The advocate. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1901-1913, 1910-01-06
THE NEGLECTED. GRACES.

the local st. Paul African Metho-
dist church in which the present
system of church finance" is styled
as wrong in faith and practice
Speaking Of the usual method Of
churches to raise funds, he says:
More money is spent TO get up
entertainment than is hardly ever
realized for the benefit of the church,
when the cost, trouble Of printing and
selling tickets; the time of several in
- dividuals lost in serving and selling.
Oftentimes a chicken, when cooked.
worth sixty or seventy-fve cents, is
sold for twenty-five cents by ineXpe-
rienced sellers. Cakes and other
things go in the same way. The
wear and tear Of the building, light
ing, heat and janitor. About thirty
or forty dollars value expended to
clear five Or ten.----------.... ......--.--
The value Of preparation and Ia
Dor Of members exceed such small re-
turns. Sometimes weeks and even
months are spent in getting up "A
Concert by as many as twelve or
more people practicing for hours
nearly every night in the week,
cost Of light, etc, the matter Of cos
tunes. flowers and other incidentals,
to realize a couple of dozen dollars.
1T really has no official supervis
ion-nothing like a business trans
action. Those getting UP the enter
tainment are a law unto themselves
and do as they please. If the minis
ter or one Of the officers ask for a
statement of things donated and an
item Of expenses the entertainers
are offended and will perhaps quit
the church. They are fearful Of their
reputation, You don't think I would
steal, do you" Any worldly affair
would insist upon accounting for the
last penny and a balancing Of &C
count. But in the church it is an in
suit.
THE church's credit is affected
and discredited by the world. Those
who donated and those who patron
lied the entertainment want credit
and question the honest handling of
the donations and receipts; they
wonder what the church has done
with all that money!
''The pastor must turn his pulpit
into an advertising medium and him
self a public crier of vanities He
must talk up the pork chops fat and
greasy. chicken pie, hog childings
reader and proclaimer Of the bill
Of fare" In the most flowery anG
extreme manner cry out the program
Of coon songs" rag-time music, anc
in many cases fool the people to q
fake entertainment at so much PEI
head.
If he fails to satisfy in advertising
the brakes are put on him, by those
at the head Of such things, and he il
rated and regarded as an enemy t,
and not Interested in the welfare o
the church.
Continuing, he says these enter
tainments lead to:
"Favoring friends and relatives il
the matter Of refreshments, admit
ing them free; bringing individual
in under the plea Of service; takin
refreshments because assisting, thu
eating up what perhaps, would b
profit; others gives cakes, etc, an
because net sold, assert ownershi
and carry them back home.
'Members accuse each other Of III
justly retaining money for imaginar
expenses; of carrying off cakes, meat
aud such like, from the tables in COY
cred baskets
He illustrates the last with an i,
cident, coming presumably under h
observation, where Heading sister
filed another's basket unwittingl
but prudcntly kept silent when II
error was discovered.
The worst Indictment he brinj
against the "church entertainment
Is that it exposes innocent and inc
pcrienced females by sending the
out on the streets with pun,
cards" subscription lists and su,
like; giving prizes, and thus bree
ing rivalry and contention. Caug
the loss of confidence and di5ruD!i
in the family because Of late hou
and promiscuous association"
We submit the above to our rea
without further comment tn