The evening times., 1899-03-16
THURSDAY. MARCH 10, 1888.
The Cost of the Machine.

The report of the Gerry Society, New
York for 1888. is a fairly good example
of the proportional cost that the ma
chinery Of a charitable organization bears
10 the work actually done. Nearly $4,000
was turned over TO this society during
the year. in the form Of dues and donations
from members. and the annual appropria-
tion Of the city. The expenditures were
in part as follows:
Salaries and wages including executive.
housekeeping. and engineers depart
Inents.. -, le ~
Board and clothing of children, etc.. i, ,29s 40
Temporary relief 10 starving families. 81 %
This is an interesting and instructive
object lesson on the workings OF chari-
table societies such as We have in Wash
ington. There may not in our local asso-
Citations be so glaring a discrepancy as
this between the salaries of officials and
The money applied TO help the poor but
there is usually considerable leakage into
the pockets OF the middleman. That is the
price the public pays for being relieved of
personal responsibility for suffering and
wrong: and unfortunately a considerable
part OF the price is paid by the poorer
classes. Only a certain amount OF money
for the relief of the poor can be got cut
OF the community in any one year: and
if a considerable part of this goes TO pay
The salaries of professional philanthropists
somebody is likely 10 go hungry The
poor themselves are always ready TO help
one another. and it is probably true that
more money is given to the destitute by
their neighbors, who have TO live on work
ingmen's wages, than the well-to-do classes
ever contribute TO the charitable associa-
lions. Certainly they give more in pro-
portion to their means than the rich peo-
pie do.
In this particular case, it will be OBJ
served that the salaries of the officials
amount 10 more than three times the sum
required for the board and clothing of the
children whom the society is designed 10
help, while the money spent for temporary
relief 10 starving families is less than one
0ne-thousandth part of the sum spent
for salaries II would seem as if all the
whole East Side of New York might be
taken care of by the men and women who
could be hired for the sum of $35 400 a
year: and yet the Gerry Society pursues
only one form of charitable work.
One earnest philanthropist can usually
find more needy people than can be cared
for on three or four times the salary of
the worker. Why should that rule be so
conspicuousiy reversed in this case? Why
should il cost three times as much 10 nav
The agents Of the Gerry Society as il does
10 take care of its beneficiaries after they
are discovered? The explanation which
VIII occur 10 most people is that there are
two or three high officials who pocket
large percentage of the funds. while their
subordinates do the work. That is the
usual way of charitable associations, as
we know them.
In addition to this, it is the opinion of
a great many people who have studied the
Gerry Society that it spends most of its
lime in unnecessary interference with peo
pies private affairs. The edict forbiddipg
the employment Of children on the stage
is a case in point. There is really nc
earthly reason why the child of an actor
should not be brought up to its fathers
profession just as the son of farmer is
brought up 10 understand farming In the
former case, it is well known that the best
and most successful actors have been those
who were brought up on the stage, who
have taken child parts at an early age.
and have continued 10 act at intervals
until they reached maturity. In many
such cases there has been long vaca-
ton of several years for purposes of edu-
cation, and the child's experience on the
stage in no way interferes with such an
arrangement. Instead of being introduced
10 stage life at the age of nineteen or
twenty. when the imagination is fully de-
veloped and the temptations of the stage
are strong. the child passes the years of
apprenticeship under the care of father
or mother, and not only gains very valu-
able training, but is saved from various
pitfalls which beset the novice of adult
age.