POVERTY A N D CHARITY
HENRIETTA MARCUS
O
U R revered Leader says, "My weary hope tries to
realize that happy day, when man shall recognize
the Science of Christ and love his neighbor as himself" (Science and Health, p. 5 5 ) . Christian Science instructs us how to analyze our thoughts and actions, not in
vain introspection nor in unenlightened self-consciousness,
but in order to ascertain the fundamental motive and to
see whether it rests upon the rock of Truth or whether it
springs from the shifting sands of mortal will and desire.
It is equally useful to apply the same method to many
terms in ordinary use, so as to find out their meaning, as
spiritually discerned, and thus to avoid deceiving ourselves
and others by repeating phrases, without gaining the understanding which will help us to render null and void the
operation of false belief on the human mind. The constant
work of clearing out mistakes from our own consciousness
becomes a duty when we understand that the right apprehension of any fact renders the perception of it easier to
the mass; it follows, therefore, that if we all work faithfully on these lines, we must all profit by the results.
Here the question may be asked, What is poverty? and it
may be answered that it is a deficiency of necessary or desirable elements. This deficiency may be expressed by different individuals in various ways, such as want of money,
food, health, strength, etc., but all the same it is really a
belief of mortal mind in the possibility of the lack of some
necessity. In the general application of the term we daily
hear of poverty, directly or indirectly we know a good deal
about it, and we have all suffered from it, more or less,
either personally or from a sympathetic standpoint. Human
sympathy, fear, sentimentality, the discomfort of seeing
others uncomfortable, conscience,—each and all urge us to
relieve materially the crying needs of poverty; but how to
do it is the question. It is certain that mere money cannot
appease this hydra-headed monster of want; few people
realize that by feeding it strength is given to it to swallow
up more victims and to express itself in new and more
hideous forms. Subscriptions, funds, charities, in many
instances ultimately defeat their own ends, starting as they
234
The Christian Science Journal, Vol. 29, No. 4, July 1911
Public domain Collection contents made available by The Ark: www.arkpublications.com
POVERTY AND CHARITY
235
do from a false basis and putting off till tomorrow what
should have been done today.
The manna that fed the children of Israel was the daily
gift of God; there was always enough for the day, and
there was no fear that the needs of tomorrow would not
be met. In Exodus we read, "And Moses said, Let no man
leave of it till the morning. Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto Moses: but some of them left of it until the
morning, and it bred worms, and stank." The organized
charity that looks forward to supplying the indefinite needs
of indefinite sufferers, too often becomes corrupted and
worthless, as did the unused manna which if gathered up
at the right time would have fed the hungry. The old saying, "It is easier to give than it is to take," might be improved by the rendering, "It is easier to give than it is to
think," and most Christian Scientists will agree with the
statement that one of the greatest temptations in his daily
work is to answer the appeal for help with money, to rely
on his purse before applying to Principle. True compassion alone resolutely turns to God, and in the understanding
of Him as the only source and supply, is able to relieve at
one time the awful spiritual lack in the human consciousness and its material expression.
It is not a mere question of just relieving the urgent
needs of a sufferer. This must certainly be done, as one
would cleanse a cut finger or bring a chilled creature into
the warmth; but it is just because people think of money as
a definite reality in itself, that the snare of "charity" entangles human thought and lures the unwary into the belief
that there is more than one source of supply, and that what
is fundamentally a spiritual need can be effectually satisfied
by a material gift. Of course no Scientist believes that
the cleansing of a cut finger heals the wound, neither does
he believe that the mere warming of one who is cold will
break the coldness, harshness, and icy cruelty of so much
human thought. Likewise, with the treatment of poverty,
the satisfying of the material sense of need must always
be regarded as a palliative, never as a remedy; and, because
the gift of money is likely to lower the independence and
moral standard of the recipient, each individual case of
poverty should be carefully considered and treated. An
absolute reliance on Principle gives us courage, for we
know that we are able to show the way to those who come
The Christian Science Journal, Vol. 29, No. 4, July 1911
Public domain Collection contents made available by The Ark: www.arkpublications.com
236
CHRISTIAN SCIENCE JOURNAL
to us for help; and in so far as we are channels for good
we can relieve cases of poverty as well as those of disease.
Each instance of want is unique in its circumstances, and
so requires different handling, materially as well as mentally. For this reason, in Science treatment poverty can
never be overcome by the old method so generally but so
incorrectly called charity. The mere giving of money is an
easy thing, but the careless gift of something superfluous
rarely accomplishes any good, either to the donor or to the
recipient, and by the light of Christian Science we can see
why such is the case. Money has no life, no intelligence,
and only when its possession is the outcome of self-denial,
honest work, and righteous thought, can it become a symbol
of peace and plenty, an expression of good. The careful
consideration of a case of poverty, the anxious desire to aid
a fellow-creature onward to a perception of his rights in
the universe as God's child, the loving gift of everything
that is necessary,—time, counsel, prayer, and least of all
money,—purifies and elevates both him that gives and him
that receives in a way that no fund or organized charity
has yet succeeded in doing.
In Deuteronomy we read: "If there be among you a poor
man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates in thy
land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not
harden thine heart, nor shut thine hand from thy poor
brother: but thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him, and
shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need, in that which he
wanteth." We certainly cannot give too much in love, but
we fail in giving aught if we only give for our own satisfaction and are not guided by Principle and true judgment. It
takes a very long time for mortal mind to rid itself of old
beliefs and superstitions; indeed, the modern idea as to the
power and might of mere wealth is apt to express itself in
some Scientists with a desire for a background of supply
in the shape of special funds, charity organization, etc.,
quite regardless of Jesus' command, "Take therefore no
thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought
for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil
thereof;" and they are equally oblivious of the declaration
so repeatedly made, "Divine Love always has met and
always will meet every human need" (Science and Health,
p. 494).
So easily can we fall into the tempting trap prepared by
The Christian Science Journal, Vol. 29, No. 4, July 1911
Public domain Collection contents made available by The Ark: www.arkpublications.com
POVERTY AND CHARITY
237
mortal mind, if we have not sought out the real meaning
of the word charity in the Bible and our text-book! In the
parable of the good Samaritan, we are told that he went
to the aid of the distressed brother, and "bound up his
wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own
beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two
pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take
care of him." Here indeed is a full understanding of
charity as love, the careful attention to every need, binding
up the wounds, pouring in oil and wine. It is interesting to
note in Science and Health (pp. 592, 598) the scientific
interpretation of these words: "Oil. Consecration; charity;
gentleness." "Wine. Inspiration; understanding." Placing the sufferer on his own beast, leading him gently along
the right path to the "inn," the resting-place where he would
be cared for in safety. We know, however, that the selfimposed task of the Samaritan was not an easy one, that
he had to walk while another rode on his horse, that there
were still thieves who might attack him, and that his time
and money were being spent on a stranger. As for the
money, by the by, that was the least item; and it was only
after he had given personal attention to the case, had expended thought, love, and care on the sufferer, that he
added the pence as a further expression of his willingness
to help. The two pence alone did not prove him "neighbor."
The whole subject of poverty requires deep and prayerful
consideration. Very often greed and need seem to run
along parallel lines, pride and poverty to act and react on
one another in a most bewildering fashion. It often happens
that high-minded sufferers from poverty will not ask
for help, while the rich often live in a world of unreality
and scarcely know the meaning of the word "want." It is
this barrier between the two classes that Christian Scientists must break down, so that giving and taking can be
accomplished in a manner to benefit all, spiritually as well
as temporally. It is the false concept of wealth, as well as
that of poverty, which makes this difficult to perform at
present; but each healing of "want" and every conquest
over self-love and pride, brings us nearer to the goal of
love and equality, and thus to true brotherhood.
GOD Himself, and not any or all of His gifts, is the
life of a man.—George Macdonald.
The Christian Science Journal, Vol. 29, No. 4, July 1911
Public domain Collection contents made available by The Ark: www.arkpublications.com