed on every point
so that courteous but outspoken and
forcible arguments greatly enhanced the
interest OF the evenings discussion.
An abstract of DIR. McConnell's remarks
is as follows:
The situation at the end of this century
Is that human distress never was more
manifest, never so keenly felt. Men have
dreamed that with the century's develop
ment OF society poverty would be blotted
out. The result has been quite the con-
trary because the proportion of the de-
pendent classes is steadily increasing.
Nature has a hard and harsh way for
maintaining the equilibrium of humanity
that we would not initiate. Nature would
have killed many OF her unfortunate
creatures that We have kept alive.
Today the facilities for food
transport.ations are so great that
and yet famine was one of Natures agen-
cies for relief. The discoveries and ad-
vance In medicine and surgery have en-
abled Us TO prolong the life OF the crippled
and the diseased that Nature would have
been rid of; imbecile and pauper are cared
for, and so the rag-tag and bob-tail OF
creation is maintained, IL breeds and
multiplies and the issue comes as an ad-
ditional burden on society. This increase
then In the proportion is the most potent
cause OF human suffering.
Whose business IL IL to relieve IL 4?
There have been three answers. Among
all English speaking people the state
takes the responsibility OF caring for it's
helpless members and the state does
IL very badly, practically not
at all; the second answer that IL shall be
done by voluntary organization and that
Is the way IL Is done principally; the third
answer Is that the church shall come in
and in its organized capacity do what the
State does badly, what voluntary organi-
zation does wastefully.
To the question, "Should the Church
enter this field 2" ] am prepared to ans
wer, No." Because, first, there Is no
such thing as the Church. There are
churches, no end Of them, and some day
there will be but one church. believe
In the Holy Catholic Church, but
10 does not yet exist. IL
Is not manifest in all its catholicity, its
holiness or It's unity. Therefore, the
chprch Is not prepared TO do the work OF
secular benevolcnce. Why should IL ex-
press its willingness or assert it's right to