The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1896-10-01
HOW CHURCHES
WILL SUFFER.
The Loss to Them Will
Be Many Millions if
Bryan Is Elected.
A BLOW TO THEIR WORK
The Great Shrinkage That
Would Come to Their Vast
Property Used For Be-
nevolent Purposes.

nevolent Purposes.
II free coinage of silver is adopted, in
vestments in securities will bring 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 "goldbugs" of
whom Mr.. Bryan has nothing to say who
will suffer disaste; 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
and his family, but upon basis of mere
existence, and the sums thus paid many
preachers and missionaries in tho Protes-
tant church only enable them to supply the
absolute necessities of life.
If free silver prevails, the cost of living
will probably be double what 1t is now.
All commodities necessary to keep life in
the human body will largely increase in
cost. Attic same time churchiuvestments
will depreciate, and, with contributions
falling off, 1t will not be possible for the
church to increase the salaries Of preachers
and missionaries to correspond with tho
increased demands made upon them by
the free silver prices.
Not alone, therefore, will the "goldbug"
banker suffer from the depreciation of val
ues which tho success Of Bryan and his
bot will hrtn bn
poor generally will feel the panic that will
surely come 1000 times more than the
rich and we'll to do. But no one or no class
will suffer greater distress, even to want
and poverty, than the preacher and mis-
sionary, whose lives are always self deny
ing to 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 tho
United States in Methodist church prop
erty are 500, 2s4, 068 and in church par
sonages SIG, s4s, 495, total of $128, 1884,
SOL. In the shrinkage of values which
will come if the silver party is successful
next November in establishing its 50 cent
dollar basis the loss to the Methodist
CHtlrCn III JltS6 TWO investments ulOD6
would be over t88, 100000.
The net capital Of the Methodist Book
concern is 80, 896, 95a. The mission of the
Methodist Book concern is not to make
money but to print religious literature
and send 1t to every part of the earth, to
shape thought and mold character after
the divine pattern. Its profits are paid to
the annual conferences for the benefit of
needy preachers 1t has passed safely the
financial panics of the last so years, and
its credit has been equal to any emergen-
cy. But If tho free silver fallacy prevails,
the shrlnkage in the value of the invested
capital Of this, the largest religious pub.
fishing house in the world, will amount
to 81 sos, 476, and Its work will be para
lyzed, If it is not thrown Into bankruptcy.
According to the report in the Metho.
dist Year Book for 1896 the contributions
from that church in 1896 to missions,
church extension, hospitals, homes for
aged, women's home and foreign missions,
freedmen's aid, educational and endow-
ments, ETC., were 500, 059,479
Under free coinage the shrinkage from
these various charitable funds would DO
over $4,000, OOO This vast sum of over
S2O,0O0,0O0 was raised by contributions
from church members, the average being
about $40 to each member. If this grand
missionary and charitable work Is kept up,
each contributor will be called upon, under
free coinage administration, to give $50
yearly instead of SO.
The Baptist Churches.
The Baptist church, as we'll as oil other
religious denominations, would feel this
shrinkage if the Bryan ticket should win.
Tho invested funds of the American
Baptist organization for ministerial re-
lief, educational institutions, homo and
foreign missions, ETC., in 1895 were $685.
$50, 629 In the shrinkage of values If the
free coinage party Is successful, the loss to
the Baptist church would DO over 81 ,O00,-
600.
The annual contributions of the Bap-
fists of the United States for local expenses
of churches, for missions and for other re-
ligious and philanthropic purposes arc
rcckoned at about SIS, 10000 If, as free
silver men claim, tho prices Of commodities
will rise if they are successful in electing
their ticket, 1t will require about double
this sum, Or $50, 900, 900. as endowments
or contributions for church and charitable
institutions. AS the membership In the
Baptist church is about 8,Q0O,O this
represents about IS per annum for each
member, and, as under free coinage the an
nual contributions for all purposes would
have to be double what they are now, to
keep up the same work and endowments
it would be necessary for each member to
give annually $40 where ho now gives S..
The Episcopal Church.
The Protestant Episcopal church of the
United States hos invested as endowments
or trust funds for the support of the epis.
copate, for the support of widows and or.
phans Of clergymen, for church building,
for the support of the aged and infirm cler-
gy, missions, ETC. about s44, 900, 900. The
total endowments for church and charita.
bic institutions in 1895 probably amount.
cd to 10000, 900, so In the shrinkage of
values under free coinage the loss to the
Protestant Episcopal church would be
S25, 10000 The total income in this
church represents about S35 per annum
for each communicate and under free coin
age, to produce the same results, 1t would
require over $40 per year for each commu-
licant.
The Congregational Church.
In the Congregational church the re.
,eipts in 1895 by contribution for mission
Try and educational work and various be.
nevolent sucieties were about SO, 200, 900.
The value Of church property In that de.
nomination Is about s45, 0jo, 900, and the
invested funds from charitable contribu-
lions are about s8,O0O,00O The local ex-
penditures, in 1896, such as salaries of pas
tors and general expenses were about 81
000,o Thus the total values in tho Con-
gregational church reach q sum total of
about S57,20O,O 00 and the shrinkage of
values under Bryan and free coinage
would be 28,600,O00 The yearly contri.
buttons from each member Of the Congre-
gational church now. amount to about
So. so, and to accomplish the same benevo-
lent work. II free coinage il adopted, this
contribution would have to be doubled.
The Poor VIII Suffer.
These eudowments and contributions,
generally speaking are given by the rich,
but are used for the benefit of tho poor,
Withdraw them, and the poor only will