The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-02-17
The Philanthropy that Pays-Let Us
Have Light.

The Philanthropy that Pays-Lst Us
Have Light.
Mr.. @. L. Brace, the Secretary of the Chill
dren's Aid Society, and Mr.. w. F. Barnard,
the Superintendent of the Five Points House
OF Industry, both salaried philanthropists,
thought proper TO thrust themselves into
notice few days since as the censors of their
neighbors' charities. Neither of them denied
the prevalence of extraordinary restitution in
the city this winter. 1t would have been
ridiculous to do SO in the face of the sad evil
dences of suffering daily spread before the
eyes OF the people. But they objected to the
use OF any ''extraordinary means" for its re-
Lief. They did not wish to ''demoralize and
pauperize the poor by affording them
prompt assistance in free lodging houses
and soup Kitchens A few scores of
homeless wanderers frozen to death in
the public streets and few hundreds of
women and children starved to death in
garrets and cellars would unquestionably do
more than ''the wholesale freedom of soup
and Lodgings to thin out the ranks of pau
perism. No person could deny that So
Messrs. Brace and Barnard insisted that the
poor should not be relieved except through
the agency OF those whose ''dlscretion' and
experience might be relied upon not to en-
courage ''the growth of the habit of depend
ence," and urged ''wen meant but misguided
charity" to turn its money over to the
treasures of such established institutions
as the Children's Aid Society and the Five
Points House of Refuge instead of using it
directly for such demoralizing purposes as
clothing the naked, lodging the homeless and
feeding the hungry.
Now, the people respect disinterested philan-
thropy, but natural suspicion attaches to
the philanthropy that is made to pay 1t was
difficult to conceive what honest motives could
have prompted the salaried philanthropists of
these institutions to thrust themselves between
the benefactors and the suffering poor; to put
themselves forward as censors to decide what
charity is discreet and what misguided and
demoralizing. Neither the Children's Aid
Society nor the Five Points House of Refuge
is adapted to the great necessity of the hour
the instant relief of those poor creatures who
In the midst of wealth are perlshing for the
want of the common necessaries of life. Why.
then, should their officers have intermeddled
with other charitable enterprises instead
of attending to their own bust
ness and doing as much good as
possible in their own way? An exam
ination into the management of the two
societies furnishes the explanation. The
large amounts collected from the charitab BILE
and received from the city are made to pay a
heavy percentage to those who distribute
them, and thus great portion of the money
intended for the poor goes into the pockets of
those whose experience and discretion teach
them the best methods of checking pauperism
and preventing the decentralization of pov-
erty. AS soon as this discovery is made,
Messrs. Brace and Barnard disappear from
the scene. They have nothing more to say.
They wrap themselves up in the ample folds
Of their remunerative charities and suffer de-
moralizing soup to fill the stomachs of the
starving poor without further opposition.
1t is time that something should be done to
strip the mask from those who make proita-
BILE trade of philanthropy There is no reason
why laws should not be passed holding all as
sociations organized for charity, whether pub
lie or private, to strict accountability for
the expenditure of the funds placed in their
hands for special purpose. Benevolent citi-
zens are induced to give money to charitable
society because they believe that it will go to
help the suffering and the needy, and
not to enrich secretaries, superintendents
and travelling agents. In the case of
societies that have received city or State aid
it is eminently proper that an examination
should be made into their affairs, and the
Legislature ought to investigate both the
uge. Let us know how the 'emigration"
account of the former is kept; for one of the
travelling agents is Brace, and there is
ample room for leakage in this account
Meanwhile the two institutions should change
their present officers, if they expect the
donations they have heretofore received to be
continued. Our citizens are princely in their
charity, but they do not like to be imposed
upon. Certainly those who give to these two
institutions cannot be well pleased with the
knowledge that more than half they donate is
swallowed up in distributing the balance
among the unfortunate beings for whose re-
lief the whole is designed.
WILLIAM F. BARNARD, Superintendent Five
Points House Of Industry, is of opinion
that if we ''let the associations whose oh.