The Washington herald., 1911-02-25
THE TREND OF THINGS
Churches and Organized Charity.

Churches and Organized Charity.
Organized charity in every community
has become a civic responsibility. Phil
anthropic work of the churches as such
and that of a society like the Associ-
ated Charities can have no real conflict
Strong churches will naturally prefer to
care for their own membership Weaker
ones will be glad to cooperate in organ
lied relief and in plans for the rehabili-
tation of families who may have come to
grief. 1t is therefore not at all strange
tnat many churches in Washington have
come to observe Associated Charities
Day." and that through the society S
committee on church cooperation, with
Rev. Roland Cotton Smith, D. D., as
chairman, many have arranged to OBJ
Serve tomorrow as a time for urging
their people to support the society in
its chartered purposes. 1t is announced
that several laymen connected with the
society have arranged with their own
pastors for addresses from the pulpit
covering the methods of modern philan-
thropy.
Tn its work with needy families in
their homes one of the first principles of
organized charity is to bring to the at
tention Of its own pastor or priest the
needs of any family which may apply
for aid. In this way the closest CO.
operation is sought by the Associated
Charities with the particular church to
which the family belongs"
So spoke General Secretary Ufford, of
the local society, in commenting upon the
church observance of this day. He con-
tinued: Then, again, great emphasis is
plaCeu upon the work of volunteers, most
Of whom are directly connected with the
churches. These friendly visitors and
good neighbors to the poor aid materi-
ally in building up character while pro-
vlding for the physical necessities. This
is a work of personal service of the
highest moral and spiritual value
There is another function which the
Associated Charities can perform for the
churches: To provide a clearing house
OF information through its registration
bureau. With upward of 2o,0o0 family
histories of those who are being dealt
with from time to time, the society can
advise the pastors to whom strangers
may appeal whether these are known to
the society. what plans of treatment are
IN process of being carried out and what
-.hurches or other agencies are interested
in helping each particular family.
In this way duplication and waste are
avoided, and all persons interested may
ork together in the fulfillment of a we'll
program, having for its ultimate
PURPOSE the rehabilitation of the family
to independent Self-suppOrt-
'While of necessity the Associated
Charities is strictly nonsectarian. 1t is
an cXempIar in a very real sense of the
command. Thou shalt love thy neighbor
as thyself 1t seeks in the strictest scrip
turaI sense to Consider the poor saving
them from that fate described in the
words. The destruction Of the poor is
their poverty by accompanying the gift
of material aid with the real helpfulness
of the personal touch of friendship and
sympathy.
"Organized charity has been well de-
fined as organized love- Organized love-
working with a plan is stronger than un-
organized relief. giving expression to un-
guided impulses and emotions. This is
a day of cooperation and working to-
gether, and the organization of charity
means bringing to bear upon the problem
of poverty all possible material, social
and spiritual resources. Whatever
the work of organized char
ity in the community strengthens its
moral purpose and helpfulness in minis
tering to suffering, distress and weak
ness.
Promoting Reform Legislation.
Tomorrow the International Reform
Bureau celebrates its sixteenth anniver-
sary. In the morning at II o'clock in the
First Presbyterian Church there will be
a short address by the pastor, the Rev.
Donald c. Macleod, who is the recently
elected secretary of the Reform Bureau,
and by DR.. Wilbur F. Crafts, the super
iptendent, who speaks on Battles won
and battles on" In the evening at the
Foundry Methodist Church the ,pastor.
the Rev. W. R. Wedderspoon, who was
recently made president of the Reform
Bureau, will speak, as will also ex-
Senator Henry w. Blair. a trustee. and
Crafts will speak on ma
tiona perils and hopes" Other trustees
Of the bureau are Prof. Mitchell Carroll. |
LII. D., Hon. Richmond Pearson Hob
son, Rev. ]. Fred Heisse, of Baltimore:
DR.. Sylvanus Stall, of Philadelphia; Rev. |
John Mcdowell Of Newark, N. J.. and |
Prof. ]. M. Barker, of Boston
AS is well understood, the Reform Bu-
reau's original purpose was to serve as |
an agency Of cooperation between men |
in Congress favorable to moral legisia-
ton and citizens outside whose suopo.t |
would be necessary to carry through such
legislation. The bureau is credited with
having introduced thirteen bills which |
have become laws, six OF which covered |
temperance. two Sabbath Observance |
one gambling and four matters relating
to the family. Three of these laws acre |
especially for the District of Columbia. |
one covering race gambling. another ra:s-
Ing the age of protection for girls to
and another the present d. |
vorce law.
In Its sixteen years Of endeayor the |
bureaus work has become International
and at present is active in the promo
ton of the anti-opium crusade in China
through it's Oriental secretary, Rev Z.
w. Thwfng, whose headquarters is at /
Tientsin and Pekin.
A project for the erection Of a build