South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-06-20
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X LETTERS OF THE PEOPLE r
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Organized Charity.

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Organized Charity.
Editor News-Times:
| refer to your editorial, organized
Charity" in your Monday morning is
sue. You state facts, i. e.: Right or
wrong, the public believe it is being
imposed upon by the men and women
who are carrying on the work OF or
ganized charity. The reason is obvl-
Gus. A large per cent of the funds
contributed to organized charities is
devoted to payment of salaries and
Office expense and a small per cent 10
the direct relief of the poor"
/ know that many have some such
belief There was a time when in
measure L had such a belief. For the
first year of the association l gave
$25. 1t did not seem TO me that very
much was going fer food and clothes
for the poor. ] wanted to know that
my contributions did go directly into
the homes of the poor. Then for two
or three years l gave each year an
order for $25 upon my grocer, allow
ing the Associated Charities TO draw
as circumstances demanded At the
end of that time Mrs. Frank Dunna-
hoo. who has been the treasurer, l
believe. ever since its organization,
and who every year has done SUCH
great amount of work for the assO-
citation without any compensation
whatever. called upon me for my sub
scriptiOn for the ensuing year, and in
the kindliest way asked ne II L ala
not believe in the association. l told
her that 1 did. She asked me If ! did
not think that the rent and fuel and
acting secretary should be paid |
told her that | did She did not need
to go any farther. l saw the absurd
ity of my position. ! was not allow
ing any of my contribution to go to-
ward expenses Of the office, and yet l
believed in the organization and was
permitting and trusting il to distrib-
ute my contribution. From that time.
which must have been seven or eight
years ago. | ceased to give S25 orders
upon my grocer and began to give $50
checks, which ] have done every year
since
Should we. in a city of this size,
have an organized central charity as
ISOLATION? Can we have an Associ-
ated Charities without Office expense ?
IF we should have an organization
and cannot have without expense, the
next question is as to whether the
expense is too great. The office rent
is $40 per month. l do not see how
it could DE less. Mrs. Evans. stfle
present policewoman, was for sew
eral wears an investigator of cases for
the Associated Charities and she was
most efficient in her work. | once
asked her what wages she received.
and she said $3.50 per week That
did not seem to me too much. / I'M
derstand her successor receives $3.50
per week. Miss Rein, who is 2. college
bred woman, a former teacher thor
oughly versed along up-to-date lines
relating TO charity. | am told. re-
ceived $1,000 per year. That does not
seem too much. The report of the
fiscal year ending Sept. so, 1913.
shows salaries of general secretary
office assistants and investigators
s1.59S.65: office rent S120. This to-
tai does not seem too much for these
purposes if we admit the desirability
of such an organization.
Now. let us stop again and blunuy
ask the question and settle the ques-
ton, is there too much overhead eX-
pense for such an organization in
such a city2 I do not see how 1t
could be less. If the amount distrib-
uted is too small, ii is because. and
only because. the people do not give
ii TO the association to distribute The
association can only distribute such
funds as are given il for distribu-
ton.
The large object of the Associated
Charities in a city of this kind is not
the distribution OF money. food or
clothes. and yet il cannot fill its
place without having the ability 70
distribute as cases come to notice that
are so imperative that help must be
given. The great amount OF the
work. however. is for education. adj
vice. encourag cement. inspiration.
sympathy; and yet 7 repeat we must
keep before us that there is a call
Y for money. food and clothes, and that
/ IL cannot be met except as the public
furnishes the means. If not met the
/ responsibility seems TO me to be who'll
| ~ with the public. provided all the
/ time that salaries and rent are not
/ too high, which TO me does not seem
\ to be a fact.
Suppose we make a few cOmpari-
sons. The Chamber Of Commerce is
an organization for the betterment OF
| South Bend. Its purpose is wholly ed
vocational. adisory. encoura ging, inspi-
rational and organizing. There are,
/ think. about 500 people who for this
| organization give S25 a year Il am
one OF them). all for overhead eX-
pense Its secretary. I am told. gets
$4,000 a year The Associated Char
/ tiles secretary gets $1,000 a year
| 10th associations have a place in
! the community; the difference being
] that the Chamber OF Commerce needs