The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1915-11-16
WOMAN's CLUB WORK
MRS. WALTER HOOD,
Social Service

Social Service
Not what we give but what we share;
The gift without the giver is bare.
Who gives himself with his aims feeds
three,
Himself, the hungry one and Me.
And this is social service. That
form of effort for mans betterment
which seeks to uplift and transform
his associated community life. AS
such it is the social application of
Christian principles and is new
name for that spirit of philanthrophy
and service which is as old as Chris
tianity.
What warrant is there for social
service in the Bible? Jesus said:
''The spirit of the Lord God is
upon me, because he anointed me to
preach good tidings to the poor. He
hath sent me to proclaim release to
the captives and recovering of sight
to the blind, to set at liberty them
that are bruised, to proclaim the ac-
iceptable year of the Lord"
Above is the example of Jesus him
self, who went about doing good,
helping the needy. adjusting the re-
lations of men, and seeking to estab-
lish justice among men.
The relief of need and distress, the
prevention of poverty and crime, the
provision for all of the conditions of
a clean, healthy moral and spiritual
life, the creation of a social atmos-
phere which shall induce right
course of conduct, the adjustment of
mems relations in justice and broth
erhood, are the chief items in social
service
One person can study social condi-
tons, help other people to see things
as he sees them, seek to unite men in
behlf of practical measures, join with
those who are engaged in some form
of helpful service and be an active,
intelligent citizen in his own COM
munity. And Rev. R. B. Eleazer of
] Tennessee, further tells us that in q
united way, we can have a federation
/ of the churches, which shall secure
unity of purpose and mass the con-
science of the people at any one
point. The federation should have a
committee on Cancellation and arbi-
tration for industrial disputes. It
should support all righteous and faith
/ full officials; it should voice the con-
eviction of the men of good will in the
community. Every community should
thus have in some visible form, not
lonly churches, but united church of
D Christ in common service.
These are the practical things that
can be done. Secure for every worker
one days rest in seven; have a COM
mittee to censor all moving picture
land other shows; equip a playground
within half mile of every home in
the city; make efficient the agencies
seeking to suppress gambling, the So
cial evil, alcohol, and all habit form
ling drugs; see that there is a good
/ child labor law and that it is enforc-
ed; have regular inspection of tene-
ments and rooming houses; support
the juvenile court; conduct a syste-
lmatic canvass of the community.
And as to our weaker race. It is
high time we became conscious of the
Macedonian in our midst. The needs
that lie all about us, so many and so
familiar that we have ceased to OBJ
serve them. Too often we have not
looked closely enough into his face to
discover in him a neighbor, friend,
the man who works with US or for us,
the boy who runs our errands, the
woman who cooks our meals or sweeps
J the floors.
H And the immigrant. Are we ready
to receive them, and give them proper
religious, social and civic environ
ment and training? This is matter
of vast and growing Importance to
the people of the gulf states.
The ultimate purpose of social SER
vice is to seek to create such social
order in the world as shall realize the
Christian ideal of human society, to
give each soul a true inheritance In
life, to develop a perfect life in a per.
feet society and to make Jesus
Christ a fact in the universal life OF
the world.
Il