The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1895-11-02

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600, to be apportioned among the parish.
es in the ratio of their presumed ability.
Appendix A will show the Financial
Secretary's receipts from parishes during
the year as well as the Secretary's.
DIR. Rugg, recognizing the poseibili-
ties of the Cent-a Day plan has bestowed
much thought and labor upon it's devel-
opment; endeavoring to interest pastors
and laymen in it. and to secure the
widest attention to it's force as means
OF generous giving, capable of large re-
turns. The brief time of it's operation
can hardly be test of the powers Of
the plan; yet it has produced seventeen
or eighteen hundred dollars; and there
are unpaid pledges amounting to elk
thousand dollars. The issue and circu-
ton OF the pledges upon this plan are
hardly begun. II the members of this
Convention will with hearty interest
further the efforts of the Financial Sec.
retary in this behalf, they will do much
for their success. and confer boon up
on the Church. But we have found in
the financial realm that enthusiastic
resolutions will not suffice for the pay
ment of missionaries or of anybody else.
The noisiest zeal will not avail in COM
parison with the silence that is golden.
Faith without works is dead;' and of
the least worth is that which seeks to in
spire others when itself lacks substance.
What is essential to the true prosperity
OF every church is lively interest in its
spiritual life and work. Again, dispo-
sition to pull together" is essential.
Christian unity will result from the
unity OF Christians. And the unity of
the Church will not be realized without
the unity of churches. Churches divide
upon questions Of policy, and, even if
adopted by majority, find a coldness
freezing the zeal Of the remnant.
The Board has found the employment
OF travelling agents too expensive for the
results, and unsatisfactory to donors as
we'll as to Executive Officers. 1t all
comes back to this: "the hearty aid of
all our ministers is essential to the sue
cess OF any plan for the raising of money
which human wisdom may devise; and
unless 'they fully second the efforts of
the Financial Secretary, these will me-
cessarily fall far short of efficiency.
Small things" are not to be despised.
There are churches of poor Christian
people whose gifts, free from all vain
glory. outvie in generosity those of people
OF prosperous business and of large for.
tune. They have no contempt for "the
day of small things" The Cent-a-Day
pledge may, if any one SO desires. be
made large thing by multiplication. If
one cent is small, ten cents day is not
SO small, and twenty cents is larger.
The Cent-a-Day plan provides for an
equal division of receipts with the State
Conventions, free from all charges. The
latter provision obviates one of the him
ORANGES of the Financial Secretary's
efforts; and it is hoped that the plan will
have the hearty endorsement of the Con-
Committees will make every reasonable
effort to interest ard unite their con-
stituents in the work of the Church, and
avail themselves of this plan for the in
crease of its effectiveness.
The productiveness of the Cent-a Day
plan, if developed to it's full possibilities,
may be readily recognized. If the 44,-
600 families reported in our regular or
ganization should be represented by
centa.day pledge, and the same should
be honored according to its terms, it
would produce over $4,000. OF this
sum the State Conventions would re-
ceive $4,000 per year, and the General
Convention the same amount. This
would take care of all its work, Scholar
ships, Home and Foreign Missions. The
Cent-a.Day pledge is not small thing to
be despised. but large thing to be glo-
rifed, if the love of our Faith and
Church has free course.