Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1915-05-13
SHE URGES HIGH IDEALS
FOR SOCIAL WORKERS
Mrs. John NJ. Glenn, President, Ad-
dresses National Conference of
Charities and Corrections.
AT SESSION IN BALTIMORE
Speaks OF Tide of Emotional Civ.
ing" Which Detracts From Years
Usual Preventative and Construc-
tive Work.

BALTIMORE. May l2.-Eoted social
and charity workers OF the country
were present tonight at the opening
OF the forty-second annual session of
the National Conference of Charities
and Corrections.
J "a Prelude to Peace" was the subject
OF an address by Mrs. John NJ. Glenn,
of New York. president. at to-nisht's
OF high ideals In social service, and
spoke of the tide of emotional giving"
which had detracted from the years
| usual preventative and constructive
| work.
Social workers." she said, have
passed through a winter during which
heavier demands have been made upon
them than in any other winter of their
experience. Many of us have come to
the conference worn in body and de-
pressed In spirit after lighting what
has seemed in many instances to be
losing fight to keep standa rds of work
high. Torn BY conflicting claims upon
our sympathies we have had to face
retrenchment in work that We knew
to be important. and have seen the
emphasis shift from preventative and
constructive effort to remedial and pal
liatiye aid.'
Mrs. Glenn spoke of foes. sensate
and insensate, that have blocked the
Of the winters outbuTst of emotional
giving. taken on Its lowest plans" she
found in Ell Greco's famous painting of
St Martin dividing his rich cloak with
a naked beggar, an act of relief which
was essentially a pallia tive one. with
out the slightest CLEAN of humor on
the face of either the knight or the
| hegear 10 show there was felt to be
any irony in the situation.
This she contrasted with Ell Grecos
painting of ST. Paul, with the face OF
one who lives by the rule Of charity,
who vaunteth not himself, who suf-
fereth long and is kind, who believeth
all things" The need OF social workers.
she said, was that they should hear
such stamp of personality as that
borne by st. Paul. The need Of our
| field is that we move forward within
IT. not as mere personages. but as
personalities whose general spirit
marks each as having done such as
struck some depth in his own being.
To allow ourselves to be hurried be-
cause of the impatient temper Of the
times into thoughtless action means
that We become mere automatons and
are in reality condemned to almost
total absence from ourselves.
FACING REALITIES
AS NEVER BEFORE
we social workers are now being
brought face TO face with realities as
never before, and 1t is We that are
going to be put to the test More and
be brought to see that we stand in
need of a something that will transcend
our own intelligence
Sacrifices have been demanded OF
some of us this winter that have made
us angry or solemn, or have crushed
our spirit or crippled our usefulness.
But there are, also, others of US who
through love Of their task. have sur
rendered themselves to the new de-
mands made by an increasingly difficult
situation. 1t is they in particular who
, by their act Of surrender, have learned
to realize what II is to love not alone
their special task, but the cause of
which 1t is a part. They have sounded
clearly the note of personality.
Though the influence of individual
workers may seem at times to be so
extraordinarily big, the need does not
grow less OF a steady increase in the
number that should be enlisted to
serve. We cannot take our measure
by the count Of ourset ives. nor be able
TO guage our quality, but we can hold
TO an Ideal, of a world moving to one
measure of devoted service
We cannot tell what founts OF
strength may be drawn on to bring re-
cuperation to the world as we now
know it. But we do know that from
whatever source the strength for re-
cuperation comes, the real strength