New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-12-05
DIR. FINLEY ON CHARITY.
Tells Organized Workers More Com
mon Sense Is Needed.

The annual meeting OF the Charity Organization
Society held last night in the Assembly Hall
OF the United Charities Building, Fourth-ave- AMI
Twenty-second-st. The president. Commissioner
Robert W De Forest. of the Tenement House De-
partment. presided and addresses were delivered
by Dr. John H. Finley. president OF the College OF
the City of New-York; Commissioner Homer Folks.
Of the Charities Department: Charles +. Cox.
chairman of the committee the prevention Of
tuberculosis. James Forbes. mendicancy officer;
General Secretary Edward T Devine and Mrs
Anna Garland Spencer. the director OF the winter
course In philanthropy.
In opening the meeting President de Forest said
in part:
schools in philanthropy and the suppression OF
mendcancy, it should always be borne in mind that
the basic year in and year work of this society.
in which the greater part Of its workers, whether
volunteer or paid. are employed is that OF caring
for the poor in their homes through our district
committees
The address of the evening was delivered by DIT
Finley, who. in his opening lines. translated the
field Of human activity into acres which he said
were crossed by two parallel fences one private
service and one paid service. Between these two
lay the zone of unpaid aItruism. on side Of it
was the zone of individual tenure and cultivation.
on the other side the zone cultivated by the public
servants. Sometimes these servants became mas
tiers in their zones and administered them for their
gain and glory. DIT. Ftnley's observations led
him to believe that these public servants usually
were less efficient than private workers He con-
tinued in part;
Between these two fields lies the field Of volun-
tary unpaid service. This is the field of greaS
social and political cOntssts-tHe buffer state be
divides this from the field OF private selfish
effort II being gradually pushed outward A great
deal OF our effort Is organized. II any impOver-
ished Zulu should get past the immigration COM
mlSsiOners a society would forthwith be organized
for the Relief OF Destitute Zulus. II a twO-thirds
orphan were invented evolved N organization
for the care of twO-thfrd orphans would be found
What We want is not more societies, but more
common sense. We want flesh and blood society
that will amalgamate the sharpshooters and ht-le
bands of rTen and women that skirmishing with
drink and want and misery. We want intelligent
cooperation and organization since in great COM
munities cannot have the neiGhbOrliness which
could be relied upon TO supply all needs. But there
Is a great deal more Of neighbOTless in the world
than sometimes suspect
The individual began by helping his neighbOr out
Of altrUistic feelings. and ended by hiring
do it for him He longer sweeps the street
longer keeps a watchdog. the policeman is cor
should be) on the corner; he drinks water from
the public well. rides in public and gives aims
through the public relief officer. The reSrettable
feature of this great movement is that private
service IS liable to where paid public service
begins
DR.. Finley closed with tribute 70 the admins
ton of Commissioner De Forest and Of the work
of the Charity Organization Society.
In closing the meeting President De Forest read
letter of regret from ex-PTesident Cleveland who
was expected 10 preside at the meeting in which
he commended the work of the society and
pressed regret at his inability TO be present at the
meeting.