The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-04-13
RookEFELLER CAsR an RIoHt.
FaF No II FFom Us Net 70 Let Him Gee
hid o. II, says Mission Board.

FaF Ne II FFom Us Net 70 Let Him Gee
MD o. II, says Mission Board.
BosToN. April 1.-THE prudential COM
mittee Of the American Board Of Foreign
Missions to-day made public the announce
ment that John d. RockefelleT's 10000
gift would be retained together with a
statement Of lie reasons. To return tho
money, the committee says, would DO
morally wrong and legally impossible
II Is willing, however, to mako the de-
oision on moral grounds alone.
An soficial document in the case Ia To
be made public later This Is said TO be-
q letter from a peTson closely identified
with John .. Rockefeller, perhaps from
John d. Rockefeller himself, which Is said
TO have a very important bearing on the
controversy The reasons on which the
committee based its decision that II would
be wrong not TO retain the gift are, briefly,
a. follows:
First-The action proposed by the protest.
ants would have been wrong, for II would
have been TO express disapprobRtion and
condemnation Of man when he was doing
an act Of benevolence. This would have
been to confuse the issue and 70 act con-
traTy to the Christian spirit To prevent
any man from doing good Is, = . wrong way
Second-The method suggested by the
protestants would produce the most harm
| full results and the attack II directed az the
wrong point The members OF the com
! mittee would encourage every effort to
raise the ethical standards Of business life
| At the same time, we must erect no barriers
! 10 prevent any man from doing a good
| deed The accumulation Of vast fortunes
| may he a menace to society; their distri-
| button by the owners while yet alive is an
| important safeguard to society.
fhird-We hold a charter as mis-
! sionary organization for certain specific
| duties, under certain limitations. We are
not organized 70 decide questions Of tenn
/ peranoe, or economies, or socialism To
! attempt this would be an assumption OF an
| authority outside OF our charter, and never
/ intrlstcd 10 us by the churches.
| Fourth-This COMMITTEES has no right,
| by returning this gift, 10 set up new eth
! ical standard with regard to missionary
! giving against the judgment OF majority
| Of our corporate members.
Fifth-The committee In returning the
| gift would by that act pass Indignant
! upon the character Of the donor and tho
! business methods which he is said to have
! used and thus would be doing q wrong
! 10 the church Of which he Is member. Any
accusation against him could not In Chris..
tian courtesy he acted on until the case had
! first been tried before the church which in
! dorses him as a member In good and regular
| standing,
Sixth-This gift. like all gifts, places no
! officer or member Of the American Board
! OF any minister Of a church under the
| slightest obligation 10 approve in any way
! the acts Of an individual OF corporation.
| Seventh-It must he said publicly that
we cannot legally return this money We
| are advised by those in whose legal counsel
/ we have the highest confidence that in
! the case Of a public charity, maintained
/ entirely for the benefit Of others, the trustees
| have no legal or moral right to refuse
money because they DO not approve OF the
! giver Furthermore, il we are rightly
| Informed decisions Of the highest courts
are to the effect that trustees who have
obligations have no power TO return the
gift and to absolve Themselves from those
obligations.