Omaha daily bee., 1902-10-24
CHARITIES OF THE CHURCH
National Benevolent AssOciRtiOn Con-
siders Work IL Has ia
Haud.

tional Benevolent association, held In con-
nection with the Christian church conven-
tlon, was the address of George H. Combs
OF Kansas City. This address, which was
carefully studied was almost an arraign-
ment Of the church for failure to follow
the form of benevolence and charity prac-
ticed by the apostolic church. He opened
his remarks by calling attention to the fact
that divisions are apparent in the Church
of the Disciples and that men, while claim
ing to take the Bible as the only measure
Of their faith, have come to hold different
views Of what that Bible is; that they have
lost the spirit Of brotherhood to a great
degree and charge one another with heresy
for not accepting the words Of the Bible in
the spirit in which they accept them.
I'VE have seen this spirit" said the
speaker Sin the session of the general con-
vention held this morning-that shows us
where our unit Of spirit has gone to. Mem
bers OF the church are denied membership
| in the brotherhood OF Christ, and where
| must we expect our appeal for Christian
| unity? -t-
'It may be said" he continued. that We
can find a unity Of purpose in missionary
effort but there are few. among us who
could base the preparedness of the mission
|
| Isaiah's who wrote, and not upon their faith
| in Christ and their love for the souls Of
men,"
The speaker then said that in the appeal
| of the Christian church for a return to the
apostolic practices they had too greatly
overlooked one of the most important OF
those practices. that OF practical charity,
that the early Christians we're celebrated
for their love of their fellows and their
great benevolences; that the Church of the
Disciples. born in warfare, having the hands
/ OF all denominations turned against them,
| were forced to educate the mind, and that
perhaps this education had been made at
some sacrifice Of the heart so that while
| the ministers and leaders were great de-
| baters and could bring an appeal home to
| the brain of man they could not appeal to
his heart as the preachers of other denomi-
| nations have done; that while men charge
| brothers with being heretics Of the head
| there has never been one charged with be-
| ing a hereto Of the heart; that the leaders
are more anxious TO know what man be-
lieves upon higher criticism than what he
/ believes and does in the practice or charity
| He then said that the divisions Of opinion
could be lost sight of in the Joys OF service;
that the growth Of the early Christian
| church was because Of the love OF man
| showed by the members, and that the
growth of the Salvation Army was due tc
the work IL did among the poor and lowly
THE Greeks built an altar to Beauty; the
Romans to Might. but IL was for the fol-
lowers Of Jesus Christ to build an altar to
Pity" He closed by saying that 1t was the
duty OF each member Of the church to sup
port the society and its institutions.
Previous to the address Mrs. L. G. Banti
Of St. Louis delivered the address OF the
president in the absence Of the president
The report Of the corresponding secretary
was received, showing that during the yeal
the society had received in donations and
other sources land valued at $3.50 and
cash, S14IOO; that two new institutions haf
been opened one at East Aurora, n. Y, fol
old people and one at Cleveland, o., fol
orphans, and that a western orphans hom'
is to be erected at Loveland Colo, on lanC
donated for that purpose The report o
the treasurer showed total receipts o
Sl5, 1885 and expenditures OF $12,542. 81
Then came the reports OF the managers o
the Central Orphans home at St. Louis. thu
Central Old Peoples home at Jacksonville
ILL.,, the Eastern Old Peoples home at Eas
Aurora, N. Y; the Cleveland Orphans home
the Babies Home and Hospital at st. Louis
and the Western Orphans home at Love
land, Colo. These reports were all Of al
encouraging nature and showed each insti
tuition to be in good condition.
A new constitution for the association
was adopted after having been prepare
by the board Of control. and under that con
stitution ofheers we're elected as follows
President, Mrs. H. NJ. Meier; FIRST vice pres
ident Mrs. ]. II. Garrison; second vic
president, DR.. Sophia L. Kern; correspond
ing secretary, Mrs. j. X. Hansbrough
recording secretary, Mrs. r. p. Dodd; treas
urer. Mrs. W. L Harrison. Mrs. o.
shedd. who has been recording secretar
since the foundation Of the association, re
tired, as she preferred to devote herself [
the work Of the Babies Home and Hospits
and under the new laws could not do tina
and hold a nlace on the official hnard-