The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-05-09
WORK OF CARING
FOR UNEMPLOYED
IMPORTANT NOW
Organizations Have Been Forced
to Let Down Bars During
Past Few Months.

lies, In the basement of ST. Paups Epis-
copal Church, yesterday morning, an in
teresttng paper on "I,imtations of
Charity in Dealing With the Unem-
ployod" was read Ivy Mr.. Porter X. Lee.
secretary of the Charity Organization
Society of Buffalo, MANY prominent
church and charity workers of Rich
mond We're present, the hall being filed
to It's capacity. In the discussion which
followed the formal paper. and which
was opened by Miss Byington of Pitts
burg. there was reference to consid-I
cradle change in Industrial conditions
during the past twelve months. much
larger number of people being out OF
work than in former years with corr
respondngly heavier demand on the
resources of tile charity organizations.
| In many cities tile dictum of the or
ganized charities that an ablebodied r
man must work has been almost inn
| possible of enforcement, when there
| was no work to be obtained. and to
| prevent actual starvation and suffer-
| ing. the bars have been lowered.
The Unemployed
/. Mr.. Lee dealt with this phase of the
subject at some length, presenting es-
! Inmates as to the number of the ui1f
| employed He continues:
without attempting to present any
accurate figures, it is still possible to
/ indicate the extent of unemployment
l. last winter. me NEW h1pTki iSldte
| partment of Labor reported a2,62I union
I workmen unemployed on December 81,
! 1907 which was ai.2 per cent. of tho
/ total union membership rcportinBs
Later figures are unavailable. So fan
as Is practicable. the homeless maf
and the wanderer has been eliminates
from this discussion and from these E
figures. The charity organization soci-f
i cites hive reported an increase in their
4 work with families as follows: Buff
4 falo, 100 per cent: Cincinnati. 20 per
scent: Cleveland. 100 per cent; Mime
apois. so per cent, Newark, 221 per
:. cent: New York. 90 per cent; Phila-
4 delphia. 267 per cent; Providence. 3la
per cent. st. Louis. as per cent; ST.
4 Paul. so per cent. Springfield, 6S per
4 cent
i. AT the outset we are faced with the
.Iimpossbility of reaching causes Tho
1 triumph of modern philanthropy. Its
dominant note, as DR. Devine has de-
ciarcd. is it's insstcnce upon the re-
j nloval of causes, individual and social.
as It's most Important work. The causes
! OF the unusual unemployment of last
4 winter were Intricate and difficult to
j define.
II, Some of the more important factors
4 affecting the situation were sum-
4 narized by Frank Julian Verne in a
report in the New York Charity Or
ganizaticn Society in January, as fol-
. lows:
Il. The financial stringency,
: 80. The usual displacement of labor
lin winter. aggravated by the general
check to production. resulting from the
shutting down in whole or In part OF
manufacturing plants.
80 rho order system of production.
:. (which in many cases has supplanted
stock production. and tends to make
employment less secure.
4 "a. Overstocking of goods by retail
!. ers. due to failure of cool weather last
4 summer to clear their stock of spring
A goods rctarding production at this sea-
:, son.
30. Presidential year.
4 Other Difficulties.
Il "a second limitation is the difficulty
4 of applying the principles of organized
q charity in a time of unusual unein-
ploymcnt. Investigationaand adequate
relief funds arc fundamentahgT This past
d winter has required of many societies
two ard three times the work for
which they are normally equipped.
1.-THE function of an ablebodied man
4 is self-support through labor. Char
4 table relief, except with chronic de-
& pendents is nothing but a temporary
aid in building up physical and moral
4 strength. with which the dependent
family may ultimately achieve self
support. After a man is physically and
q morally fit to care for his family, he
=lcannot safely receive charitable relief.
4 Another difficulty was encountered
by those who direct this work in the
4 number of people whom it attracts to
4 tile city. There is a difference of opin-
4 ion as to the value of relief work.
4 which we are not likely to settle Off
Il hand. Many leaders in social work be-
4 lieve direct relief for the ablebodied
! to be dangerous Others believe that.
bad as direct relief is. relief given
/ through unnecessary or underpaid
I work is more demoraliZing.
4 "a third Imitation of charity in
dealing with unemployment is the dlf1-
\ sculty of reaching families who do not
/ know the way to relief society. or
4 whose self-respect deters them from
applying. The infusion of warm 4
tEheartedness into systematic charitabia
work has not been able to remove en-
4 tirely the sense Of humiliation which
4 accompanies dependence upon charita-
4 bic relief,
"A fourth Limitation is, perhaps. more
/ speculative than real. 1t Is the effect
1 on wages OF efforts to re-establish the
! dependent unemployed in industry. as
4 industrial operations are resumed, In
4 the first place we may we'll question
4 whether In fairness a society should
4 not withhold all efforts to secure work
i for its benehcaries until after those
I who have weathered the storm without Is
l4charitable aid have found work The
/ latter are undoubtedly entitled to mora
credit But the very denendenee Of the
1 former makes his case the more urgent.
Charity Has Done Well,
Il do not believe that a rhafitable95
Iasociety does more important work than
THAT OF famiiarizing the public with
/ social conditions that need remedy.
.lOnly in this way can social workers 4
lFreach the causes of unemployment.
While the past year has shown GER
4 tain limitations, II has also shown
4 strong effective work, Largely through
\ the members of this section, the wide
and kindly distribution of charity has
i relieved an Immense amount of snfra
aEfering and prevented more,
4 THE absence OF disorder and tho
Iacquiesceuce Of people generally In the
4 suggestions OF organized charity are /
4 Significant. Every appeal for FUNDS.
4 every receipt for a contribution, ever