The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1907-10-16

the Northwest, possessed of the Spirit
of hardihood and independence born
of days that We're not as bright as
those he is now seeing, would hear to
the county or state becoming respon-
sible for the support of his family,
supplying them with food and with
clothing from a common cOmmissary;
and if a private individual were to
offer to do the same thing he would
imperil his physical well-being! And
yet many of these men who are so in
dependent about their ordinary affairs
and are among those who smoke the
"bit' cigars which gave our friend in
the East so much trouble will continue
his prodigal expenditures for the nee
essaries as we'll as the luxuries of life
haps more often his family, belongs
receives from him a pitiably small
sum and the main portion of the ex-
rense of providing religious and moral
training for his children and his neigh
bors' children is provided by a Home
Mission board out Of contributions
wrung from people in the eastern
states who, if they had his income,
would feel that they were rich. Such
men must be rudely, perhaps, but none
the less really awakened to their NOR
al responsibility for the moral and re-
neighbors' children. From our own
knowledge of the comparative circum-
stances of the eastern benefactor and
the western beneficiary, we are of the
opinion that the former has a strong
case against the latter.
Solution Is in Sight.
But, while from two-thirds to three
fourths of the churches in the states
of Washington, Oregon and Idaho be-
long to the class commonly designated
as Home Mission churches-churches
supported in whole or in part by Home
hiSoioil lulloS-lhSIc are oOIllc VI lIlc
largest and strongest churches in the
denominations represented here to be
found among the self-supporting
churches. For instance, the third
church in size in the great Presbyter-
ian church is located at Seattle while
the first churches of both Portland and
Tacoma are far above the average
church of this same faith in the east
and these and many other of our
churches in this territory are made up
of men of much more means than the
average church in the East. Why is
contribute as much in proportion to
their size as churches of the same size
in older portions of the country? Some
of them give more proportionately but
far more do not do nearly so well.
These strong congregations also need
to be awakened to their responsibility
for the maintenance of the work in
their own territory and allow the mon
ely now being used here to be employed
elsewhere; yes, more than this; we
confidently venture the prophecy that
the day is not far distant when, just
as the banks of the East are glad to
get western money for speculative and
other purposes and millions of dollars
are being thus handled for their cor
respondents. so this magnificent cOun
try. rich in every thing that goes to
make a country rich. including the
character of its citizens, will finish
paying for it's farms and sawmills and
other things and recover from the long
strain incident to paying for all of
these things and not infrequent crop
failures, and begin to pour into the
Golfers of these same boards which
have been furnishing these much de-
sired privileges for themselves and
their families, large offerings to be
used elsewhere.
Many of these MEN came frcnn
the eastern states only a few
ment on their places and to scantir
years since and had scarcely enough
means to make an initial payment on
their places and to scantily furnish
them with stock. He is not really as