WHERE THE MONEY GOES by Uriah Smith

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jun 8, 1876

WHERE THE MONEY GOES.

By Uriah Smith

A marvelously large proportion of the sums contributed by the public for religious and charitable purposes is spent in running the machinery for their collection and disbursement. An extraordinary illustration of this fact has been laid before the Presbyterian assembly in Brooklyn, in the report of the board of church erection. In the year that ended with April, 1865, the sum of $70,000 was disbursed by this body, at an expense of $10,000; and in the year that ended with last April $80,000 were disbursed by it at an expense of $10,000. Doubtless, some very amiable individuals secured very satisfactory salaries for managing these disbursements of the Presbyterian board of church erection; but if any other business consumed the same proportion of its income or capital for running expenses, bankruptcy would very soon overtake it. It may be hard for these amiable men to be deprived of their means of living; but it is also hard for the contributors to the church-erection fund to be so heavily blackmailed for their support.—New York Sun.

In contrast with the foregoing, we are happy to state that in all the enterprises connected with the operations of S. D. Adventists, the collection and disbursement of the charitable contributions of the people, involving more than the sums stated above, instead of costing $20,000 has not cost one cent in the salaries of paid agents, solicitors, or any operators of that kind. U. S.