THE PROBLEM OF POVERTY.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 551, 5 July 1909, Page 6

THE PROBLEM OF POVERTY.

In his Bermon at St..Paul'sj>ro-Cathodrii yesterday morning tho Rev., T.' H.' Sprott , dealt with. tho problem of poverty in th< light of the teaching of Christ. : He Baid tin Gospels oontained no cirt-and-dried pwx 7 gramme for tho treatment of poverty or social problems generally.. The. simple lifo.oi the people of Palestine at the tilno.of Christ was so different' from 'the, complexitj of tho social conditions of the present day -. that had Christ * put -forward • a programme suitable to the twentieth oen- \ tury, it would have boeti utterly ■ unintelligible to the' people among whom 'ho Bred - and . taught. What Christ did was.tolaj down guiding principles and,supply the motive power applicable to all times, ajid places. Tho groat stream of Christian almsgiving had begn assailed from two different quarters. Ono. set of critics contended/that it;' did more harm than good, and many of thoso supposed to benefit by the almsgiving i "Wo don't want charity,' but jusiioe. As a matter of fact, almsgiving did- not cc» cupy an tho teaching of Christ i inytfiiag like the proniinenco some people r>oeuiod 'to think. : Chri&t -hold the duty of '-'almsgiving very, cheapi .though he point#.- ' out"'Jita dangora and told his hfearers hoV it should, bo done. One searched'tho Gospel* in vain for that emphasis which Ho wasA'sdpposod by many to/,lay on this duty. 'It'W'not .. the amount given He cared about; but tho -amount left,after the giving.- There was no recorded instanco of Christ Himself giving alms. Ho . placed more value on personal sorvioo, real friendship, and tho, taking of timo and than on tho moro external aid given, i Ho also dealt with'individual persons; not with "cases" in tfoo lump, those who had studied the • question wero now finding that indiscriminate charity was unsatisfactory, and that individual treatment was essential. Different people- required different treatment, arid-it; waa'' a groat mistake to deal in tho same way with . those who wero incapacitated, thoeo who woro willing to work, and thoso who wore • not willing to work. ' Christ- by his worts and teaching, directed spccial attention; not. to almsgiving, but to the restoration of ■ power and capacity. Ho helped people to help themselves, to stand on their foot again, and gave them now hope in- taking ; ;thoii plaoos onoo moro in tho life of tbo world. Howover,. even in those modern days' tJicra 1 was still-soopo for almsgiving.; Indeed, im> modiafi* relief was often all the help mm could give. . Still thoy ought always to; givo th(ar best consideration to tio larger aspoctiof the-pioblom.