Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1914-12-16
The Poor Abroad-And at Home

We have just received from subscriber Il copy
of editorial lately printed by the New York
American. against the sending of money other
relief to Europe when there is much suffering
in America. Our subscriber requests us . repro
duce it. We should like 50, but great length
and lack of space forbid However, there are some
observations concerning it would like to make
The editorial is summarized 10y the American
lows:
Sensational Charity Gives to Europe, Where
Men Are Committing Wholesale Murder"
"Sef-Advertisng Charity Gives 10 Europe,
Where the Suffering Unfortunately, is Dreadful"
Dull Minded Charity Money Abroad"
Real Charity Thinks First of the Brothers
Sisters at Home"
The following quotation from the opening con-
Neys idea of its general tenor:
If YOU have money o give. give first to your
brother and then to your distant cousin the
If you have more than you need to take care of
the around you. next door and the
then send the surplus to sufferers i'll Europe,
flood sufferers in China, other sufferers on the
planet of Mars, if you reach them
But let your charity begin home and let it
tinue there long there any poor to be
found here, any worried mothers any unhappy chill
dTcn.
A great many thousands of charitable women
are knitting wooden oomforers' thick and
These comforters to go the Eng
land and across the channel to the continent and
there to comfort soldier standing with a
repeating rifle, eagerly trying to murder other
soldier.
Kind hearted you interested in
any comfort that of man engaged in military
murder?
If you go out in the streets by and by you will
find plenty of little boys with blue faces and cold
hands and very little around their necks. They
not trying to murder anybody, but they do need
comfort
Why try your comforter" of them
the cold, suffering child that rather
than send it to some vague unknown man killing
hero across the water
Then follows a series of queries as what Christ
would do if He were here and called upon
make contribution to the relief of this faraway suf
fering. Specific and moving incidents of suffering
in America are introduced, forming bases for argu-
ment in variety of FORMS that charity should be-
Sin at home. The writer groups all movements for
the relief of suffering in Europe into one and mis-
CONSTITUTES it. We have heard Of call upon the
of America to engage in knitting warm COM
forters for numbering soldiers sitting in trenches
armed with repeating rifles. If there any
engaged they in very poor business We
conceive of French. English and German women
performing what in their cases would be loving
and a patriotic duty but for an American woman
or American to furnish propose fur
nish aid and comfort those actually engaged in
the soldiers of army would be most offensive
violation of American neutrality if intended for the
aid and comfort. Unfortunately and mpartialIy OF
all the soldiers of Europe actually engaged fight
ing wanton misuse of money badly needed
home would be proposed
The war brought less hardship and
prvaton to the people of all the countries engaged
in it, but the chief sufferers the Begians not
the Belgian soldiers. but the -combatants who
have suddenly been plunged to the lowest depths of
poverty at a time of the year when poverty is less
easily withstood The chief appeals for aid
made in behalf Of these people and the sentiment
aroused is sympathy WITH a prejudice
against any of the warning nations 1t is
swer to a peculiarly strong call upon humanity.
Many pro German sympathizers have answered and
will answer this call readily any pro-Frencl
pro- English
AS to what Christ would do in certain cases,
mankind has been asking that question since
the time of Christ, and the askers have been
swering it according to their conceptions OF
Christ But that if Christ were here
AS a phijanthropist He would not confine His
factions within geographical boundaries. We think
So because His love has been sent across all seas
into all lands
We come now the trte, narrow saying, Char
ity begins home" the slogan of the stingy, of
those who cannot proper objects OF charity under
their own noses whose eyes covered with the veil
of avarce and selfishness, objects of charity
anywhere and hear of them everywhere with i'm
patience
Works charity beget charitable works. The