The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1896-10-10
HOW CHURCHES
WILL SUFFER.
The Loss to Them Will
Be Many Millions if
Bryan Is Elected.
A BLOW TO THEIR WORN
The Great Shrinkage That
Would Come to Their Vast
Property Used For Be-
nevolent Purposes.

If free coinage of silver is adopted in
vestmcnts in securities will bring u much
smaller return, estimated at about one
half of the present gold value. Bryan and
his followers, noting this fact, claim it will
only hurt bankers and the rich whom he
calls 'goldbugs.''
There is another class of "goldhugs' of
whom Mr.. Bryan has nothing to say " .
Will suffer disaster if the free coinage tick.
ct is elected, and they are the churches
and their pastors
The salaries of pastors, especially those
who are engaged in missionary work, are
fixed, not to insure luxury to the preacher
ana his family, but upon Il basis of mere
existence and the sums thus paid May
preachers and missionaries in the Protes-
tant church only enable them to supply the
absolute necessities of life.
II free silver prevails, the cost of living
will probably be double what it isi.p&.
All commodities necessary 10 keep life in
the human body will largely increase in
cost. Attic same time church invcs;inc'. g,
Viii dcprcciatr, and, with C1HtVlD..yil;.,
falling off, it will not be possible for I've
church to increase the salaries Of prnLu.!.gs
and missionaries to correspond with tuc
increased demands made upon them by
the free silver prices.
Not tlDne, therefore, will the "goldbug'
banker suffer from the depreciation of '. Il
ucs which the success of Bryan and lis
ticket Will bring upon the country. The
poor generally will feel the panic that wi.i
surely come 1000 times more than TIE
rich and WCll to do. But no one or no 81 ..sS
will suffer greater Distress even to want
and poverty, than the preacher and mis-
sionnrT, whose lives are always self deny
ing to II wonderful degree.
The Methodist Church.
Let us, for example, take the effect up
on the finances of the Methodist Episco-
pal church. The invested funds in the
United States in Methodist church prop
erty are 500, 2S4, 06G and in church par
sonagcs SIG, SIS, 1915, n total of $126, 32
66l. In the shrinkage Of values which
will come if the silver party is successful
next November in establishing its SO cent
dollar basis the loss to the Methodist
church in these two investments alone
would be over $63 600, 900.
The net capital of the Methodist Book
concern is 81, 1906, 952 The mission of the
| Methodist Book concern is not to max,
| money, but to print religious literature
ana SEND II to every part OF the earth, to
shape thought and mold character after
the divine pattern Its profits arc paiu t.
the annual conferences for the benefit Q!
needy preachers. 1t has passed safely the
financial panics of the last 80 years, and
its credit has been equal to any emergcn-
cy. But If the Tree silver fallacy prevails,
the shrinkage in the valuc of the invested
capital of this the largest religious pub.
fishing house in the world, will amount
to 81 ,69S, 476, and its work will be para
lyzcd, if it is not thrown into bankruptcy.
According to the report in the Mcthp-
dist Year Book for 1896 the contributions
from that church in 1895 to missions,
church extension, hospitals, homes for
aged, womcn's home and foreign missions,
freedmens aid, educational and endow-
ments etc, were $50, 059 40
Under free coinage the shrinlagc from
these various charitable funds would be
over $4,000, 600 This vast sum of over
$50, 600, 900 WAS raised by contributions
from church members the average bcing
about $40 to each member If this grand
missionary and charitable work is kept up,
each contributor will be called upon, under
II free coinage administration, to give $50
yearly instead Of $40.