THE GLOBE. WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 1882. CHARITY SUNDAY.

Globe, Volume XXIV, Issue 2680, 8 November 1882, Page 2

THE GLOBE. WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 1882. CHARITY SUNDAY.

The conclusion—so far as the ascertaining of the results is concerned—of our first attempt at holding a Charity Sunday having come, it seems to ns a fitting occasion to make a few remarks thereon. As has already been stated, it ie tho first ever held in New Zealand, and differs altogether in its character from the Hospital Sunday held elsewhere, though in one point resembling them. The Hospital Sundays at home, whilst nominally for Hospital purposes, are not strictly limited to this, but a portion of the collections are distributed amongst the general charities. In Canterbury we do not require collections of 1 this character for our Hospital, its constitution being different to that of the similar institutions in tho old country.. Here iu Christchurch the Hospital is a Government institution, as is tho Old Man’s Home at Dunsandel, and tho Charitable Aid Department has cohtrol and distributes assistance in urgent cases. The Christchurch Benevolent Association, to which the funds of this our first Charity Sunday Lave been devoted, is (it may bo termed) a private institution, and is supplementary to the Government aid given in the case of the Hospital. As some degree of misunderstanding appears to prevail with regard to the working of the institution, it may, perhaps, tend to remove some wrong impressions if we give a brief outline of the coarse of procedure in the distribution of relief. Its constitution is very simple, viz.:—Twelve of the leading citizens of Christchurch, with the assistance of a paid secretary. Those twelve gentlemen give their time on a rota of sub-committees on two days in each week, Tuesdays and Fridays, two members making a quorum. The applicants for chatify have to call on the days before tho sub-committee meetings, tho secretary taking note of the applications, and, as is very necessary, he has to visit the houses of the applicants or otherwise obtain authority from any clergyman or resident iu the district as to their requirements. Tho accumulated reports are brought up before each sitting committee by the secretary, either verbally or in writing. The names are duly entered by the secretary in a minute book, and dealt with as occasion arises by the sitting committee. It should be thoroughly understood that this Association is not in any way connected with the Government Charitable Aid Department, althongh it receives ponnd for pound on monies voluntarily given to its funds, in accordance with Ihe Government provision last year. The practical working of the Association is to give farther help where the law precludes more assistance, or in other words, when the Government (or what is tho same, the Charitable Aid Department) give tho bare necessaries of life, tho Benevolent Association steps in to supplement snch grant with coal, boots, flannel, calico, &e. As already recorded, the funds collected on the first Charity Sunday in Christchurch, which have been handed over to tho Benevolent Association, amount to £473 3s sd. In addition to this, there is abont £l3O more which has been received from citizens and tho members' of committee. This will give a round total of, say, £6OO, and being supplemented by £1 for £1 will place £IOO per month in the hands of the Benevolent Association for distribution as occasion may require. The amount may seem large, but when it is remembered that there are abont 100 names on tho books of the Association, besides tho number of cases requiring daily attention on reoomendations from tho ministers of the various parishes in and near Christchurch, it seems to dwindle down to only a tytho of what is | required. It seems exceedingly strange, ' after the discussion which took place a ;

little time back in the Synod with repaid to Charity Sunday, to find that the clergy, more especially those belonging to the Church of England, are tho ones who send most eases to tho Association. , When the matter was discussed in the Synod there was a great deal of what our American cousins call “ hif&lntin about the Church being tho guardian of the poor; that they were a sacred legacy ; and that no secular association, such as this one, should como between tho Church of England and tho poor. So far as we can see, no ona is desirous of depriving the Church of the privilege of ministering to the wants of her own poor, but tho fact is that she is not able to cope with the distress. Hence the aid afforded by the Benevolent Associationcomes very opportunely. We cannot help thinking that the entertaining of such a morion as that proposed by Mr. Parker, and the opinions expressed during: the debate, savoured very strongly of ingratitude. Thera can bo no doubt of this, that if tho Church did what the speakers claimed for ho* as a right, and there was no> such organisation as the Benevolent Association in existence, far more liberality and open - heartedness would, have to bo shown by the members of that Church than is now the case at ordinary collections. But apart from this, tho timo has now arrived when tho Government and the Legislature should seriously take into consideration tho Battlement of this very important question on a solid basis. The Benevolent, Association, as a. temporary expedient, is doing good work,, bat it is only temporary in a sense. Whilst we recognise the fact proclaimed hundreds of years ago that the poor wehave always with ns, some steps must ba taken to ensure that whilst indigence and old age are not left unrelieved, the hard earnings of the industrious and thrifty are not squandered in breeding np a race of paupers, and perpetuating in this country all the ovils and crime which exist in England, mainly springing from, the one cause.