The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-07-20
REV. BARNWELL ON SCIENTIFIC CHARITY Rector in Sermon Defends Associated Charities SUPPORT IS URGED Criticizes Morning Paper for Calling Attention to "Investigations" and
 Red Tape" Methods of
 Local Body
SUPPORT IS URGED

The relief of poverty by the Asso- ciated Charities was the theme of the sermon preached yesterday morning at the Church of the Advent by Rev. NJ s. Barnwell. rector of the church. MT. Barnwell took issue with the press for adverse criticism of the work of the local association and urged the members of his church to support the associated charities both by their moral and financial aid. He paid tribute to the officers of the association and commended their work.
 Mr Barnwell said:
 Acts iv-34-35. Neither was there any among them that lacked. for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them. and brought the prices of the things that were sold and laid them
 down at the apostles feet And distri-
 button was made unto every man ac- cording as he had need
 It has been my custom to avoid Gas
 much as is poesible) the discussion of local and temporary questions from this
 pulpit But today intend to break that rule and speak my mind concerning a certain question that has been placed before the people of this city by the
 daily papers. That questions is the
 relief of poverty as practiced by the Associated Charities. There are some who regard this work as phase of social or civic welfare. They are part fly right. because it is that but they are partly wrong because it is vastly more than that The charity work of any community Is but that community's endeavor to translate the principle of brotherly love into definite deeds of Saryipa a nd ic mo of civic welfare. It is in fact, the re- ligion of Jesus Christ at work in the world
 Now as the servants of Christ it be- comes our duty to see that His work Is intelligently done. If we are indif- ferent to the task of helping the worlds unfortunate, then we are in : different in one-half of our religious | life. Christ gave one comprehensive law which embraced the love of God
 and man, and He expected us to use
 our brains in seeing that law properly fulfilled. He commanded us to love the Lord with our hearts and our souls
 and our minds. In the same breath He commanded us to love our fellow men and we do Christ's intelligence a grave injustice if we fail to believe that He meant for us 10 love our fellow men with our minds as well. If we are to be rational children of rational Fath- CT We must use in every form of serv- l ice, human and divine, the minds with which God in His infinite mercy has
 endowed us. It is then for intelligent charity that l want to plead for in telligent love of man. which alone can
 be pleasing to an intelligent God. Two Forms of Charity
 | There are two forms of charita ble | endeavor between which we must make our choice The first which we must | call 'indiscriminate charity for lack | of better name is the attempt to put into practice literally the com
 mand of Christ to give to him that ask eth thee and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away I This charity Is that which Is given | freely. without question, to whomso- - ever applies for it. It is preceded by
 no painstaking investigation. No em- barrasslng questions are asked. There
 is one place where such a system would ] be a great success. That place. un- fortunately. Is heaven, where no char itv whatever will be needed.
 1 The secoEd form Is called "system- atic, or scientific charity: It is a cold name, but very often it Is far warmer
 than 1t sounds. This form of charity | is preceded by an investigation, the object of which is to ascertain if help | Is truly needed This investigation is
 sometimes deemed useless by those who
 grapple with the problem of poverty in editorial rooms, but 1t seems neces
 sary to those men and women who
 tre spending their lives in active serv-
 ice of humanity. The questions that these investigators ask are always searching but they need never be em- barrassing. save to those who are seek | ing help to which they are not en- | irled.
 l We are then compelled to choose be- tween indiscriminate and scientific char ity. The latter is pictured to us by an emotional press, as cold and dead; as
 a thing from which the deserving poor
 flee in terror; as a business from which parasites draw salaries. Free, unques- tioning and indiscriminate charity is
 spoken of in glowing terms as the ever i Christ gave Himself while here on earth. By some of these neart-rending
 newspaper stories our hearts have been
 stirred, and we have come to believe
 that the scientific method of the Asso-
 ciated Chirities Is far removed from the
 spontaneous and outgoing love of
 Christ. who continually went about "do-
 ing good"
 Christ Founded Scientific Charity 1 Now I am going to make a statement
 that may surprise some of you. When
 came to study this subject and found this statement true, 1t was a surprise | to me as well. Jesus Christ Himself was practically the founder of scientific charity, and under the apostles there was organized in the early church an association which was practically what
 our Associated Charities is today. Let us see how these statements are true. | If we want to know what Christ
 meant by the text that we have chosen l to quote, Give to him that asketh thee" we must study the life of Christ 1 and learn bod in that life this com-
 mand to give was exemplifed. And
 when we do this we find that Chrst's 8 | love was for from being indiscrimi- nate. We find that He carefully studied | the needs of each individual. We find | that He never did a miracle of healing | or of help for those who were unworthy. Herod asked for miracle and ask ed ] in vain. The Jews sought sign and 1 the sign was denied them. Once when
 He went back to Nazareth we are told that He marvelled at the peoples un- belief; that he could do no mighty work because of their unworthiness, but | that here and there in their midst He sought out a few sick folk and healed them In all these cases Christ refused | indiscriminate help. and in these and countless other cases Christ carefully 1 sought out and examined those indi- viduals to whom His aid was extended. | If indiscriminate charity had been Christ's ideal with a single word He i could have healed all the sick in the | land and turned the very stones into bread for the hungry. But Christ was as wise as we are at least, and He
 knew that His great love. however in-