New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-06-25
THE UNwIsE PHILANTHRoPIsT.
Little knowledge a Dangerous Thing for
Workers in Organized Charities

"A little knowledge is more dangerous in philan-
thropic work than anywhere else" said Miss Mary
Couyngton. general secretary Of the Providence
Society for Organizing Charity, at the Summer
School of Philanthropy yesterday morning so
much stress has been laid since the formation Of
charity organization societies. Miss Conyngton
continued, ''on the need OF thorough investigation
and the danger Of pauperization that there has
arisen among unrehecting philanthropists posi-"
tive prejudice against material aid, so that it is
either not given when II should be given or given
IN such wofuIly inadequate quantities as to be
little better than nothing. A case in point which
happen TO recall was that Of a family in which
there were eight children and the father was
only internittently employed. The case was taken
up by a church society. and they were much dis
tressed TO find at the END Of a few weeks that the
family had made no progress toward self-supporI
I found on inquiry that they thought they had
done enough in the way of material relief when
they sent pint of milk day for the baby. and
was solemnly lectured when pointed cut the in
adequacy Of this provision, or the danger Of fndis-
crirninate giving They were such nice people
and had never been in such position before. and
the committee did not want TO 'pauperize' them 1t
seems to me that such dread OF pauperization as
this Is worse even than indiscriminate giving
WORK VS. MATERIAL AID.
Another evil that has resulted from the mis-
application Of the principles Of scientific phian-
throphy is the fnjudicious employment of married
women and children. In the desire TO provide
people have often. afraid, taken the first step
in breaking down a mans sense Of responsibility
for the support Of his family. It IS easier TO find
work for an unskilled woman than for unskilled
man. and in consequence work has sometimes been
found for the wife while the husband stayed at
home with the children and became content TO do
SO Or else the burden Of support has been placed
upon the shoulders of a child who ought to have
been in school. I have even known cases in which
aid was refused Until the child should be put to
work We can control the employer some one has
said in reference to the employment Of children.
but who shall deliver Us from the unwise philan-
thropist?"
In the discussion which followed the reading Of
Miss Conyngton's paper the Rev. Anna Garlin
Spencer protested against the idea that material aid
cannot be accepted without loss of se1f-respect
from those TO whom the recipient IS not united by
the ties of close friendship or blood relationship.
My idea Of human relationship" she said, rs
so inclusive that 7 cannot make such a wide chasn
between the relations of blood and friendship and
those of a common humanity. And It seems TO
me that we are making too much Of material aid
when we set il apart thing only to be used IN
the last resort. II give spiritual gifts to
our fellow men why can we give them these
coarser things?'
Referring TO false representations on the part
of applicants for relief Mrs Spencer said that she
would rather thousand times err from too much
trust than from much caution and that sym
pathv and confidence would awaken corresponding
Il was systematically cheated for two
years said Mrs. Spencer and at the end or that
time the person in question came TO me and ssld
that as we had come to be such good friends she
couldn't do il any longer . -
could have her way she would retire huhdreoS
80 tbonsands of people from charita bic work and
limit them to collecting and giving Of money