The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1905-04-03
THE ROCKEFELLER GIFT,
A SUMMARY OF DIR. SMFTH'S
DISCUSSION ON THE SUBJECT.

DISCUSSION ON THE SUBJECT.
In a Sermon Delivered Yesterday Morn
ing at Center Church on the oues-
ton of the Acceptance of the Gift
A Somewhat Similar Case in 1888 AMI
the Boards Action Then-The Con-
tributIon Box Not a Judgment Box
Mr.. GIadden's PositiOn-The REM
edy for Pending Evils.
Below is a brief of DR.. Smyth's dis
cussion in a sermon yesterday morning
at Center church of the acceptance of
Mr.. Rockefeller's gift by the American
Board. DR.. Snyth prefaced his SER
mon by reading from anti-slavery
pamphlets to show how the same ques-
ton was raised in 1888 concerning the
acceptance of the contributions Of
Shareholders. Gerrit Smith, the famous
abclitionist, agreed with the American
Board that discrimination should not
be attempted by means Of the treasury,
but he held that, though accepting the
gifts of shareholders, the board should
Tebuke, slavery. Subsequently in 1874
the board practically so decided the
question, refusing to Judge as to the
sources of gifts, and putting itself on
record as to slavery. DR.. Smyth said
that as the son of an abolitionist he was
gratified to find that he was reasoning
substantially on the same abolition
lines. -.
The text of DIR. Snyth's sermon yes
terday morning was:
John viii, 16: judge no man. Yea,
and if I judge my judgment is true.
DIR. Snyth said: I take this word of
the Master because it puts in our hands
a rule to be applied to the action now
under discussion of the prudential
committee of the American board.
There were times and ways in which
Jesus refrained from judging any man.
there were other times and ways in
which he judged, and his judgments
We're true. The American board takes
the ground that 1t is not called in gen
eral to Judge as to the sources from
which gifts to its work proceed. The
remonstrants claim that in this in
stance it is called upon to judge the
methods by which Mr. Rockefeller
gift has been made. The board holds
that in this case Christ's example
should be followed by it, I judge no
man; the remonstrants hold that the
treasury of the American board offers
one way by which true Christian judg-
inent should be rendered against bust
ness methods which they regard as
conspicuously wrongful. ...&
As to the general rule and custom
Of our churches there need be little dis
pute. Ordinarily no distinction Of per-
sons is made in our public charities.
The contribution box is not a judg-
ment box. Ordinarily it would be pos
itively wrong for any of us to make
distinctions Of persons in the reception
Of benevolent gifts. Usually we would
not feel called upon to interfere if we
saw bad man doing good deed, We
should have no moral right to prevent
a sinner from doing q gracious thing. If
In a police station some unfortunate
women, moved by compassion for
another in distress, should give to her
of their sinful wage as they have been
known to do, who Of us could stand by
and say them nay? Ordinarily we have
no right to stop giver unless we see
something clearly wrong in the act of
giving. Moreover we reasonably require
that when we do Judge we should dis
crirninate between the wrong to be re-
buked. and the good to be approved
I ought not to hit, a virtue while strik-
ing at a vice. The aim of a moral
protest should be straight at the evil
thing to be pierced. Moral surgery
should not amputate the wrong men,
Der In this case it would not be fair
to ask Mr. Rockefeller to pluck out his
left eye, now fixed on charity, because
his right eve, kept on Standard Oil
may have caused him to stumble. As a
general rule, then, we do not claim the
right to judge one another either as tc
the sources or the motives of our gifts
That we can rarely do. And it might
prove intolerable should any mission
airy committee assume authority to ado
new commandment to the law and
say to any of us, Thou shalt not give.
The remonstrants, however, claim
that this instance is go conspicuous and
that moral interests so essential to So
ciety are involved, that general rules
should be suspended, and a striking ex-