THE LIME-KILN CLUB.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume 6, Issue 1702, 4 June 1884, Page 2

THE LIME-KILN CLUB.

"Las' fall" said Brother Gardner as he gazod down upon Elder Toots in a paralyzing way "I made some remarks upon de subjick of charity. It seems dat my posishun was misunderstood, an' dis evenin' I hope to make it .""—---:.—'

" De .Good- Book speaks of charity a thousan , d^Mmes ) jheer of de people believe daHe word as used in de Bible means dat.we mus' l open..our purses to de pbp'\ ;Iri de fustiplace, I ajrnestly, .believe dairde charity of de people 5 : means ridokin' lightly upon de faults of oiia feller-men, It means dat ■we. mustobierlookiiexcuse.and forgive. Charity.-coveretßi'imiltitlide ob sins! Does ,dat, mean a loaf, of. bread passed outer' do t kitchen doat to a'beggar, or does it mean-dat lie who oberlooks de faults of others shall have, some of his own condoned ?' I hold to de latter.

,'• "But let.us admit.datide charity of de Bible means -ardiu'. de pW, If [ aim ten shilling ft dafan'work in cold an' heat gn', rain--if '; my wife economises an'l am ; keefuMf we go slow an' dress widin our 1 means an' manage to lay : up afew dollars, what man or woman on airth has de right to tellme dat I : m.us' -pass any part of my savin's out to people who re poo' frew their own fault'f Wear' I have pinched dey have squandered. Whai' 1 have denied myself' dey'.''have cut loosowidafree'ha'ud;. .'.,.'.,''! " Dar' am not an able' bodied man in America who can't aim sufficient to board, clothe, and school a family of six; an' send his wife to church on Sundays. Par am not a widder in dis kentry who can't aim at le*st a dollar a day at some occupasl)un, Dar 1 am not an brfan who has de shadow of a right to ask any man for a nickel.

'' Our public charities am so many frauds upon taxpayers. De 25,000d0k raised by tax in Eetroit falls into de hands of pobple'Vlio' have' nbbizness wid one shillin' qfjt. /It goes to drunkards an' idlers an' pretenders, who make it a duty to live on charity from oneyVto anoder. I defy the most arden philanthropist in dis.kentry to show mo one case whar'anitypoo'fund dealt out of paupers has lifted anybody from axin' agin. The city which raises the mbas' money has de moas'.paupers. Fingers prove it. and yet philantropistsX. .wo't admit that it proves anything. 'Let me start out to-morrow an' han' sdols each to 100 solicitors of charity and how many would have a dollar left at night.. lAt least half would spend a portion .for beer, whisky, or tobacco, and not twenty of de lot would buy wood, flour, or clothing. ; . 'He who. gives to a tramp on,courages_ loaferisui,/thievin' and a dozen crimes, ■■ . i ■ ' ■

'He who gives to a man or woman able to walk de streets am a supporter of vice an'idleness,. >.

■'Ms what' : l. stan' on do one side of de question of charity, mi' each passin' day turns up sometbn/ to convince me dat lam correct. But now whom do I feel fur, an* to whom can I givel ]f I assist an able-bodied man to aim his own bread, dat am charity. If my poo' nayiiir loses his horse I have a sdol bill fur him. If he loses a child I have ten.; If he breaks a leg or a arm I'll sheer my meat an' taters anSvood wid him until ho kin work agin. Ifa father'falls sick an' has nuffin ahead my kind o' charity, chips in fur a shake-pui'se to pull him through. If a'stranger comes among us an' am ill let us make hiiii well. If fire or blood devastate a seotioii, 'let us send relief. ; If a widder am left help, less, let us fill her ooal-bin and flourbar'l.

'ln twenty years- America has raised up a class mimherin'tens of .thousands who shirk work', who make saloons pay, who. have doubled tho number of police and jails n.n' prisons —who steal, rob, and. ravish—who infest street corners an' prowl frew alleys —Who add nothingexcept to illiteracy an' vico, and she has raisen 'em up by her system of mistaken ohanty... Philanthropists may squirm an.; women make wry faces, but do preaching of de one an' de sympathising of deader have made de word charity synonymous wid vice and wickedness. Let us now assault de usual programmy,"