The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1914-08-31

philanthropy has been that men have used it as
a stalking horse for other purposes. Popularity
hunters have ridden it into the limelght. Bank
looters railroad thieves and other "malefactors
of great wealth" have leaped astride it to escape
public condemnation. Eight or nine years ago,
it was often predicted that undertaking would
$50 wound, exasperate and ALLEVIATE the rich that
the fountains of benevolence would dry up. Ex-
|actly the opposite has occurred. Exposure has
had wonderful effect in loosening the purse
strings of the exposed and the exposable."
But worse effect on philanthropy than this
has been the way in which it has tied up and
compromised otherwise admirable benefactory
of cases to show that where the predatory inter-
ests give to Y. M. C. AS, Y. w. c. AS churches
and similar organizations, they usually tie some
strings to their money that strangle them sooner
or later.
Philanthropy, he says, is receiving still
another setback by the change of front on the
part of the public toward the question of poverty
and misery. Crime and poverty, he writes, were
once universally attributed to individual congo
NAL defects; today people are beginning to I'M
derstand that they due more largely to lad
verse social conditions" And these adverse in
fluences usually found, he Declares associ-
ated with the conditions and pay of labor
Here, he says, is the center of the real fight
today in which are engaged all those movements
which seek the ameioration and betterment of
mankind. There few fortunes which do not
rest on business that more less sensitive to
such questions" In other words, runs the SUBJ
stance of his argument, phanthropic efforts will
receive the support of the moneyed classes up to
the point where they demand improvement in the
condition of pay and labor. Beyond that point,
the most philanthropic efforts will meet their
determined resistance
Into this condition he believes philanthropic
Der of prominent cases in which the best inten-
toned and most scientific efforts to relieve i'm
possible living conditions have been squelched
outright by the vested interests.
| What is to be the way out of this unfortunate
state of affairs? Prof. Ross believes it will be
through making the corrective efforts public
rather than private He points out that at one
time schools, drinking fountains, libraries and
even the feeding and clothing of criminals were
in charge of private organizations or were met
by individual and private philanthropies.
! In the social center, he sees one of the agen-
cies by means of which fundamental social work
can be carried on free from the domination of
the interests whose financial gains will suffer
thereby.
Whatever the reader may think of Prof. Ross
argument all surely can believe with him that
the social center movement is destined to work
great changes in American life The social cen
ter idea is that the school building shall be
thrown upon to the public and made popular
forum in which all views, POLITICAL religious anc
social, may find expression. It would be impos
sible to think of any kind of an institution which
will more securely buttress and protect the
rights and liberties of the people,