Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-07-16
CHARITIES SUFFERING
ON ACCOUNT OF WAR
Gifts to Society Greatly De-
creased by Liberty Loan and
Red Cross Campaigns
FORCED TO MAKE DEBTS
Home Charity Week Planned as Means
of Relieving Distress Of
Deserving Poor

Philadelphia charities are suffering e.
verely on account Of the war and plans are
now being made for the holding Of Home
Charity Week" The recent Liberty Loan
and Red Cross campaigns have decreased
donations to an alarming extent, and at the
same time the number Of families to be
cared for has greatly increased over for>
mer years said ]. Byron Deacon, now gen.
eral secretary Of the Society for Organizing
Charity. today in his Offices at 419 South
Fifteenth street.
This society has now found It necessary TO
borrow money 70 carry on its work. II cam
not curtail this work TO any extent without
seriously cripplng its effectiveness. Nor
mally more than 5000 persons contribute the
sum or S150,000 annually. For the first six
months of this year the number Of do
nators has decreased 40 per cent and the
amount donated has decreased 80 per cent
under last years figures 1t had been an
tcipated that the society would have fewer
families to care for in 1917 owing to the
prosperous industrial condition Of the coun-
try. However, IS per cent increase in de-
pendent families has been the toll of our
prosperity
1T is remarkable fact that Favorable in
dustrial conditions should Increase the
number of those depending on the society
for help" said Mr.. Deacon, land the only
way In which we can account for IL is the
great increase in cases of nonsupport de-
slaekening in the moral fiber of the country
during wartime"
None of the local charities took advan-
tage of the Red Cross campaign 10 seek
| donations. Such course would have been
| unpatriottc and IL was deemed advisable TO
| take care of the needs Of the Red Cross
| before home charities came before the pub
| lie. Plans are now being worked out tc
| remedy the present condition by home
| CHARITY week. in which an energetic cam
| paign VIII be carried on by the various or
| ganiz5tions in the city. II is planned 70
| work out the requirements of each insti-
| tuition in advance and assign a certain per-
each.
Many of the people accustomed to give
to the local charities used the money thif
year for either Liberty Bonds or the Red
| Cross. Thus these funds were diverted
from the usual channel and the burden has
fallen on the shoulders Of the poor OF
| Philadelphia and the home charities.
The extraordinary conditions prevailing
| throughout the country have greatly in
creased the need of all charities. "rhe
woman deserted by her husband as a result
| OF too much war prosperity is as much 6
war widow and her need is as great as iF
the woman who loses her husband in bat
tie" asserted Secretary Deacon. These
cases are becoming increasingly numerous
The crippling of the charitable institution
means the removal Of the one sure pro
lection for such women, and this in turi
will tend TO increase the evil
THE country is vitality interested IN tn
moral condition of the country" he furthe'
said. The morale Of the nation Is as i'm
portant the morale Of the troops, an
whatever agency tends to harden the mors
fiber of the nation is Indispensable. TT
disabling Of institutions caring for the pot
would be real calamity"
Secretary Deacon has recently come {
Philadelphia from Pittsburgh to assume h.
present position. He was born and raise
at Riverton, N J. For a number Of year
past he has lived away fro Philadelphia, bt'
now has a house at Lansdowne. He has dc
voted himself to charitable work in Ne
York and Pittsburgh, where he has held re
sponsble positions. He has also made :
close study Of conditions in England sine
the beginning of the war.
He says that the salaried class is the OF
that has suffered most severely as a resu
Of the war in England. Conditions haN
reached such state that an association Z
relief for persons in salaried positions HI
been formed. Secretary Deacon also points
out that the same condition was beginnir
to prevail in the United States. The grea
est falling off in subscriptions for charitab
purposes has been in persons usually givir
amounts ranging from IS to $50.