The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1895-11-23
PAUPER- MAKING CHARITY.
BY REV. R. A. WHITE.

Few cities give more generously,
and few give less wisely, than Chica
go. There is plenty of money, plenty
of good intentions, and. as for charity
organizations, Chicago is surfeited
with them. The crying need with us
is not more money, but new methods
of distribution; not more organiza-
tions, but the coordination and sys-
tenatic relation of those already in
existence. The waste of money and en-
ergY in maintaining several hundred
unrelated and go-as-you-please chari-
ty organizations appalls the average
economist. Nothing could be more
unbusinesslike. That Chicago peo-
pie are willing to put some $1,000,
600 or more annually into such un-
economic channels is among strange
things, to say the least. All this is
as nothing compared with the effect
of such unrelated, unsystematic
charity upon the problem of pauper-
ism. 1t is easier to beg than to work,
and in many instances, under our
present system, more profitable, and
the unworthy poor are coddled until
mendicancy is ceasing to be dis
grace. Chicago needs what nearly
every large eastern city already has
the "new charity" methods.
In the new charity charitable
effort falls into three divisions-re-
lief, cure and prevention. First, re-
lief. This has been and is the favor
ite and predominating phase of
charity, the Alpha and Omega, the
beginning and the end. Relief is
important and necessary. The curse
of the whole thing is that it is indis-
criminate relief. The new charity be-
lieves in relief, but relief that aims
to cure and prevent SO far as possible.
This necessitates, first, getting all ex-
isting charity organizations in sys-
tematic communication with each
other through great clearinghouse
organization, which shall not itself
give aims, but which shall be COM
posed of representatives of every
charitable organization in the city.
1t goes without saying that nothing
approaching such cooperation now
exists in Chicago.
Second, the new charity necessi-
tates thorough investigation of all
cases aided. Until recently only one
organization has attempted this on
anything like large scale-that is
the Relief and Aid society. This is
one of the strongest and best equip
ped organizations in the city. 1t
does investigate to large extent, but
after all, just enough to deceive the
public and the relief and aid workers
themselves to the crying need of the
extension of such investigation
throughout the city and in connec-
ton with all charity organizations.
The Relief and Aid does admirably
in it's own work, but is of little
value to other charity organizations
than itself. Its investigation is
wholly inadequate for the fast multi
plying needs of our growing city.
Third, the new charity aims to
carefully register all cases helped or
seeking help with all possible infor-
nation as to causes Of poverty in that
special case, Apart from the Relief
and Aid society nothing has been
done until recently in this direction,
Until we can have cooperation among
existing charities investigation and
registration OF all cases of poverty
aided ot appealing for aid, Chicago
will continue to put a premium on
beggary and unnecessarily waste
money and energy.
A System of Charity.
But even more important than relief
is cure. Poverty in many cases is
the inevitable result of wrong econo-
mic conditions in society. This is
something for the sociologist and the
legislator. Quite as often poverty is
the result of local conditions or indi-
vidual habits and deficiencies which
might be overcome. Any charity
that does not aim ultimately to remove
the cause Of poverty in special cases
is little better than no charity at all,
This the new charity seeks always to
accomplish. A system of friendly