THE ART OF GIVING.

Bush Advocate, Volume XXII, Issue 65, 18 March 1910, Page 8

THE ART OF GIVING.

The proper way to' give, according to the doctrine of Mr Thomas Bembriek, of Grenfell, who spoke at a great Methodist demonstration at Sydney last week, is to "give up to the point at which it hurts." The statement was applauded, and, encouraged, Mr Bembrick proceeded: "I find in my travels that Methodists are among the-wealthiest in the community. (Hear, hear.) They own the most up-to-date farms, and are among the best business men. (Hear, hear.) They also drink less whisky. (Laughter and applause.) And the records at Darlinghurst indicate that Methodists are not so Avell represented as some of the other churches. (Laughter.) Therefore. Methodists are able to give liberally. (Hear, hear, and laughter.) But threequartevs of our funds come from a quarter of our adherents. You cannot shut your eyes to it, if you are in the habit of taking round the plate. (Laughter.) When a man getting so many pounds a week gives a shilling, and his domestic servant the same, there is something radically wrong. (Dead silence.) I know a saintly lady who declined to put her donation into an envelope on the ground that she never let her left hand know what her right hand did. I had a pretty good idea at the time what she didn't want her left hand to know. (Laughter.) Other people have said, 'I will leave something to the fund when I die.' The proper course is to- give it while you live and enjoy the pleasure of seeing the good uses to which it is put." (Applause.)