Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1913-10-18

ciety is the same as the program TOT
the building of the canal. 1t is a two
fold task. -
First, the Canal Zone had to be
made sanitary; then the work of con-
strnction was pushed under favorable
conditions We must do likewise in
social work. First, the evil condi-
tons in society must be eradicated,
and then the constructive work must
be pushed forward, Naturally, some
of the constructive work of changing
the social order can be done during
the fight against moral insanitation.
While swamps of immortality are be-
ing drained and breeders of moral
diseases are being stamped out. the
process of building the new civiliZa-
ton can get under way As more IA
vorable conditions are created, the adj
vance of man will be more rapid and
safe.
Today there are two large classes
that are the result Of wrong social
condition. These are the vultures and
the victims The victims of these
evils are the. unemployed, the under.
paid, the manned, the diseased, the
Incorporate. and prostitute, the ,pris-
oner and the pauper. None of these
classes have chosen their stations in
life; they are all the victims Of some
mal-ad justment in the social machine,
and sometimes the machinery has
been purposely set awry. OF course,
there is the personal equation too but
that alone would not have wrought
the evil result. u
It is easy to find the vultures that
feed on these victims, and here too
must be SAID that not all the vultures
are in this class by their own choice.
They also are often the result Of
social Inal-ad justment than other
wise, prefer to think But that
does not ease the pain Of their vic
Tins The vultures are all those who
cause and profit by the unhappy state
of the victims. All this leads up to
stating what Social Service is:
1t is curing and preventing these
wrongs. @
you know the old figure of the dan.
gerous pass through the mountains,
and you have heard Of those who fell
overS the precipice. The religious
worker of an earlier day urged people
not to spass that way, and maintained
an ambulance at the bottom of the
cliff to care for those who fell over
The Social Service program of to-
days religious worker has, as its end
the making Of safe passes out Of the
dangerous ones. 1t is a more bold
program. To change the figure, it
not only warns people of the dragon
and cares for those whom he has in
jured, but goes out to do battle with
the dragon himself and only the death
Of the destroyer will end the battle.
Where are the dragons that await
the modern St George? They are
foun- in at least five places.
First, in business, where his, name
is Competition. The rule of business
is every man for himself" and the
Devil take the hindmost. The rule OF
Jesus Christ is to love sneighbors
as self, and his aim is service. Some
day business will be .Christianized,
and the unemployed, the underpaid,
the MANNED and the defeated will be
scratched from our list of victims.
This is a dragon worth while. and a
Social Service task worth while.
Second. in international relations,
he takes the name cf War. and those
who work for international peace and
arbitration and disarmament have
laid lance in rest against him.
Three, local government in Hono:u-
Ia and many places elsewhere houses
some first-class dragons. most OF
whom belong to the family of Graft.
His devious ways and haunts are be-
ing well mapped and the campaign
against him is on. This also Is part
Of the Christian Social Service war,
Four, economic conditions house
dragons too numerous to mentian.
Snatch most any evil and the money
appear The saloon, prostitu-
ton and tenements show their ugly
faces in most cities, and from these
haser forms up to some very polite
and nice looking dragons there may
he found large number in the wrong
economic conditions, of yesterday and
today. These potter forms some one
has called 'smokeless sins"
Fifth, even the home houses a. dra-
gon or two, but Divorce is the most
evil one, for he eats the very heart out
Of our social order. |
The fighting Of these battles is So
cial Service.
Though there are good many sol
diers in the ranks who are not Chris
tians. yet it isthe modern expression
CT religion, and is becoming its domin-
ant note: not its only, but its dominant
note. 1T is the demand OF modern
psychology that thought and feeling
express themselves in action" says
Professor BoswoIth and in the realm
Of religion, thought and feeling find
their best. expression in Social Ser
vice. This is the ''love man" part OF