Industrial freedom. [volume] (Edison, Wash.) 1898-1???, 1899-04-08
CLARITY

ihiiiioi Ietl SliiIIt vi Inc ages, the II1T-
teenth chapter of his first Corinthian
letter, but the CHARITY, of condos
cendingly giving to the poor on the
part OF the over-rich and their feeble
lmitators. A New York city staff cor
respondent of the Minneapolis Sunday
Times thus sings, in last Sundays
issue, in praise of Charity:
The systematic charities of the
large churches in this city are but little
exploited. For this reason there is
all the more interest in the fact lust
made public that the money expended
by Plymouth Church, BROOKLYN, in
aiding the poor and maintaining ed
ucatlOn al enterprises connected with
its eeveral missions, has averaged
$11 900 year during the ten years
of the passionate of DR.. Lyman Abbott
This line of Christian effort has dew
eloped largely in Plymouth Church
since the death of Henry Ward Beech
or, whose brilliant pulpit talent gave
the organization reputation well
nigh universal. In this connection it
may be said that many people regard
as having no sympathy with the poor
are far-reaching and noble in their
transformations generosity. An in
stance is Bartholomew one of the
ultra-tashiOnablec churches Of the Epis-
cOpal denomination. In an address
commemorative of the completion of
ten years as rector Of this church the
Rev. DR.. D. II. Freer made the follow
ing state ment of moneys collected and
diSbursed: 'Forw work among the poor,
$211 600; for work in the parish
house, III its equipment and partial
endOWmct, $S57 900; for the improve
fnent and equipment OF the church,
az, 900; for the support Of the var
iOus missions connected with the
church, $37 600; for foreign missions
benevolent purposes $67,000; for for
eign missions 100000 for diocesan
missions, $4,000; for domestic
missions, $172, 600; other misccllane-
Gus missionary objects, $13S, 900; MAX
ink in all total of $$,568,O0O. This
statement shows very cOnClusively
that St. Bartholomew is not Oblivi-
Gus to the poor, whom We have al
ways with YOU; and the two churches
mentioned above are exceptions to the
rule only as the wealth of their mem
bers IS greater and enables then to do
more then is possible in the Ease OF
most other churches.
Yes; but where do all these churches
get all this money which they SO con-
descendingly give to the poor or use
for missionary objects? Where do the
millionaires who give the money to
the churches who give the money TO
the poor get all the money they con-
descendingly bestow in Charity? The
robber- barOns OF the Middle Ages gave
a portion of their stealings to the
church and to the poor, thinking thus
to atone for their thlcvings, while
they kept tAree-totrths at least of all
they stole THE robber-monopolists
and mammon-worShippers of to-day
give perhaps q tenth of their APP
preparations in Charity; but do they
thus atone for the nine other tenths?
We move this previous questions:
Whose money is thus givenin Charity?
Moreover, we move another prey
ious question; What real good does
all this Charity business do? 1t
strengthens the cords and lengthcnS
the stakes of Monopoly and Nam
monism. 1t postpones the day of soci-
al reformation. 1t demOralizes the
poor who are its recipients and come
to be its obsequions dependents. But
what real and lasting good does it do?
The Love which means Brotherhood
is good, The Love which includes
.Justic is glorious. But the Charity
which gives aims or sends missiOnar-
les but plates Mammonism with piety
and puts off social reformation is a
bane and not boon! Plymouth
Church, Brooklyn, may give more iii
Charity than it did in Henry Ward
Beecher's day, but does it's pulpit
sound a bugle-blast for reform?
St Bartholmew's may toss many
coin to the poor but would poor
man ever be heartily welcome inside
it's ultra-fashionable walls?
Much cOndescending. pity for the
poor may indeed be felt by the wealthy
churches of that modern Babylon,
New York city, but how much real
sympathy with the poor do they pos
sess?
We believe in Justice; we believe in
Love; we believe in Sympathy: we
believe in Cooperation. But Charity
is a curse; and the sooner both rich
and poor awake 20 Il recognition Of
this fact, the better it will be for the
whole world Rev. ). w. Sample, in
Peoples Paper.