Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-09-28
CHURCH EXTENSION.
EMBARRASSMENT OF THE WORK UN,
DER THE GOLD STANDARD.


Who Has Charge of the Methodist
Church Extension Fund. says the Work
Has Been Seriously Murdered by the Dis
use Of Silver.
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 be disastrously affected by
the free coinage of silver. We take
pleasure in reproducing in this con-
nection the following article from the
Rev. DR.. A. j. kynett. of Philadelphia
who has charge of the Church EXten
ton 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 eXtention.
Churches Affected by Silver-Their
extension work seriously interferred
with" In a 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
sisted to right conclusions. This re-
quires. however. that when anythin g
unauthorized or false appears it should
he promptly challenged.
An article, under the above heading,
drawing ,.ie 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
Aug. &c, from the New York Sun of
= &c
feel called upon to refer to certain
passages in it. 1t says:
THE Methodists have about ST. 900 900
which is used for church extension
throughout the country. under the d.
rection 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-
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 obl:ga-
tons. The result has been that the
work of the church extension has been
greatly hindered, and the mission fund
VIII have to remain idle to tide the new
churches over this distressing period
The churchmen have not been a a loss
to place the blame for this condition of
affairs where it belongs. on the free sill
yer aGitators. OF course the
proposition to pay observation-disclosures
debts with ythree-cent dollars is a
moral question which might well
arouse the religious element of the ma
ton in opposition
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 aSitators are, by these churchmen.
held responsible for the embarrassed
conditions referred to.
Those in charge Of the church funds
can answer for themselves. or allow
the statements to pass unchallenged.
On questions of fact as related to
Methodist church extension, | speak of
ficially. In matters of opinion. on
which persons composing the manage
ment may differ. speak only for my
self.
On questions of fact l have to say
that our treasurer's reports for years
past indicate no great change in the
condition of churches borrowing. I'M
til within the last four years. and. with
the exception of that period the diff
Guilty alluded to has been of gradual
growth. There is no greater acuteness
of the trouble perceptible as a result
of free silver agitation" The interest
received on loans was greater in 1895
than in 1894 and the same is true of
the amount of loans returned. and the
present indications render it probable
l. 49,
of interest during 1896 will be about
equal to those of 1895. and in excess of
those of 1894. l find. in the facts shown
by the treasurer's report. absolutely
no justification for the statement that
the blame for this condition of things
belongs with the free silver agitators"
Now. as to questions of opinion. l speak
solely for myself. The difficulty with
| our Methodist churches, including those
indebted to us for loans. that has re-
suited in the serious embarrassment of
| missionary. Church EXtention and 9TH
er benevolent work, arises out of the
great reduction that has taken place
within the last twenty years in the
value of farm lands. and farm products
ana the paralysis Of manufacturing and
mining industries throughout the coun-
| Try. Churches indebted to our loan
1und are chiefly in farming manu-
featuring and mining communities, and
| OF course, suffer in their ability to paw
debts or make benevolent contributions.
Whatever may have been the cause of
this great reduction it has been CO.
incident with the disuse of silver and
the establishment of a single gold
standard. This general condition is. at
the same time. the cause of our en-
barrassments, and of the free silver
agitation. 1t is an outrageous and cruel
wrong to accuse directly or by impli-
| cation, the great body of the peo-
| pie thus embarrassed and seek
ing relief. with dishonesty. or with a
| disposition to repudiate any obligation,
| personal corporate. or of the state or
nation. To demand payment of old
| obligations in money of a new and
| higher standard of value is worse than
| Shylock for il is not so nominated
\ in the bond" These debts are all nav
able in coin" or in lawful money OF
the United States" and the creditor
has no right to demand payment in
| gold. When. in 1893. we We're con-
| strained to borrow $4,000 to lend
distressed churches. five out Of six of
| the money lending corporations to
| which we first applied wanted oblisa
Il