The sun., 1900-12-29
Mr.. Hewitt and Human Misery.

Mr.. Hewitt and Human Misery.
The remarks OF Mr.. HEWITT at a meeting
70 stimulate the raising OF large fund 70
build community house for lay workers
associated with the Episcopal Pro-Cathedral
I'm Stanton street, were OF decidedly sensa-
tional character
In beginning. with a view TO explaining
his interest in the project. he said very tenn
peratey and truly that TO know tho people
and their needs you have got to live among
them and get their confidence but then
he proceeded to lay upon the rich men OF
the town the responsibility for the exist
ing social wretchedness. The wonderful
increase In our wealth" is sufficient. In his
opinion, TO remove all the misery and all
the evil conditions among the humble classes
which at present are stains and sores on the
body polite" This misery he attributed
70 the advance Of industry which has created
the great advance in wealth. This indus
trial progress, he said. has also brought
on conditions that make 1t an absolute i'm
possibility for some people to live decent.
respectable lives"
Meantime, he declared, the rich have
not even begun to do what they ought to
do" even the most generous are not
giving in proportion to their wealth the
half that was given by their families a
generation ago He concluded by ex-
claiming passionately that II the terrible
social conditions existing are necessary
result of our industrial development.
would to COP that every industrial centre
could be destroyed as were Sodom and
Gomorrah Of old. and men driven back to
the land where they could at least have the
breezes and the green trees and the sunshine
and the blue Of heaven to look up to-
The pertinency OF all this to the special
enterprise in behalf OF which 1t was spoken
Is not easily dlscoverable. Surely Mr..
HEWITT cannot regard the building Of
community house in conjunction
with the Episcopal Pro-Cathedral in the
crowded neighborhood OF Stanton street
rs providing a practical remedy for tho
distressing conditions TO which he refers.
That Is a religious undertaking by a Church
with which the great body OF the industrial
population Of that district and OF the town
generally Is not in sympathy. Moreover
his remarks imply a very serious criticism
of the religious agencies and organizations.
chiefly Roman Catholic and Jewish, which
are already established on so large a scale
In the crowded east side OF New York
Are they doing 80 Ill. ara they so neclectful
of the needs OF the population thereabouts
that new methods and doctrines must
be brought in as substituted Some OF the
greatest parishes of the whole Roman
Catholic Church arc In that region with
q large corps Of priests anl with religious
orders rendering assistance and pJrnchlal
srho ~ established with a special view - the
moral and spiritual elevation of the poru-
la,ion by means Of catechctical religious
instruction along with secular teaching
In that region. too, live the great body
of the orthodox Jews, whose synagogucs
are numerous in it, Other jews may have
lapsei into complete infdeity ana mate
rialism, but there the enthusiasm Of the
ancient faith remains.
II Is not a spiritually destitute region.
therefore. hut is provided with organized
religious activities to an extent not ex-
ceeded elsewhere in the town surely
copal community house cannot Of itself
be Of the tremendous importance Mr.
HEWITT seems 20 abscribe 10 H. Desirable
as that enterprise may he. crelltahle as
II may be TO the Episcopal Church and
however worthy of support by lpisco-
palians. would II introduce any novelty
into the east side Of the town. so far AZ
concerns solicitude for the religious and
temporal welfare Of tho population? Its
methods generally cannot he called cXtraor-
dinary. unless in the particular religious
doctrine or ecclesiastical source by which
they are animated and for the prova cation
and benefit Of which they are employed
Now. as TO Mr. HEwITTs accusation
OF negligence in rich men as concerning
the hardsh!ps of the conditions of tie
humble classes" Passing by the rclig-
ious theory that such temporal conditions
are OF Insignificant consequence rs COM
pared with the eternal welfare Of those
tHed 10y them in this life. and the warning
10 rich men peculiarly contained in the
parable OF DIVES and LAZARUS, what prac-
teal and practicable plan does Mr. Utwirr
propose for the expenditure Of wealth
TO save New York from condemnat,or
to the fate Of Sodom and Gumorrgh. 1.
puiding community house for the
Episcopal Pro-Cathedral; II he can dem.
onsuate that the social evils which bring
oppression 70 his spirits can hc rrmeuied
In mat way or an important step to Tho
emo taken. he need have no fear. Wealth
Van pour In Its contributions TO the project
on0W the precise way In which mops,