The Semi-weekly leader., 1921-11-23
THE FAULTS OF PHILANTHROPY

sore instead of removing the deep
seated cause of disease? None will
deny that the Good Samaritan has
his place in the scheme Of things,
but it is question whether we ale
placing too heavy responsibility on
this agency. After viewing the per
feet orgy" of charitable activity dur
]. Cannon comes to the conclusion
that too much dependence is being
placed on private giving, that phi
lanthropy operated as state func-
tion would be of more permanent
value than the application by indi-
vidual charities of temporary poul-
tices to the various maladjustments
of the poor. Various defects in her
opinion, characterize the present sys-
TEN of remedial effort, and she dis
cusses them in a thought-provoking
article in The Atlantic Monthly. In
the first place, thinks this writer,
who is the wife of the George Hig-
ginson professor of physiology in
Harvard University, the apparently
solid support of philanthropic socie-
| ties has been showing signs Of giving
way; there is "a revolt of the CIV
ing public which may herald a
moral revolution" Other criticisms
of existing charities are their "in-
tense jealousy" each having an
almost fanatical sense that 1t holds
the key to human regeneration" and
their reluctance to cease functlonlng
when the need is past, thus leaving
an incubus on the community. More
over, argues the writer, it is not
feasible that we should depend on
small philanthropies to keep the
great machine going, and it is i'm
possible that we should continue to
be "medicants for their bounty"
But
THE major indictment against
philanthropy is that 1t has ignored
the opportunities democracy offers
for reforms from within. 1t has dis
tracted our minds and attention from
community responsibility for the
removal of social defects. 1t has en-
couraged us to leave reforms to the
activity of self-appointed groups. Its
reforms have tended to be superficial
because it has everywhere selected
for it's leaders those interested in
philanthropy, but not in democracy.
The typical lover of his kind will
pour out money for the starving Chi
nese, tho he may hesitate to contri-
butte to campaign expenses for pub
| lie school associations. The novice
can catch the thrill of teaching folk
dancing to the tenement-house child
or distributing bread tickets to the
poor; but an offer to pay the expen-
ses for board of health cleanup
campaign requires imagination of a
different order"
All types of community effort lie
at hand-boards of health, school
committees, overseers Of the poor,
courts, probation systems, boards of
parole, poorhouses, dispensaries,
parks and Fairgrounds, with many
others-"yet how few philanthro-
pists try Loyalty to work out their
problems through this wealth of a.
gencies before organizing associa-
tions of their own" OF course there
is place for the philanthropist; but
his concern is with those social re-
sponsibilities not yet assumed by all
to study existing evils and to prac-
tise temporary demonstrations of i'm
proved methods of combating them
How, then, shall the philanthropic
instinct function? What is our NOR
al responsibility to our brothers, for
tunate and unfortunate alike?
IF we give the best education we
can to every citizen, if we keep the
community health at the highest pos
sible level, and provide ample oppor-
tunities for innocent pleasure; if we
strengthen the churches and safe
guard working conditions in our in
6ustries; if we provide the most fav-
Orable environment that lies within
our power, can not we trust the in
dividual to work out his own destiny
vote the most attention and time to
work with the individual find that
the problem of human difficulty is
largely one of faulty character. Is
rot the remedying of that defect be-
yond the power as we'll as the pro-
vince of any self-constituted group
in the community? Must we not
leave those changes to the interplay
of the influences of a mans family
church, friends, teachers, and fellow
wholesome for all of us as our uni
ted efforts can make it? The new
keeper of his brother is the man who
looks to bettering his home town, not
to giving his old coat to the beg
gar. At the Judgement Seat we may
be asked, What did you do to i'm
prove your city government and
not be allowed to introduce evidence
as to our distribution of the scraps
from our table. Our task is, rot but
with our strength, but organizing
the energies OF man to reconstruct
his world"
The argument Shoots straight al
the greatest of philanthropi the
Church." says the Christian Regis
ter (Unitarian). To-day we have q
degree of ignorance about our bust
ness as world-savers that causes
wrestling among the seers and true
workers of God. Church people put
religion largely on charity basis,
and $50 long as we are satisfied with
our status as Good Samaritans, we
shall deny Mrs. Cannon's ,h Ill 'ngt
that we become Social Christians.
Her conclusion that the philanthco'
pist's contribution must be expert.
mental work is sound, agrees DR.. Ed
ward T. Devine in The Survey (NeW
York;; but her illustrations are not
convincing. There are 0hilanthI O.