The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1897-11-16
CHARITY METHODS
System is Advocated in a
Sermon by Mr.. Brine.
Too Much OF Indiscriuinate Giving.
Should be One List-Good Sama-
ritan-POor Tax.

The announcement that Rev. D. P.
Bimie would speak on the subject Of
Associated Charities" attracted to
Central Union besides the usual con-
sregation last evening a number of
ladies and gentlemen interested in
phuanthropic work. but not regular
church attendants. The music was es-
pecially good and the discourse was in
reresting and thoughtful
The parable OF the Good Samaritan
was read. Rev. Mr. Birnie said that
the concern Of those who would give
relief was with the man who was down,
the man in trouble. Time should not
De wasted in inQuiring how the distress
came about. That might be a subject
for later investigation and remedy. It
might be the emigration company, it
might be whisky. Il might be labor
conditions. II mattered not what the
reason If there was q call for charit-
able action al once. Wounds received
IA a drunken brawl were just as pain
ful and just as appealing as those sus-
tanned in honorable combat upon the
field OF battle OF in the performance
Of duty.
There should be method in the ex-
tension Of help in volunteer relief
work Really, all benevolent societies
are simply mske-shifts The central
idea Of Christianity is do away with
poverty and thus abolish the necessi-
" for the present great relief work.
The problem Of the hour is the poor
as they present themselves. Usually
the children make manifest the exist
ing distress. They CRY out and there
must be heed 70 their cry.
The second consideration is the re-
lief agencies. There are in Honolulu
six principal ones. as follows: Ameri-
can. British. German, Portuguese, Ha-
waiian and the Strangers Friend So
ciety. the last being the oldest. Be
sides those are found the church charit-
able bureaus. the lodges and benevo-
lent secret societies and the Asiatic
organizations.
The third question and the vital one
upon which Rev. Nj. Brine dwelt the
( longest and strongest. was that of CO.
operation. He did not propose ANAL
gamation- His idea was that each So
ciety should maintain its individuality
as al present, with its officers and
working forces and field agents. What
he did advise and what he believes
VIII be undertaken at once was that all
henefciaries be placed upon a single
list open only 10 inspection of repre-
sentatives OF the various societies.
This he said would be big step in the
direction Of centralizing and attaching
system 10 the work All Of the socie-
ties are now doing nobly. but some of
them are al times imposed upon. many
OF them do lots Of unnecessary work
and there Is much indiscriminate Civ
ing that should be stopped. Relief
work cannot suffer delay. but there
should be investigation of each case.
The pastor declared that there was
altogether too much of bestowal of
charity by citizens whose favors were
not appreciated and who through ignor-
ance of the circumstances of a case
often encouraged those who were IN
worthy. Ii would take a very short
time 70 look up a man a woman or a
family and then no mistake could be
made. The town is becoming too large
Tor the old careless system of going
into the pocket instanter on request
The last suggestion and one that will
he followed was for a poor tax. Rev.
4Ir- Brine said no method from the
United States or elsewhere could he
adopted here. Local system must
grow out Of local conditions. The idea
vas not TO draw upon the state. though
the money might come directly from