Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1921-12-27
A GREAT SOCIAL PROBLEM.

The recurrence of anniversaries on which the
spirit Of happiness and hope is uppermost brings
into strong relief the cases from which hope and
happiness arc absent, and there is a prompting to
works OF assistance and relief He whose table is
we'll spread on a particular occasion, in the cxpen-
si%eness OF his own comfort desires that the good
which he enjoys shall be shared BY others. Hence
such holidays as Thanksgiving, Christmas and New
Years are especially marked by acts intended for
the feeding Of the hungry, the clothing of the naked,
and the general relief Of the unfortunate.
At such time the problem OF poverty, it's causes
and prevention. presents itself in acute form, and
the more the problem is studied the more complex
does it appear. The causes Of poverty are as multi
tarlous as its cases are numerous. Doubtless in no
two cases arc the causes exactly alike. And because
the causes are varied the treatment must also be
varied, and there are many cases in which it is diff
ficult to decide just what the proper reatmen is.
. There are cases in which poverty is due, SO far
as human eyes can see. to pure chance. There is a
coincidence OF misfortune SO persistent and so Gu
%1nulative in effect as to give seeming warrant to the
belief that an a~ll7powerful will and superhurnan in
telligence, divine or diabolical, according to the
point Of view, are at work to subject the individual
to the most searching of tests or the most relentless
OF prosecutions. In these cases the individual
though as intelligent, as capable and as moral as
his neighbors, seems to be pursued for a time by an
unacceptable fate. The tendency in such cases to seek
an explanation in the wickedness OF the sufferer
dates back at least as lar as the days Of Job, and it
continues to express itself in various forms today.
we nave Our cases OF poverty due to downright
laziness or criminality. Where such cases involve
the principal party alone they should be compare
lively easy to deal with. All that is needed is to
apply the ANCIENT in junction, IN the sweat of thy
face shalt thou eat bread" and it's corollary: He
who will not work shall not eat"
But there are other cases, and probably they
constitute by far the greater number Of those in
which poverty becomes SO acute as to demand out
side attention, where mental and moral defects are
such as to incapacitate the individual for the normal
work of a normal life, for the performance of duties
which to others arc commonplace, and the sur
mounting oin1ifficulties such as every human being
must expect~to meet. 1t is these cases, in which
mentality and morality arc below normal, yet not
so far below as to warrant the use of such terms as
insanity, i1nbecility or criminality. which are the
most puzzling. Gifts OF money and goods in sucl,
cases merely provide for the moment. To provide
work where both the ability and will to work eff
~fectively are lacking accomplishes nothing. 3
In these cases there is apparently needed a per
)manent guardianship, a guardianship which cannot
be exercised formally and officially, but whose du,
ties must be performed kindly. patiently, humanity,
by self-sacrificing individuals who must expect to
be denied the satisfaction of seeing permanent pro-
gress grow out Of their labors.