"You give out charity!" protested Samuel.
"You pretend to try to help the poor! And I bring you cases, and you
confess that you can't help them--because there are too many. And you
couldn't tell how it came to be. But here I show you--I prove to you
what makes the people poor! They are being robbed--they are being
trampled upon! Their own government has been stolen from them, and is
being used to cheat them! And you won't lift your voice to help!"
"There is nothing that I can do, Samuel!" cried the clergyman wildly.
"But there is! There is! You won't try! You might at least withdraw
your help from these criminals!"
"My HELP!"
"Yes, sir! You help them! You permit them to stay in the church, and
that gives them your sanction! You shelter them, and save them from
attack! If I were to go out to-morrow and try to open the eyes of the
people, no one would listen to me, because these men are so
respectable--because they are members of the church, and friends and
relatives of yours!"
"Samuel!" exclaimed the clergyman.
"And worse than that, sir! You take their money--you let the church
become dependent upon them! You told me that yourself, sir! And you
give their money to the poor people--the very people they have robbed!
And that blinds the people--they are grateful, and they don't
understand! And so you help to keep them in their chains! Don't you
see that, Dr.
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