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New Zealand Times, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 6613, 28 June 1882, Page 2

The congregation of St. Paul’s Church, Thorndon, set a good example to the various congregations in this city on Sunday last in raising by means of a collection the sum of £4O towards the fund for relieving the persecuted Jews of Russia. This commendable object has been very enthusiastically espoused in tho United Kingdom by all classes. And, as the telegrams inform us, a sum bordering on£Bo,ooo has already been realised towards it. The colonies, too, have heartily taken up the matter, and in proportion to their population are not likely to fall much short of the liberality of the- Mother Country. : In this city, as also in several other leading cities in -New Zealand, personal subscriptions of various amounts have been cordially given ; but in all communities there are many people of limited means who, though shrinking from the publicity attending this mode of raising money, would yet quite willingly contribute according to their ability in another way, and to these the making of a collection in the churches which are open to all parties affords an appropriate opportunity. By this means even tho poorest of the land are enabled to take their place on the common platform of -humanity and give expression to an active sympathy with the distressed. The barbarous treatment to which the Jews in Russia have been, and still are being subjected, and which has done such violent outrage to all tho best feelings of our nature, is a blot upon tho world’s civilisation, and presents one of those perplexing mysteries which unexpectedly arise in the history of nations, reminding us of our imperfect knowledge of human passion and antipathy. But by how much we are stunned and" humiliated by ’such perverse ebullitions of national enmities, by so much ought we to bestir ourselves to aid those who are their victims. The moat effective way of marking our detestation of . the spoliation which, under some undefined sanction of authority, has been perpetrated on thousands of unoffending families, is to devise means for conveying the sufferers and survivors to other lands, where the sanctities of home have at least the protection of law. Such, as our readers are aware, are the humane objects of the Mansion Fund which has been established in London, and toward* which contributions are being generously forwarded from all parts of the Empire. We heartily commend them to the liberal support of all members of the community. •