Moreover, the church is far from being the best agent for the carrying
on of social service. The trouble is that it has its own axe to grind.
Its eye is not single to the relief of human suffering, but it has also
to think of converting the sufferers to its creed. It is constantly
tempted to play upon the gratitude of those whom it helps, to induce
their attendance at its services, if not to dragoon these helpless
dependents into an outward expression of belief. Even where it does not
discriminate against non-believers in its creed, or seek in any way to
abuse its position in order to proselyte them directly, it too often
does its alms to be seen of men, and turns its social work into a huge
advertising scheme, after the fashion of an ostentatiously philanthropic
Rockefeller, who gives with one hand and with the utmost publicity about
one-hundredth part of what he extorts from the masses with the other
hand. At best, its activities are such as to generate a reasonable
suspicion that its aims are not wholly pure, nor its work of unmixed
quality; and the net result is not a wholesome one.
For the best good of the community, social service needs to be entirely
divorced from dogma, whether performed by the state as part of its duty
towards its members, or by private individuals or groups as a voluntary
effort to lessen the sorrows and evils of humanity. If the church
insists on doing a part of this community work, let it, like others
engaged in such work, do so at its own cost. If it is sincere in its
wish to help mankind, it will not balk at this condition; if not, it
betrays the selfishness of its aims. The argument in favor of exempting
from taxation organizations doing nothing but philanthropic work, and
organized for no other purpose, cannot be honorably stretched to embrace
bodies formed to propagate particular creeds, which simply take on
philanthropic activities as a side line. If this were otherwise, every
factory which introduces a "welfare department" should by a parity of
argument immediately have all its property exempted from contribution to
the public revenues.