Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1916-02-14
EDITOR

! studies such as that made here by Miss Bergen
or the Associated Charities.
It was, something over year ago that .
representative Springfield citizens started a
movement for social survey of their commun-
ity The Russell Sage Foundation of New
York City, in an interesting report just sent
nut, now tells of the valuable work launched by
hese men, who believed that city problems
would go indefinitely unsolved unless experts
we're to get at the exact facts and let the pub
ic know them in systematic, graphic manner.
Those citizens decided that as the manner of
life in most cities had radically changed in the
asst dozen or twenty years and that so many
lew problems had been coming to the front
hat it was time to pause, to take a new look
1t their city to sit and view themselves and
heir surroundings from the viewpoint OF The
unbiased outsider. These twenty-odd citizens
included two state senators, a number OF bust
lessmen and labor leaders, the superintendent
If public schools, a former lieutenant governor
IF Illinois, public officials clergymen, doctors,
yomen's club leaders, teachers, social workers,
md others. 1t was non-partisan group, Sc
ected so that every important interest in the
,ity would be represented.
Because of local "color blindness to local
aults, the survey committee went outside the
lily for specialists who could look over the
,ity without fear or favor These civic ex-
oerts not only studied local conditions, analyz-
ID the city's problems of public schools, de-
linquency, public finance, and SO on, but also
outlined methods of solution based on the best
experience of other cities. But it did not stop
there. This group of citizens, as the survey
reports began to come in,-organized themselves
into series of smaller groups whose duty it
was and is to follow up the survey recommen-
dations and see that something is done.
The report now being distributed, entitled
e The Charities of Springfield, Illinois" deals
with the problem of poverty and the efforts
made to help those who are dependent or in
distress. It is the work of Francis H. Mclean;
the poverty Doctor or charity specialist of.
the American Association of Societies for Or
ganizing Charity. Mr.. Mclean found that
1854 families in 1913 in this city of less than
so 900 people had received some kind of chart
table aid from public or private organizations
In his report he takes up the causes of need in
these families and indicates measures not only
for improving the service provided for needy
families but measures for reducing the amount
of future dependency the eradication of condi.
tions that oppose normal living.
In fact, pains have been taken by the mana
gers to make the whole Springfield survey as
useful as possible to large number of mid
die sized cities The subjects taken up cover
practically every phase of living conditions, in
Guiding health sanitation, housing, administra-
tion of the public offices, recreation, delin-
quency and the correctional system, care of
mental detectives, the insane and alcoholics,
working conditions and labor problems, and the
work of the public schools. Each section of
the published reports includes detailed recon
mendations for working out local situations.
Already Springfield has been congratulated and
thanked by prominent people in other cities
because of the help given through their study
of Springfeld's survey.