The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1908-12-05


the Association for Improving the
Condition Of the Poor in New York
City. The workers of the A. l. c. r.,
however, use no such term as "psy-
chOtherapy" to describe what they are
doing, and their methods are neither
those of the Emanuel church move
ment nor of any other formally or
ganized body of mental suggestienists.
Their work of relieving poverty by
suggestion as we'll as through mater
ial assistance they regard as simple
encouragement with nothing occult
about it in any sense. The nearest
they will come to a definition Of what
they are doing is "instilling the de-
sire for success and the will to sue
coed through a systematic suggestion
of optimism"
To Change Set Ideas.
plan lies in the old saying, Nothing
succeeds like success" 1t is based
upon long experience with all classes
OF the community which from time to
time need relief The workers soon
found that it was exceedingly difficult
to get work for man or woman who
believed firmly that he or she was a
permanent failure.
AS result the association now is
using the mental boost" as a regular
feature of its work. And as it re-
quires optimism on the part of the
booster" if he Is to instill optimism
In the subject, the association is also
taking steps to keep its workers them
selves In an optimistic frame of mind
which the gloom and unhappy sur
roundings of their field of work can
not upset.
The way in which the suggestion
OF optimism" is carried out was ex-
planned by F. o. Greene, Assistant
General Agent of the A. l. C. p. III a
man comes to u.s." said Mr.. Greene,
wearing ragged clothes and needing
work and aid to keep his family from
starving, it would take only a misdi- |
rected word or two on our part to
make him feel that he was no use
anyhow and might just as we'll give
up trying.
He probably feels down and out
when he comes to us, and it is our
business to get him out of the down
and-out class as quickly as possible. !
Our work Is not primarily temporary
relief, though we realize the futility
OF trying to set a starving man to
work before he is fed.
A Matter Of Clothes.
I'VE begin by providing the subject
where necessary with decent looking
clothes from our second hand stock. It
is remarkable what an effect being de-
Gently dressed will have on a mans
mental attitude toward things. The
instant he gets neat clothing on. he
begins to feel as ii things were not SO
bad after ALL This is no idle theory.
One Of the most successful business
men in New York has told me that
the minute he feels as If things were
going all wrong he goes out and buys
some new clothes The feeling of {
them enables him to cope with situa- I
lions instead of covering before them. !
He has often said that if he ever need
ed job, the first thing he would do l
would be to get new suit, even If p,
he had to borrow the money to pay for {
1t. s
Next we begin to treat the man as !
II his condition were purely an acci- G
dent of fortune, which is purely tenn
porary. We convince him that he can Z
succeed, because he has an the ele- i
ments of success in him. We find in I
most cases that it takes very little \
suggestion of this sort to enable the a
man to hold up his head and face the t
bravely, where a moment t
before he was tempted to cut and e
run, and either become a bum or end b
Ihings by the suicide road. F
Those who think that the only
way to relieve poverty is to give food,
,oal and clothing are seriously in err
or. 1t is tremendously important al +,
70 to turn poyerty's drift of thought \
oward something bright and happy. q
even a bright towering plant in :,
enement has its indirect influence to- ;,
ward success. We have ample evil =,
lence of the effect of environment !,
N the poor, and we are constantly at =,
work in this field and are gaining re- =,
ults which amply repay us for our !,
Investment. For example, take =.
amily where the mother is SO over -
,orked caring for babies that she has ~ :,
% chance to keep her fat clean and -,
eat. -
1T soon degenerates INTO slovenly -.
uddle of goods and chattels which ~,
onstantly grow more difficult to i,
traighten out. The task soon be- e
omes SO difficult that the mother, ~