The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1906-01-31
Wednesday, Jan. 81, 1906.
nOur Church Einances."

bessment down."
Synod as q representative body is supposed
b act sensibly. The Synod, nc more than
he Legislature, can levy too heavy a burden
q the people. And Synod should not levy
assessments for purposes in which the people
kre remotly interested. The assessments for
Foreign Missions Is too high, and an adequate
return for the money so expended is seldom
realized.
The Presbyterian says:
"In any given year this mongrel sys.
tenn, &c.
But we are not commenting on the selec-
tion OF words. Our brother is a scholar.
Again, the Presbyterian says;
sand the servant Of God who solicits
I ENDS" &C.
Ia We presume that our good brother did not
kmean TO be Irrelevant in'the use of the sacred
Name, when he meant TO say 1.-THE servant OF
the church."
The Presbyterian says;
.Tnns the Lords work Is brought Into con-
tempt"
He meant TO say 1.-THE work Of the church."
nBut we do not agree with him that the work
OF the church is drought into contempt"
The Presbyterian saws:
"And besides this great wrong, both to the
work and 10 him who barbOrs the feeling,
there are Utber and R~rievous evils connected
with The lack OF system. 1t falls OF our pur-
pose, The raising VI aoeQate ~ds-W Is
Condemnation enough. 1t does not develop
The grace Of hberaIity, a more serious evil.
And 1t tails TO do this for a very obvious rea'
son. In order 10 develop liverality the CIV
ing must be tree; bile the present metnod
s{ot special appeals and canvasseis Often causes
the people 10 give under conslralnt. When
an appeal Is most succe ssfui, many give upon
impulse more than their sober judgment APP
proves, and, under q sense u wrong, the
heart closes against subsequent appear lest
II be wropgeo again. And in fact, by this
method giving is LETT too much TO impulse,
instead OF being made q matter OF principle
and sound judgment That matte,
rational and Worshlptul giving which IL the
Y Christian ideal, Is unattainaole by way OF
impulse.
aIe progressive. For, as llbeIality does not
grow apace with demands, the resort 10 ex-
pedienl must become more and more ire
Quent, The expedlents resorted TO less ana
less il uiiiul. AND II has come 10 this In our
experience mot because times are hard, nor
because iolmer gifts have impoverished us,
but bet ause by being improperly moved We
have become harder 10 move. The special
appeal. is a stlmuianta and In It's action II iol-
lows the law OIL stlmulants. II borrOWs from
the future 10 .xpend upon the present, thus
impoverlshipg The iulule. 10 get The same
result out OF this Impoverished future the
stimulant must be administered in ever In
creasing doses. And The end Is collapse.
AND ibis brirgs up another evil OF the
pI esent meihoo. Since there Is no consls-
lent plan IuLDipg through the whole, one
phase OF The TUlk often initiates against an.
other. Interests clatb. Aspecial appeal for
the home field lCbs The foreign, and vice
versa. A canvass reacts uDIavorably on as
sessments, 10 that all the others suffer when
one ~rtjoices, For some part Of The work the
goose lhal lays The golden egg is>killed; soon
er Oh later even the favored interest suffers,
along with all others, in consequence.
Without delaying 10 speak OF irregular,
private, appeals. what IL the duty OF the
Church under the circumstances? 10 stand
Loyalty by the work planned under the pres
ent method, and beck through presoyleries
and synod 10 have q better devised plan
formulated and adopted. There Is a tenuen.
cy in the Church 10 allow the work 10 suffer
In protest aRainet The method. This 10 not
support Inc church is q duiy from which no
fault of method can excuse any one. The
method - q question OF expediency merely;
the work alone is essential. II must be lone
or guilt will be incurred; and the present
wolk must be done by The present method.
We cant swap horses In the middle OF the
stream" The noEconformists OF England
may protest against q bad law by refusing TO
pay taxes unuer II. But 10 show dihsat1siac-
Z ton with q method In the church WORK by
Withholding our gifts is 10 BIN. There are
other wsys or protesting.
After emitting What we thought would be
irreverent If said by a secular paper. we
agree with much hat is said In the quota
tion:
!. Here is, however, a sentence with which We
>disagree:
"And after hearing The hne and cry against
canvabses and ADDING our clamor 10 II, II Is
worth asking whether the trouble does not
lie In ourselves lather than in The method.
II Ii The canvass, or the parting with our
money, that disiurbs us? The canvasser
geLs lwenty five dollars from q man-hoW
much better would that man like another
method which would get the same amount?
Had the Synod levied an additional ASSESS
ment OF fiileen thousand dollars Tor the
equipment OF our foreign and home work, an
Or refusal 10 give 10 The Lold's work, as OF
every other KIND OF evil, no question OF
method but the love OF money Is The root.
motive which lies back OF a refusal 10 give 10
any good cause now before the Church"
Our testimony would be That refusal to
submit to excessive and unreasonable assess
ment is the first duty OF an honest man who
regards his obligation 10 his family. The
"sln" lies more In In unreasonable assess
ment than in the refusal to submit 10 1t.
The synod, like the Legislature, should act
wisely, ). co%nsoientiously and bIavely in pro.
teoting the people from wrong or e1tortionate
demands. The Synod acts foolishly when it
forces the people TO protect themselves. The
Pres byttr.an not once, referred TO the duty
which We owe TO our families. II would seem
that VIC have nothing elss 10 do with our
m oney than TO surrender 1t for the impracti-
cable and unwise schemes.
We entirely disagree with what the Pres
by terrain says about giving under impulse.
Oar best acLs are under impulse. Under cool
calculating Influences, We draw up the
purse strings.
synod should not have allowed the church
es to he haras ed by appeals for Missions IN
either Mexico or India. The money which
may be sent 10 India will likely be as with
the the money sent TO Mexico. If not q total
Ioss, 1t Will certainly be q very poor invest
ment. This country is large enough. and the
people OF This country are good enough, 10
.eceiv We the benefits OF all Of our labor and all
OF our money.
As our neighbor has repeatedly spoken OF
"sin, may we not ask MIN II he does not
think IL a sin tor Synod 70 authorize or expect
the poor and Str juggling people OF the church
10 deny themselves 1.-The ordinary comforts
to give Moaey 10 foreign missions and TO
send missionaries 10 fields where they are
I'm welcome, and where The prospects IL that
they will do little or no good?
Our good brother in his Iault-1nding had
not u word Of kindness or approval for those
of his fellow churchmen who have given 80
literally.
Joe wheeler.