St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-12-17
METHODS OF CHARITY
--Es
Interesting Discussion at q Meet
ing Of Unity Church "a
Guild.
DIR. Smith Compliments the Sys-
tenn in Vogue in ST.
Paul.


Charity Work." and the speakers being
noted. The time allotted to each speaker
was ten minutes; but. as might be eX-
pected with interesting orators, each
transgressed the limit from five to ten
minutes.
DR.. Samuel G. Smith led off with an
Interesting talk on the various methods
OF charity work. He maintained that
the associated charity system of st.
Paul was the best. No city in the West
has as good system. Many Of the sys-
tens of other cities. he said, tended to
promote pauperism. The system in ST.
Paul directs its attention, first, to
the suppression of pauperlsm. and,
second. TO the relief of the distressed.
The system in use III most of the cities
is that of dealing out the charity work
to committees of charitably inclined
people or paid workers. These cities
have any number of charitable societies,
all working independently of each other.
The wealthy citizens who are charita-
ply inclined pass out occasional checks
to the particular society they wish to
favor, or perhaps to different societies,
and say that ends the matter so far as
they are concerned. In st. Paul an eff
fort is made to bring all charity societies
into an association, and it has been
Nearly Successful,
very few societies remaining outside the
association. This association OF charity
societies has an agent whose business 1t
is to inquire carefully into each case
where assistance is asked, to ascertain
all the conditions of the party. and, If
the person is not fraud, to ascertain
what is the best means Of relieving him.
After all the facts are learned the
agent reports to the society send
ing the party to him, and
such relief is furnished as is best. If
the matter is referred to him by an in
dividual, as is often the case, the agent
reports to the individual the result OF
his investigations, and the latter then
acts in the matter according to the ind
ing, feeling that he is not being imposed
upon. Under the system where socIe-
ties and individuals act independently
it is very commonly the case
that the work of charity is doubled
and money thrown away. Worse
than this, in such cases paupeflSm IS
encouraged. Where people i'll distress
are supplied with money indiscriminate-
ly they are very apt to lose their pride
duu ldll W UPON pooFfS-
for support without limit or making any
effort to help themselves. The speaker,
said that III Germany they have the
associated charity system, and in addi-,
ton. feature not i'll practic here which
is very good one. Some charitable
person in each block of a city IS APP
pointed committee to look after every
needy person in the block; to inveSti-
gate any case of person living lii the
block who applies for charity or is sup
posed to be in need of charity. This
person makes it his business, not by
way of shopping into peoples family
affairs, to become acquainted with every
person in the block, aud become
On NeighborIy Terms
with him. The person then puts him
self in position to know the needs of
everybody in his block without making
himself offensive. Dr.. Smith said he
would be impossible for everybody to
take ND some new form of charity and
proceed with it according to his own
charitable 1nclinations. Such move
ments, he thought, do Il great deal Of
harm.
DR.. Smith was followed by II. 81.
Hart, secretary of the state board of
charities. Mr.. Hart urged that aSSoci-
ated charity work is the most effective
of all systems. IndiScrilninate and
careless giving of money to people who
are supposed to be in distress builds up
pauperism. A party who has never ac-
cepted aims feels sense Of humIlia-
ton the first time he asks and re-
eeiveS aid: but as soon as he receives
it his pride breaks down and he is very
likely to want it again, and soon feels
no computations in the matter. When
pride is gone there Is nothing left to
stimulate the person to effort in his
own behalf. The speaker cited several
foreible examples to prove his position.
Again, in many cases money assistance
works positive injury. For instance,
in Fergus Falls a charity worker was di-
rected to needy family. He 1ngesti-
gated the case and found that II the
family had cow they could get
along quite comfortably. Money was
asked, but he decided to purchase cow
and present it to the people. lie did so,
and the family got along we'll through
the winter. and in the spring the huS-
band found work and needed no assist
ance whatever. Had the family been
dealt with according to the application
IL
county SO month for four Or five
months, and quite likely the man would
have made little
Effort to Secure work
in the spring. 1t was to ascertain what
is best iii each particular case that an
agent is employed i'll st. Paul. lie cited
an instance where the investigation
proved that If sick member OF the fam
lily was placed in hospital the rest Of
the family would need no further help.
When person is kept alive by public
support he is. very apt to lose self-re-
spect. ut is much easier to makesa
pauper than to cure one," said Mr.. Harts
Mr.. Abbott spoke next. and dilated
upon the points made by the two pre-
eeding speakers. He emphasized at
some length the point that indiScrmIn-
ate lavishness of aid does great harm.
Mr.. jackson, the secretary of the as
sociated charities, was called on. He
spoke upon the work done by the aSso-
cation, the methods, etc. lie said that
in each case record was kept OF the
history of the party. the aid given. etc.
Mrs. Crothers asked if there were not
MANY cases where this information
could not be obtained without giving
great offense to the parties, and ii there
were not worthy families who had met
misfortune, and who. If questioned in
this way, would suffer rather than to
BE So Inundated.
The speaker said he thought there
were many such cases, but that when
he investigated such he tried to conceal
from them what his purpose was. DR..
Smith interrupted to say that generally
such people had friends who would
either help them Or give a satisfactory
report of the matter to the agent. thus
obviating the necessity for the
agent to call personally upon
the family. The doctor thought
an exception shoald be made
where it was clear that the family was
of this character. Mr.. Jackson said
there were thirty different charitable
societies and Institutions in the asSoeia-
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