The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1902-09-19
CHARITY BEGINS AT HOME.
We Send Money Abroad while Thousands
Starve at Home,
[Charlotte News.

In a North Carolina paper the
following item recently appeared un-
der Concord date line:
"The congregation of the First
Presbyterian Church has had, for
some weeks, in contemplation a for
ward movement in missionary work
and during the past few days the
matter has taken definite shape. Un-
der the inspiring leadership of the
pastor, Rev. Geo. II. Cornelson, the
congregation has raised salary to
support representative in the for
eign field and has selected S. Il.
Hope, of Tokushima, Japan, to be
that representative"
In the same correspondence and
Immediately following was this:
"Mrs. Branch living near the Lip
pard Mill, with an only daughter,
whose husband IS off at work in Hun
tersville, tried to end her life yester
day by taking laudanum. The doc
tor saved her life by hard work. She
gave as g reason for this desperate
| act her poyerty-destitute circum-
stances"
The incidental, though unintended
| comparison, leads the Statesvllle
Landmark to observe: "These items
have no connection, probably, but
for the life of us we can't help but
| mediate on one while we read the
| other. Money for missionaries prop
erl, applied-yes, oh yes! Suffer
ing and destitute perishing at our
doors-hungry for physical and
spiritual food. But we don't see
Them. Our vision is elevated and
we are looking afar off.
"And Concord is oy no means
alone. It is only an illustration. In
Statesville a few weeks ago while a
church was exerting itself to raise
money to support missionary in the
foreign field, poor young girl, sick
and destitute, without friends, was
driven out from sick bed because
she was a burden. Her case was
reported and she was cared for at a
public institution at public expense
until death relieved her, but If this
public institution had not fortunate
| ly existed, she might have died in
the streets"
The position of the Landmark is
we'll taken. Charity begins at home
and it strikes US that it would be IN
better taste and more in accordance
| with Divine teaching if we relieved
! the distress of the suffering poor in
| America before we begin in the
Dark Continent. Along this line, q
recent press dispatch relates a plan
| fathered by ]. Pierpont Morgan to
raise a fund of $2,OO0,0OO for the
! establishment of church in the
Philippines. The movement is
good one. Doubtless the inhabitants
of the Philippines need a little re
ligion about as badly as any people
Oh the face of the earth, but great
deal more interest would be taken in
Mr.. Morgan's charitable work If 1t
embraced the relief of the needy
poor in Greater New York-thou-
sands of whom are doubtless within
stones throw of this rich mans
Office
Several weeks ago a New York
paper contained an account of the
death of a man from starvation on
the streets of New York. For weeks
he had sought employment and
could not find one. Then the gnaw-
ing pangs of hunger overcame him
and he laid aside his self respect and
began to beg from the passers by
for food or little money with which
to buy it. He was spurned con
temptuously and at last, weary and
heart-sick aud utterly exhausted, he
lay down in q dry goods box. He
was found there by the police and
taken to hospital, but too late.
Death had fastened it's icy fingers
upon him. And yet to Mr.. Morgan
only the picture of the poor, deluded
Filipinos, thousands of miles away
appeals.
The true missionary spirit would
j