Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-05-12
NO MONEY WASTED

wv "uVBue WI ~ ~
! Continued from First Page
| ly. The fact is it is doing so much
more than that. and the work it is
of aims. is claimed to be by. far the
most important part. This claim de-
serves the closest attention.
Few people who enjoy the comforts OF
| life are disposed to shut their eyes or
! withhold their hands in the actual pres
ence of distress. They wish to relieve it,
But the moment they attempt to do SO
they meet with difficulties. They don't
know how They can throw beggar q
coin. but that may do him more harm
| than good. and they know it. They may
| send barrel of flour Or a load of coal
| to a poor neighbOr. but he may need
| something else far more.
Job May be Needed.
He may need job so that he can buy
| his own flour or coal He may need a
| doctor. He may need to go to the hos
pitai- He may need an adviser. Most
of all he may need a friend Can you
| stop to attend to all that? He may be a
professional beggar. He may be a wife
beaten. He may not be one who has fall
en- out Of work, but one who has had a
falling out with work. He may have
been getting his living for years out OF
soft-hearted citizens, who found it easier
to give him a dollar and get rid of him
than to look into his case and deal with
1t fntelligently.
THE first thing needed is to understand
the case, and that takes time; it takes
skill and experience and a certain sort OF
training What you would do If you could
would be to put the man on his feet
help him only just enough to enable him
to help himself and let him keep his self
rcSnQcf
knew OF some person who had just that
skill and experience. just what wisdom
and Kindness was needed to deal with the
case, would you not be glad to send the
needy individual to him, and would you
not be willing to pay the man or woma n
who was willing to take the case in hand
and do what ought to be done? Would
you not think 1t better use Of your money
than to throw the beggar a dollar and
pass on with a sigh?
You would realize that the kind friend
who was OOing your charity work for
You would need to have some money in
hand to buy some necessaries for the
applicant. but you would count on his
services as we'll. Now, that is exactly
what the Associated Charities is trying
to do. 1t is trying to be that kind friend
wise. skillful. experienced. to whom You
can turn over the case that would 9TH
erwise demand your own personal at
tentiOn. The officers of the association
do not ask or receive any pay, but they
employ the best workers that they can
get for the money you place in their
hands.
They keep up a system that will bring
their workers in touch with the cases of
suffering and need: they appeal to you for
funds to help them carry on the work.
and they keep q record of all the cases
they deal with so that you can see
whether they have done what they ought
to do and SO that they can know whether
any one appeals for aid who has been
ni d<FI fnrn oyr1 yx-lNy hot
to do is to remove the cause of distress
and put the weak person on his feet If
he Is sick. TO help him to get well; If he
is out of work. to help him to get job;
if he is stranded and wants to go to
friends, to help him on his way.
Aims Only Small Part
IF family is being abused and neg
lected by a shiftless, drunken father. to
have him attended to and put in the
workhouse. if necessary, and his earn
ings applied to the support OF his fam
lily. Isn't that better than to support
the family itself? There are hundred
ways in which the social workers who
know their business can do good be-
sides the mere supplying of physical
wants although that part is not to be
despised and is not by any means neg
Iected in their plan of operations.
us II costing too much to keep up this
business Office and pay these workers?
We have gone into that question thor
oughly and we are all satisfied that ii is
not The money is well spent compared
with the condition of things before the
Associa, Charities was put on its pres
ent basis. some fifteen years ago. and we
are making great saving. Then we
spent more than twice the money we
spend now. and We spent ii in an indis-
criminate charity. The streets were full
of beggars. and there was constant beg
ging from house to house. Now there is
practically no begging from door to door
or on the streets.
"The fact is that under the present sys-
| TEN charity Is dispensed in a business
like way, help is given after a careful
| inquiry into the circumstances of the
case. and a record kept that is of the
greatest use in preventing fraud and
doubling.
THE system is a good one There is a
central Office and eight division Offices.
the latter opened for q part OF each day.
There is a general secretary, competent
and devoted to his work. an assistant
| secretary. general agent and various
division workers. and a great many vol
unteer unpaid workers.
1T Is a busy, alert, intelligent working
| force, tackfng one OF the most difficult
! and dangerous problems of modern life.
1t requires a singular devotion TO give
! person can be drawn to it by the mere
| financial reward. That is too small &c
attract the ability and faithfulness re-
quired. But 1t is one of the nobest and
most inspiring careers open TO self-devot-
! ed spirits at the present day.
Investigation Of Applications.
! When application is made to the
! Associated Charities for the relief 90 some
| person OF a family it Immediately looks
i about TO find church or relatives, the
| friends or the former employers. the
labor union or other organization which
would most naturally take an interest il
Fthe case Ii tries to enlist the sympathy
and help of these natural friends and
helpers Of the sufferer. Its records KEEP,
| from year to year are of great assistance
I in pointing out these natural sources Of
/ relief II must not be understood tina,
| funds except those which il receives from
! the Relief Association.
. 1T receives special funds for the relief
lof particular families, spends money in
| their behalf and renders an account Il
| the donor. IT also has Il general fund
called the Golden Book fund. to which
| contributions may be made. and these
funds will be used for the relief of dis
tress in various ways.
| 1.-The annual reports show the amount
OF this fund. and what has been done
with It, But the association has don,
Something of more importance than this
/ lit has taught the people how to save
and has helped them to save Durins
! the months when the poor families ;frs
liable to lay by few pennies or nickel,
or dimes in the course of n week. II,
workers goI about collecting these small
: sums antl giving savings stamps to repre-