The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1905-04-03
The ROCKEFELLER GIFT.
STATEMENT By DIR. M'LANE
YESTERDAY MORNING

Pastor of Plymouth Church's Views
Relative to the Acceptance of the
100000 Gift-The Righteous Use of
Money.
Rev. DR.. McLane, pastor of Plymouth
church, this city, yesterday morning
made the following statement to his
congregation relative to the acceptance
by the American Board of a gift of
100000 made by Mr.. Rockefeller:
My governing principle in profession
al life is to attend to my own business
and to leave to other men to decide and
to act on business committed to them
But as the acceptance of gift from
Mr.. Rockefeller by the prudential COM
mittee of the American Board has been
made matter Of conscience with many
people. deem it proper and right. as
your religious teacher, to express an
opinion.
1 hold the four following propositions
to be true:
1. A man may make money by moral
means and use that money in immoral
ways. A man may make money by i'm
moral means and use that money in
moral ways. The fact that man has
made his money righteousnly does not
justify his unrighteous use of it. The
fact that a man has made his money
unrighteously does not prohibit his
| righteous use of 1t.
| 2. Any man who is the legal possess
sor and the sole disposer of money has
both moral and a legal right to give
that money fer any good purpose what
soever, and no man or company of men
has either a moral or legal right to
! forbid him. For instance, / happen to
be director of Grace hospital. Sup
pose some man in this city whom !
know positively has made his money in
immoral ways, such as gambling, II
you please, should offer a gift Of $4,000
to Grace hospital to serve the sick,
what right have / to say that he shall
not do so? Who gave me such right?
Who clothed me with authority to for
bid that man to- do good because he has
done wrong? Where is it taught that
because a man has done wrong In one
direction he is thereby forbidden to do
right in any other direction? When
has either the church or the state as
sumed the prerogative to forbid any
man to do good? No man has right
to prevent another man from doing
good.
/ 3. The decision and action of any
man, especially of an official in mat
ter where principle is involved should
be determined by principle and not by
ipolicy-by what he deems to be right
and not by what others may think or
say of. his action. For the directors of
missionary society to accept or. to re-
fuse a gift on the basis of how other
people may interpret their action would
be immoral. The Pharisees called
Jesus a wine-bibber and a friend Of
publicans and sinners because He ate
with such persons; but Jesus did not
change His course because of their mis-
Interpretation Of His conduct. The off,
Gals of every charitable society must
do what they see to be inherently right.
3. The directors Of any charitable
society-nlissionary or : other-who
should constitute themselves q court
and appoint themselves prosecuting at
torney, jury and Judge, and try, con-
Wet, condemn and publicly brand any
man unheard, would not only transcend
the functions of their office, but would
commit an immoral act and an act
which, if it is not, ought to be illegal.
Their private opinion Of man, how
ever gained, would not Justify such
public opinion.