The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1905-04-13
"HATE ROBBERY FOR
BURNT OFFERINGS"
DR.. GLADDEN. Excoriates the Ac.
ceptanCe of Rocke-
feiIer'S Gift

COLUMBUS, o.. April 12-When in
formed this afternoon of the final ac-
ton of the prudential committee ac-
cepting the Rockefeller gift, Rev.
Washington GLADDEN., D. D., authorized
this statement:
self on the broad and intelligible position
that all gifts must be received, no mat
ter what may be the character of the
giyer or by what immoralities or crimes
his gains may have been gathered. No
discrimination is henceforth to be made
The pirate or the train robber may bring
MS booty TO the treasury of the American
board and ii will be thankfully received.
and If sufficiently large, will be described
as magnificent gift
BY the decision the prudential rejects
the word of him. who said Il hate rob-
berry for burnt offerings and reverses the
ethical judgment respecting the rewards
of iniquity which has guided Christendom
hitherto. 1t openly proclaimS that money
TO which the giver has no moral right
may be rightfully given to a missionary
society If only his motive is to do good
with 1t; and IT assumes the power of
Judging the motive of the giver. 1t knows
and declares to the world that there can
be no motive but that of benevolence~ in
the bestowal of this gift. That is great
From this decision the appeal will now be
taken to the conscience of the Congrega-
uonal churches and the conscience of
ChriStendom.
commuters Argument
BOSTON, April IA statement was
made public today by the prudential
committee of the American board of
commissioners for foreign missions
which yesterday voted to accept $780,
600 offered to the board by John ID.
Rockefeller. The supplementary report
of the subcommittee recommending ac-
ceptance which was adopted takes up
the objections of the protestants and
asserts that they are not sufficient to
prevent the board from accepting the
money. One of the principal points
raised in the report is the claim of the
committee that American board cannot
now legally return Mr.. Rockefeller's s
money because the decisions of the
highest court are that trustees who
have once accepted a gift and assumed
certain obligations have no power to
return the gift and to absolve them
selves from those obligations. The
committee holds that by returning the
gift, as suggested by. the protesting
clergymen, the American board would
be made responsible not only to those
for whose benefit the gift was designed,
but also to the present officers sue
cessors. This statement refers to the
fact that the board already has used
one-half of Mr.. Rockefeller's gift,
which was actually accepted on Feb.
Ia. Inc committee hOldS that the ac-
ton proposed by the protestants.
namely, the return of the gift would
have been wrong. for it would express
"disapprobation and condemnation of a
man when he was doing anact of be-
nevolence." The committee says:
This would have been to confuse the
issue and TO act contrary to the Christian
spirit To prevent any man from doing
good Is wrong way in which to condemn
him for doing evil. 1t is as wrong to con-
denim him when he is doing a good deed
as to commend him when he is doing a
bad deed.
The committee contends that the
board is not organized to judge ques-
tions of temperance, economies or So
cialism. An attempt at this, it says
would be an assumption of authority
outside of it's charter. 1t is held that
the return of the money would be the
passing of judgment upon the charac-
ter of the donor and the business meth
DDS he is alleged to have used and this
would be wrong to the church OF
which he is a member. The committee
adds:
Any accusation against him could not
in Christian courtesy, be acted upon until
the case had first been tried before the
church which indorses him as a member
in good and regular standing.