Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-12-10
Social STEWARDSHIP.
By FRANK TUCKER.

Jacob A. Rils tells story on the men ap-
pointed members Of the board Of trustees
OF q children's institution which was start
ed some years ago In New York state.
The cause was good one. There were
twelve Of them who accepted membership
on the board, men Of weight In the COM
munity-of such excellent reputation, in
fact, that each member counted upon the
integrity of his fellows so implicitly as to
believe them attending the meetings from
time to time, which his own press of af
fairs prevented. At the close of the first
year they discovered that they were all in
the same boat. None of them had attend
ed the meetings and when they got togeth-
er they found that the institution had pull
ed through the year by the barest margin
and that they had been nominally response
bic for conditions which had been repeat
edly on the verge of calamity. Lack of
money to establish a sewage system had
led to typhoid conditions and by the barest
escape an epidemic had been prevented.
When the jeopardy of the year had been
put before them in its entirety, the men,
bers were pretty well frightened. One of
them, leading New York divine, asserted
that 1t was only due to the direct interpo-
sition of Providence that they had not been
convicted of murder or worse, and all been
In jail by the time of this meeting And
think Is ths sest We fe0 ought to he said
Which he did forthwith, and the members
added some resounding amens
The discussion of the responsibilities of
boards Of trustees of charitable institu-
tions-long a live question in philanthropic
circles-has been accumulated by the dis
closures as to trusteesifip in life insurance
societies. In an article on social steward
ship, in the December magazine number of
Charities and The Commons, Frank Tucker
discusses the difficulties that beset govern
ment by boards. which he says are the
same whether the board directs an indus
trial trust, a life insurance company, a
reflroad, bank, a charity organization So
clety, a settlement, or state hospital for
the insane. The difficulties are the same
because they grow out of the weaknesses,
the pretudices, the eccentrict,es, the be-
liefs the habits. the mental capac cities of
individuals, and because they are inherent
IN collective action as contrasted with In
d1vidual action.
The results to society are vastly differ
ent-a derelict board of directors Of life
insurance company may cause a financial
loss to many thousands, but a board of
managers of a charity organization So
c!ety that fails to fight for improved hous-
ing is responsible for the continuance &C
conditions which mean the perpetuation of
crime, disease poverty and misery. 1t may
seem a startling proposition to say that the
trustees of social activities assume greater
responsibilities than the directors of banks
life insurance companies and industrial
trusts; but in the one case the material
prosperity Of a few is involved, in the
other the future civilization of the whole
community is at stake. Progress in social
betterment is largely dependent upon the
wisdom displayed by those who sit upon
the boards governing our social and phil
anthroptc activities, and when there is
perfunctory or narrow-minded conception
of duty the damage is greater than we
know. We can measure a financial loss
occasioned by the failure of bank: who
can measure the effect of life in the flats
and tenements of New York upon the civil
lization Of the future? Filling the vacancy
in the board of an existing social activity
should be matter of grave considera ton.
1t is an opportunity to get just the man
or woman to strengthen the organization
where 1t Is weakest. But how often do
find the vacancy filed by a business
or social acquaintance; or by a fellow
member on some other governing board;
by some one who is only socially fnan-
cially prominent; by some one who is
willing to lend his name but has no time
to attend meetings or do any work; by
some who is a friend of the admins
tration and Is expected to vote with IT. or
by some one who is on the boards of many
activities. How rarely do We find nomi