It would be difficult to find a more frank and eloquent confession of the perplexities involved in church relief than is contained in the two following paragraphs from the report of one of the assistant ministers of this parish : " The never ending stream of applicants for help in some form or other — sometimes in the way of . employment, oftentimes in the way of direct and material aid in circum stances of poverty, sickness, and want —is a disheartening feature. It never seems to grow any less. All we do only relieves. All that is done everywhere by all churches and charitable agencies only seems to touch the surface and help temporarily. We do not seem to cure and remove the trouble. Here and there a case occurs probably where the good effect is permanent, but the trouble is deep seated. It is both acute and chronic and may be expected, I sup pose, to be always with us. It would be easier and lighter for us, however,— less depressing and more endurable,— if it were not for the tinge of unworthiness and imposture which runs so freely through it, leaving one often at a loss how to deal with it and exposing one to the charge, on the one hand, of being 'soft' and ' an easy mark' for fraud, or, on the other hand, of being hard hearted, unsym pathetic, and unchristian.
"One wonders sometimes whether there may not be a measure of truth in the latter charge, such is the damag ing effect of the frequent contact with the revelations of human nature's weakness and wickedness, and one is some times compelled to acknowledge the truth of the former charge by the actual results of an attempt to be charitable." These are three of the churches in which the amounts contributed for the purpose of helping the poor in their own homes are probably larger than in other Protestant churches, and they are therefore not typical, either in amount or in kind, of the average work done by the churches as such.
Inquiry has been made concerning one prosperous and active Presbyterian church in the city of Philadelphia whose membership, while it does not contain a large num ber of the poor, does embrace an unusually large number of citizens who are leaders in educational, social, and phil anthropic activities. It is reported that the total relief fund does not exceed $300 or $400 and that this is largely in the form of loans which are repaid. Whether the money is loaned or given it is chiefly used for the purchase of fuel in winter. There are no regular pensioners.
A Methodist Episcopal church, whose membership em braces a large number of families of very limited means, disburses relief in a year amounting to $250. This is given to five families, three of whom are on the regular list, while the remaining two are intermittent recipients. Except in an unusual emergency this church never gives more than one dollar per week per family, and with one exception this aid is given only after work of equivalent value has been performed. The exception is in the case of a cripple who is the support of an invalid mother. The work which she does making buttonholes on vests consumes so much of her time and strength that the church does not feel justi fied in asking her to do any work for the one dollar a week given to her. Save in the case just mentioned the beneficiaries are all widows with small children. Four of the five are members of the congregation; the other has no church connection.
These two churches would not include the giving of Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners in their statement of relief disbursed, as these are intended as social courtesies rather than as relief ; they are frequently given to families which have not reached the point of needing relief, and generally in such a way as not to reveal the source of the donation. The pastors and officials of many churches would now disavow any intention of making the church a relief agency, and the churches are becoming solicitous that their own members as well as possible applicants who are not communicants shall understand that the churches do not exist primarily for this purpose. It is their policy to report original applications for relief from outsiders to the chari table societies, and, as far as their own members are con cerned, to anticipate destitution by persuading those who are likely to become dependent to make use of agencies for saving, or otherwise to prevent the need for outside help.
Here and there throughout the country particular par ishes or congregations will be found which are compelled to give a considerable amount of relief, and which as a result of experience have adopted modern methods of relief, but there are no general statistics of the amounts given by the various congregations of any of the Protestant churches, and there is nothing like a uniform system in general use in the entire body of churches of any one of the great Protestant denominations.
A few pastors have taken the advanced but entirely ten able position that the churches are intended only for wor ship and for religious fellowship, not for the supply of material needs. The relief fund has given way to outside or affiliated agencies for the promotion of thrift, temper ance, and education. Other churches, such as those already described, without going so far as to abolish relief, have introduced discrimination and personal service as its allies, have enlisted volunteer corps of workers, where necessary have employed professional visitors, and have willingly exchanged information with other churches and with relief societies regarding families who may be known to others besides themselves. To a large extent, however, the churches and religious societies pursue an antiquated and short-sighted policy, giving relief from sentimental motives without personal knowledge of its effect upon those who receive it, and oftentimes in the hope that possible converts may be attracted through this means. This criticism applies with peculiar force to missions, to posts of the Sal vation Army, Church Army, Volunteers, and other organi zations which aim to reach the outcast and the neglected, and is defended on the ground that in no other way can they gain the attention and the confidence of those whom they would rescue. The most encouraging aspect of the system, or lack of system, among the churches in their care of needy families, is that there is everywhere dissatisfaction with the results, and if there is also unwillingness to adopt better methods because of a traditional feeling that they are necessarily bound up with harshness and an uncharita ble spirit, this should prove to be only a transitional stage, to be succeeded either by associated and intelligent sym pathy and progressive relief methods, or by a division of work with relief societies.