Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1896-10-02
CHURCH EXTENSION.

CuUhOa GA1LNO1ONs
Embarrassment of the Work I'm.
der the Gold Standard
Rev. DR.. A. j. Kynett, Of PHILADELPHIA,
Who Has Charge of the Methodist
Church Extension Fund, says she
Work Has Been Seriously Hin
dered By the Disuss of silver.
I Advocates Of the gold standard, In
their attempts to array the church on
their side of the financial issue, are
promptly met by the managers Of
church enterprises themselves in refu-.
tation of their claims as to how church
work would he disastrously affected by
the free coinage of silver. We take
pleasure in reproducing in this cons
nection the following article from
Rev. DIR. A. j. Kynett, Of Philadelphia,
who has charge Of the church extern
sion work of the Methodist church
throughout the country. The article
is taken from Christianity in Earnest,
which is published by the church for
the special purpose Of aiding the
work Of church extension.
"Churches Affected by silver-Their
extension work seriously interfered
with" In heated political campaign
all parties gather all sorts Of argu-
ments in support of their views. This
is well for an educational campaign"
as intelligent people will be thereby as
cic tol 10 srrh< ,to
quires, however, that when anything
unauthorized or false appears it should
be promptly challenged.
\ An article, under the above heading,
drawing the churches in for partisan
uses has been going the rounds of the
papers. We now find it quoted, with
implied approval, in lions Herald, Of
/ August 26, from the New York Sun of
August 22. It Is too long to quote, but
/ I'VE feel called upon to refer to certain
! passages in it. It says: i
Il 1.-THE Methodists have about 81, oo0, 900
which is used for church extension
+ throughout the country, under the d.
ERECTION of Rev. A. j. Kynett, of Phila-
delphia. This money is loaned on
mortgages on church edifices through
out the country, at a low rate Of inter-
4 est. Much Of this money is loaned in
the west, and the struggling new
churches have, through the hard times
which have followed the agitation for
free silver, In many instances been
unable to meet their mortgage obliga-
tions. The result has been that the
work of the church extension has been
greatly hindered, and the mission fund
will have to remain idle to tide the new
churches over this distressing period.
The churchmen have not been at loss
to place the blame for this condition Of
affairs, where it belongs, on the free sill
YER agitators. n N OF course
the proposition to pay one-hundred-cent
debts with fiftythree-cent dollars is a
moral question which might we'll
arouse the religious element of the ma
ton in opposition"
Il Similar statements are made as to the
church edifice fund of the Baptist Home
Mission society; also the Presbyterian
Board of Missions. The impression
sought to be made is that the free sill
yer agitators are, by these churchmen,
held responsible for the embarrassed
conditions referred to.
Those in charge of the church funds
ian answer for themselves, or allow
the statements to pass unchallenged
On questions Of fact, as related t.
Methodist church extension, I speak Of
|fcially. In matters of opinion, or
which persons composing the manage
ment may differ, speak only for my.
Iself.
On questions Of fact I have to say
that ornr treasurer's reports for years
past indicate no great change in the
condition of churches borrowing, I'M
It'll within the last four years, and, with
the exception of that period, the diff
Guilty alluded to has been of gradua
growth. There is no greater acuteres.
of the trouble perceptible as result
of free silver agitation" The interes
received on loans was greater in 1S9s
than in 1894 and the same is true O.
the amount of loans returned, and the
present indications render it probable
THAT the receipts of loans returned anc
of interest during 1896 will be abou
equal to those of 1885, and in excess O.
those of 1894. find, in the facts show1
by the treasurer's report, absolutely
ne justification for the statement tina
"the blame for this condition of thing
belongs with the free silver agitators.
Now, as to questions of opinion, spcal
solely for myself. The difficulty will
our Methodist churches, including thos,
indebted to us for loans, that has re
sulted in the serious embarrassment O
missionary, church extension and 9th
er benevolent work, arises out of tn
great reduction that has taken pluc
within the last 20 years in tn
value of farm lands and farm product
and the paralysis of manufacturing ant
mining industries throughout the coun
try. Churches indebted to our loa
fund are chiefly in farming, manu-
featuring and mining communities, and
of course, suffer in their ability to pa,
debts or make benevolent contributions
Whatever may have been the cause O
this great reduction it has been CO
incident with the disuse of silver AM
the establishment of q single gol
standard. This general condition is a
the same time the cause of our en-
barrassments, and of the free siive
agitation. 1t is an outrageous and crue
wrong to accuse directly or by implica
ton, the great body of the peopl
thus embarrassed and seeking relief
with dishonesty, or with disposition