ek an increase in the number of church-goers
as an end in itself. The Protestant churches do not, as the Catholic
church does, ascribe any serious spiritual efficacy to mere bodily
presence at religious worship. Protestant ministers ask people to go
to church in the hope that the words which they will hear with their
outward ears may be so grafted inwardly in their hearts that they may
bring forth the fruit of good living. What was remarkable in the
debates of this conference, therefore, was the absence of any mention
of the very successful rivalry with religion which, as an influence on
the poor and ignorant foreign population, politics in this city carries
on. The same thing may be said, _mutatis mutandis_, of the charitable
associations. No one would get from their speeches or reports an
inkling of the solemn fact that the newly arrived immigrant who settles
in New York gets tenfold more of his notions of American right and
wrong from city politics than he gets from the city missionaries, or
the schools, or the mission chapels; and yet such is the case. I
believe it is quite within the truth to {23} say that, as a moral
influence on the poor and ignorant, the clergyman and philanthropist
are hopelessly distanced by the politician." [2]

It has been said that, in the effort to establish friendly relations
with a poor man, often the greatest lack is a common topic. Here is at
least one topic that rich and poor have in common. Here it will be
found too that they have many grievances in common, and what makes a
better beginning for a friendly relation than a common grievance?
Another common topic, and a related one, is the news of the day. More
often than not, even the very poor read the daily papers.

Beside the ward politician, the saloon-keeper, and the policeman, there
are others who take an interest in the breadwinner. If he is injured,
or his property is injured, there are third-rate lawyers ready to bring
suit for half the proceeds--an unduly expensive arrangement for the man
that has a good claim. If he would save, there are agents of unsound
financial schemes ready to take advantage of his ignorance. If he
would borrow, there are {24} chattel-mortgage sharks ready to burden
him with a debt at ruinous interest. If he would buy, there are
instalment dealers ready to tempt him into buying more than he can
afford, and ready to charge two prices for their wares. Whole
industries are created to take adv