The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1909-11-30

mems clothes is not half 50 significant
as the revival. under another name,
OF the old-fashioned Christian grace
of giving. Nowadays this is the fad
of the prosperous. 1t has become
good form" for millionaires to make
great donations Of a public character.
A man feels himself under a moral
obligation to give back to the peo-
pie in some guise the wealth which
he has got from them. Thus. when a
certain railroad magnate died recently
without making a single public or
charitable bequest. the outspoken SEN
timents of the people condemned him.
He had failed to come up to the rea-
sonable expectation of the world.
Or the other hand. another
New York millionaire died shortly at
terward, and left something Iii thirty
million dollars to religious and be-
nevolent all carefully distrib-
uted and without conditions, 1t was
generally sal that he had done a rich
mans duty by his money and by So
ciety, and that he has set a fashion
In giving which other men Of wealth
will follow. He gave himself plus
his money.
A Preachers Irony.
Is Inc LidllCI u OWNS
Christian standpoint, was pointedly
put once by a Philadelphia pastor.
Rev. DR.. Thomas Brainerd, who had
appealed in vain to the prosperous
members of his congregation in be-
half Of some good cause
brethren, the Lord has denied you
the privilege Of exercising many OF the
most precious graces Of the Christian
character, which. in His infinite mercy
He has vouchsafed to the rest OF US.
You never knew what II was to re-
pose absolute, unassisted faith In GOD
for the things in this world. You "
had to go to sleep at night without
knowing where your breakfast was to
come from. You never had a sick
child wasting away for the want OF
costly Iuxuries. You eve had to
deny yourself the qualification or the
Impulses of pity, when a sufferer came
to your door. You never had to en-
for an honest debt, without knowing
whether you could ever a 1t. All
these u~nspeakable advantages in de-
veloping Christian character an IN
scrutable Providence has taken from
you, and bestowed upon us poor men.
The one solitary grace of the Chris
tan life which has been denied to us
and given to you, is the grace Of lib
crafty, and If you don't exercise that,
the Lord have mercy on your souls"
The Complimentary Grace.
Paurs thought was not greatly diff
ferent from this. He pointed out to
the affluent Christians at Corinth that
the poor Macedonians had exceeded
them in coming to the help Of the
needy disciples at Jerusalem. These
Corinthians abounded in other graces
especially in the grace OF utter
ance'-but they needed the grace OF
giving If their religion was not to go
s--;~- Tho-o1txy i~ hor6o nd foot
yes, and mouth, also, for all the other
virtues. It In itself is not enough to
constitute q Christian character, but
II Is complementary to the other
graces. A mean Christian is not much
of a Christian. The stingy saint has
sc%riptural warrant for doubling
whether he Is a saint at all.
Three profound considerations were
suggested by the apostle as incentive
to generosity. One was that the
Macedonians first gave themselves n
then their gift That is the first prfn-
ciple Of successful benefcence. The
hand is needed more hi what it
holds. The gift without the giver
is bare" God asks for gifts because
he wants the givers; and the gifts is
but a token OF the gfver's allegiance.
The cheapest thing in the world to
impart to our fellowmen Is money.
The second principle of philan-
thrOphy pointed out Dy the dpOStle Is
that the Macedonfans gave out Of their
deep poverty. They shared their lit
tie, which is far better than to dis
pense from an unmissed surplus. Des-
pite the modern fad of big gifts, the
great works of religion and charity
are to be done by the small offerings
of the many.
In the third place, Paul set forth
a great motive, by appealing to the
example of the Lord Jesus that,
though he was rich, yet for your sakes,
he became poor" The gift that is hal
lowed by ~self-denial partakes Of he
very flavor of Christ lives.
One American Mans Way.
The most remarkable story known
to me Of extend ed influence through
the use of money is hat which I "
told at length in my book. Men and