The evening times., 1902-05-31
OF CHARITY
TO RELIEVE DISTRESS
Able Paper Read at Detroit
By MIR, c, F. Weller
PRINCIPLE OF ALMSGIVIN6
Result Of Close Study Of the Subject
Of Aiding Needy PCor-SOme Of Phil
authTopy's Latest Forms-Co-Opera-
ten With Social Settlements

Nr. Charles +. Weller. secretary of.
the Associated Charities. OF this city
who IS now in Detroit. attending the
twentv-nfnth national conference oil
charities and corrections. has attracted
Widespread attention bv paper which
he delivered before that convention on
..ReIief Work and Preventive Philan-
thropies as Related to Charity Organiza-
tions. Many new ideas in regard to
charity work are advanced by Air- Vel
Ter. who, as chairman o. the committee
on needy families in their homes. II con-
nection with his other charitable work,
has given considerable attention 20 the
work. The one great test TO which
charity organization should BE subjected,
Mr.. Weller says. is efficiency. His ad-
dress. in part was as follows:
The governing principle or purpose
both in medicine and II charity. is this,
to relieve. cure. and prevent distress.
a practitioner OF either science fails in
proportion as he falls behind his pro
fession in the ability to diagnose cor
TectIy and TO apply properly the best
known remedies He succeeds in pro
portion as he cures individual cases or
protects and promotes the wholesome
ness Of his community. Neither the pa
tient, nor the general public. nor his
fellow practitioners need be greatly con
cerned as to whether he carries the cur
ative agencies with him. or writes an
order upon some custodian Of them or
merely counsels another. less expert
physician, who undertakes 10 secure and
administer The needed remedies Jesus
mixed dust with spittIe to anofnt the
eyes Of a blind man: and the energetic
practitioner, OF either medicine Or char
ity, may well move heaven and earth.
employ mud or prayer, give unineor-
porated counsel, or roll wheel barrow
Of potatoes. so that he cure the fndi-
viduaI case Of need and prevent OF de-
crease The sum total OF distress
How Charity May Become a Science.
The fundamental cause Of progress.
in medicine. Is not the separation Of the
doctor from the drug store. but the con
slant development Of professional skill.
Medical practice has become science
because the determining purpose in med
icaI work is. first, that the individual
practitioner shall be enabled. and re
Quired. 10 keep abreast Of The best
knowledge and practice concerning the
cure OF diseases and second. that the
common body OF professional knowledge
snail be constantly extended and deVel-
Oped. What analogy can we find in
these suggestions for the Development
OF science OF charity n the first
place, The steady progress Of medicine is
affected by the differentiation and an
alysis Of specific cases.
What this means IN the realm Of
philanthropy Is suggested by the paE5ph-
let concerning Deserted Wives. a study
recently made IN The Associated Chari-
ties IN Boston. or by the title selected
for q paper at this conference discuss
ing What Part Relief Should PLAY in
the Treatment Of Families Whose Dis
1ress IS Mainly Due TO the HUSBAND 5
Shiftleszuess, OF Inefdciency- or Intem-
perauce. What is mainly needed now
for the advancement of charity Is the
sIIdy of the poor We need 10 classify
our cases, rather than our remedies
Concerning the various classes Of needy
families We need 10 collect, systemic
and disseminate the results Of the ex-
periences of workers in all portions Of
The country Too much emphasis can
not possibly be placed upon case WORK
upon the thorough, constructive inveslI-
CATION Of cases the discovery Of sue
cessfuI means of curing specific cases
and the winning Of our communities
mainly by treating adequately the in
dividuals and families whom its mem
bers refer TO our societies
Esa Il
philanthropic activities, such as are 10
be mentioned in the later pages c. this
paper. viii probably be insecure and IN
sound in important particulars. unless
they be founded upon an intimate EnGwl-
edge Of individual families among the
needy and upon the very best case work
which is made possible anywhere by the
present development
Methods OF Advance IN Charity.
TO see what these anaIogies woul9
each mean II applied 10 charity work.
is such a simple matter that I shall not
attempt 10 review these five suggestions
in detail What is mainly important is
that we appreciate the principle Of
progress Medical science has advanced.
not because the doctor has ceased TO be
drug store. but because Of case study
and protest. IoEaI organization. as de
scribed Similarly charity work may be
expected TO become scientific, not
through some patent arrangement for
the elimination OF relief problems but
by the development Of professional skill,
professional schools and auJhori sative
standards Of entrance and excellence in
the profession. At present too many Of
our workers are merely picked up 10
undertake some immediate task, as if
one having a leg to be amputad should
advertise for surgeon and select some
intelligent carpenter OF school teacher
who, before seeing the advertisement
had never even heard OF surgical work
Charity Becoming Democratic
Disease is democratic Medical sci
snce is democratic. also, being wholly
intent upon the cure OF sickness wheth-
er q poor o rich man be affected. Char
ity. tu@, is quite as eager TO treat each
patient sincerely according 10 his fun
damerr1I needs. As for charity. how
ever. it is difficult to entirely avoid some
sense OF patronage in a work which
consists specifically. in giving some
.Fla-5rr-fa Charity Tar