Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-04-06
SERVING THE NEEDY
THEME OF ADDRESS BEFORE LEN
TEN TRAINING CLASS.
Mr. Charles F. Weller Discusses the
Work of Volunteer Helpers-Cita-
ton of Example.

discussed at the meeting of the Lenten
training class Tuesday evening in the Office
of the Associated Charities at 81 street.
A special lecture on the subject had been
written by Secretary Charles +. Weller.
The meeting rooms We're we'll filled with an
interested audience of men and women.
Students from the Catholic University and
the Deaconess' Training School were among
the number.
Mr. Weller traced the development of vol
unteer service from its origin in Hamburg.
Germany, in I'LL, through its development
In the St. Vincent de Paul Society, founded
In Paris in 1883 to the establishment of the
Elberfeld system in 1853 and the Inaugural
ton, finally, of the charity organiZa ton
movement in London in 1863. After men,
tioning eleven preventive, constructive phil
anthropies which developed in Hamburg be-
cause the leading resourceful citizens of the
community were brought into personal COM
tact with the poor, the lecturer spoke of
volunteer charity work as a training for
craftsmanship. He said: "Cities cannot be
truly great unless their neglected neighbor-
hoods and poorer people considered and
improved. This Strengthening of the citys
foundations cannot be accomplished with
out intimate. detailed knowledge, earnest
consideration and personal labor. The task
Is worthy Of the ablest leaders. Their at
tention to it will make it's leaders more eff
fective throughout all the range of all their
civic duties" AS an example of statesman
ship strengthened and improved through
volunteer service to the needy Mayor Seth
Low was mentioned; also the Earl of
Shaftesbury, William E. Gladstone and
President Roosevelt
Example Cited.
In discussing personal service as essential
to good citizenship. and emphasizing his
contention that the leading citizens of the
community cannot fulfill their civic duties
adequately unless they give some earnest,
personal attention to the problems of the
poor" the speaker said: THE character
and effect of general economic laws and So
cial practices in any city are most clearly
to be studied among those who eXemplify
their workings in the extreme ways which
entail dependence and distress. For eX-
ample" continued the speaker, the educa-
tors of a community could shape its school
work more beneficently If they studied the
very poor and learned what kind of teach
ing would have made them independent.
Much of the great wealth expended IN the
penal machinery of our country is wasted
because we have not properly studied the
delinquent classes.
Speaking of the st Vincent de Paul
SOCIETY,"" the speaker cited Its establishment
by eight poor students under the leader
shin of Frederick Ozanam in Paris in
1888 explained the principles of the or
ganization and mentioned that many coun-
tries in which the work has been organ
lied. He spoke of the seventeen confer
ences" active in this city, in
Guiding ESQ members who expended 81, 134S so
In 1903 I'm their various lines of relief work.
The speaker said that this society has 4l6
local organizations or conferences in me
United States, including 7,413 members who
relieved 1880 families during 1903, ex-
pending in all $2145e7.
Systematic Cooperation.
The lecturer reported that leading mem
do
are promoting the development of sys-
tematic cooperation between that organ
ization and the other charitable agencies.
He said, Leaders in the ST. Vincent de
Paul Society speak of the natural tendency,
observed among their members to be con-
tent with superficial study of needy
cases and to let easy alms-giving be sub
stftuted for contructive service. From this
constant danger there is some protection
to be afforded through the cooperation of
the Associated Charities and through the
expert trained, professional service which
the latter embraces.
ION the other hand, the charity organza
ton movement needs the close co-opera-
ton of the St. Vincent de Paul Society
as an inspiration to personal service as
means of emphasizing and strengthening
the Christ-like spirit which should char
acterize the charitable endeavors Of any
city"
1orSOndl service 10 the Hecuy poor 10
legally compulsory in Germany Austria
and portions of Switzerland, where the
man who refuses to give share of his
personal attention to the poor of his city
is punished by the loss of his franchise
from three to six years and by an in
creased rate Of taxation. Appointments as
almoners are sought for, however, and Mr..
Weller spoke of ITO citizens of Elberfeld,
Germany who had served for twenty-five
years and were greatly honored by the
city. He spoke of the one thousand volun-
teer friendly visitors enlisted by the as
ISOLATED charities of Boston. and explained
CARNATIONS the unpaid workers bear the
primary responsibility for all the work of
the society.
Twenty-Five Lines of Service.
The speaker read verbatim statement
of twenty-five lines Of charitable service
in which volunteers are active in the Char
ity Organization Society of London. He
next reviewed the development of volun-
teer personal services in Washington,
from the twenty-four volunteers who were
active during the year ending November l,
1900, to the 800 individuals who contributed
their labors during the year ending July 1,
1904. The work of the savings collectors,
friendly visitors, summer outing conduc-
tors, members of division conferences and
helpers in the office work of the seven
division offices in Washington were ex-
There were 101 men and women also
who were enlisted" he said through the
general office of the Associated Charities for
service in the four special committees on
the improvement of housing conditions,
prevention of consumption, summer out
ings and public Fairgrounds
Qualifications Necessary.
Discussing the personal requirements Of
volunteers to the needy poor, the lecturer
said: my experience is that two qualifica-
ton only are necessary, first, an averagelif
experience, summarized into ordinary COM
mon sense: second persistence and the de-
termination to keep at the work long
enough to learn its proper methods" In
conclusion, the lecturer spoke of the i'm
portance of training for personal service
and he recommended some books and mag
azines which he said the volunteers should
read. He closed with a quotation from
..Friendly Visiting Among the Poor a
book written by Miss Mary E. Richmond.
which said, "Our intentions are good, but
they are not always good enough to lead
us to take our charitable work quite seri-