The Portland daily press., 1897-02-08
THE BgADLEY-MARTIN BAIL.
Portland Clergymen interviewed on
the subject.

Jile SubJect.
ghoy Believe Such Display of Wealth, Vul-
,y,r-Bishop Neely Thinks Wealth a
1.oan-Bishop Realy Thinks Such Dis
uIay Aggrevates Unrest-T'r. Jenkins
thinks it ostentatious-yiews OF
Others.
A PRESS man OH Saturday asked a
number Of Portland clergymen their
oninion Of the stand taken by the Rev.
Or. Rainsford Of New York who several
weeks ago preached q sermon denouncing
t;,e hall to be given by MIR. and Mrs.
Bradley- Martin in that city. This is the
caatI1a;o ball on which it is estimated
that several hundred thousand dollars
will be- spent. How this great sum will
he expeuded is more fully set forth in
New York letter to the PRESS printed
en the ninth page of this Issue. In reply
to the question, of the PRESS man, Bis
hop Nicely, Bishop Healy, Rev. DIR.
Jenkins. Rev VI. S. Ayres, Rev. J. B.
Shepherd, and Rev. DR.. Blanchard re-
piled as follows:
DIR. JENKINS,
nastor of State street church, said in effect
Ostentation and foolish and reckless
t5isulsy Of Wsalth is always deplora bic.
they tell story OF Gov. Wolcott of Mas
ssetiusetts that while one day in the
ssslums'' Of Boston with his two young
SONS he was met by q prosperous friend
who remarkea:
ssWhsts are you doing down here?
"Well. % replied the Governor, "most
every body is teaching their children how
to GET money. | am trying to show my
hovs how to use it, and ths Governor
and his two little sons continued their
rounds of calls which meant an al'evia-
I1on of this sufferinqs and hardships of
their less fortunate "BotheIs. =. If all
of orr rich men had this true spirit OF
true humanity, there would be little
need Of such warnings as DIR. Rainsford
was moved TO utter. | know little OF
this particular case. The use OF wealth
is most serious problem. We2lth
boarded is certainly misused. / see no
objection TO a mans surrounding him
self and his family with Impossible COM
fart ana refining influences and 8 reason
eble amnant of luxury. DESTINATIONS dis
plav is always vulgar in the extreme In
The present state Of national unrest and
tue ever widening chesm between rlen and
Moor it becomes almost criminality.
Noshinq will ever equalize wealth. New
York does not get due credit for her
charity from most people, She has big
heart after all. One Of the most lumin-
Gus volumes ever printed is the seldom
read but ponderous annual publication
of the list Of the charities OF New YORK.
Perhaps one good effect of the intended
disgusting display which has caused such
mil hQ of
public sentiment that will make such
occurrences less frequent i'll the future.
REV, DIR. BLANCHARD,
pastor of Congress Square Uniyersalist
church said:
sThe time when pablo men should
give expression to their strong convlc-
lions ia aft hand. Dir. Rainsford has
uobIy risen to the occasion which presents
itself and condemned in strong and e1oe
o1ent words what be knows to be wrong.
His church, IS many mag not be aware.
is composed Of large democracy as well
as tremendously wealthy aristocraeg.
he is a scholar, but sympathetic IN his
nature, He is not an scetic. He is in an
Immensely wealthy and luxurious at
rnosphere, but he does not scorn at
poverty. He knows it's suffsrings and he
hears it's cries. He is q Christian man
and stamps this vulgar worldly show as
unworthy men and women claiming to
be Christians and at this crisis in our
affairs, when the painfully vast and ever
growing contrast in the conditions of our
fslIow-Inen and this terrible breach be-
tween the SO callad "cleFses," becomes, in
the minds of such great thinkers and
political economists as George D. Fer
ron, aanational menace, it is nothing short
Of a crime.
RI. REV. JAMES A. HEALEY,
Catholic bishop of the diocese of Maine,
granted an interview to d PRESS man at
the Episcopal residence on Congress
street Saturday. The bishop said that he
was not familiar with the circumstances
which impelIed DR.. Rainsford's censure,
nor had he read sufficiently of the matter
to express any opinion in regard to the
matter.
The bisIlop did say in general way,
however, that the selfish action and os-
tentatious display of parvenues and
many modern men of wealth simply
tended to widen the unhappy breach be-
tween the classes aggravating the suffer-
ings and increasing the agitation and
unrest of the poor
RI. REV. HENRY A. Nicely,
Protestant Episcopal bishop of Maine,
talked freely and eloquently in regard 60
the matter at his residence on State street
yesterday morning. The bishop was just
reading the wise words of Bishop Potter
OF New York, applicable to the situation,
naEASANT TO TAlzr