The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-03-24
rHE GIVING rRAr "0ErS SOME.
WHERE"
Mere Charity. ORGANIZED Charity and
OverOrganiyed Charity.


OverOrganized Charity.
10 THE EDITOR or THE SUN--sT:
have read practically every editorial arti-
Gle that has appeared In THE SUN for the
last Ave years. but nothing has given me
keener pleasure than the rebuke admin
istered to some of your critics this morn
Ing under tho caption THE Charity Or
ganixation Society and THE SUN"
To the statement In the bulletin pur-
porting to be issued by the organisation
that the charity recently made available
to the needy through the fundamentally
Of THE SUN gets nowhere" you say: ITO
our personal knowledge II gets to stom-
achs that really need the bread"
This 10 admirable both ~ . phrase and
. truth. 1t could not have been better
put. It most effectually disposes Of all
the objections that the society can urge
against your splendid efforts to alleviate
immediate and poignant distress.
During the very cold snap. which was.
Of course. most keenly felt by those who
were least able to resist it, blighting ef-
fects, I had occasion personally to wit
ness some of the real work Of relief ac-
complished by THE Sun or through Its
agency. One day ] was IN conference
with Major David Slit. who administers
the relief department Of the Salvation
Army. The Major was running short Of
funds and the more the resources dimin-
became the demands OF the helpless. A
poor woman with several helpless chill
dren needed instant succor.
At the crucial moment a representative
Of your paper entered the ONCE and in
formed the Major that he was author
lied to place at his command a certain
sum OF money to be devoted to a specific
case. The destitute woman mentioned
was the most needy Of all the applicants
and she was made the immediate bene-
iciary Of the proceeds OF the generous
donation. And she received 100 per cent
of It. There were no overhead charges"
Nothing was deducted for cost OF ad-
ministration" and nobody spent any time
inquiring whether she and her destitute
little ones were worthy.
They were hungry. cold. destitute and
In despair. These facts ascertained. II
was determined to defer inquiry as to
her ''worthiness'' to some more conve-
nlent season.
IF thine enemy hunger feed him." is
the divine admonltion. II 10 possible
that some OF the persons who ate the
bread that was distributed under the
supervision Of THE Sun are its enemies
No matter, they were hungry. They
needed something 20 eat, not disserta-
TONS on how 10 afford succor without
pauperizing the recipient.
After all. much dormant manhood has
been aroused through a well directed
appeal via the stomach. In many cases
II is an invlncible argument OF course
indlscrimlnate giving should be discour-
aged. but l would rather be a sucker
than spug, Much is said OF the abuse
OF charity. but charity IL more abused
In me Withholding than In the giving.
| know OF scores OF men who are now
good citizens because somebody was kind
enough. at the critical moment, to give
them the glad hand supplemented with
some cheering coffee and sandwiches. II
s Just as we'll to bear in mind that
hunger II a condition. not a theory. and
that II can only be relieved with subs,an-
tial v!ands. A. u. FAIRBAiRN
NEW York, March 20.