Evening star., 1921-03-12
SET Days RECORD
| FOR NEW MEMBERS
Responses to Associated
Charities Appeal Today
Number 127.

The largest returns OF any sing lie
day since the appeal for 10000 MEM
| bers was begun by the Associated
Charities were registered at noon
today. when 12I persons We're added
to the roll. making total of 2.I9S
contributors.
Senator Phipps sent check today
to enroll himself and Mrs. Phipps as
, sustaining members. Many persons
who have already contributed this
year are sending in additional gifts
! in response to the appeal.
The clergymen of Washington have
been asked to speak to the members
of their congregations tomorrow re-
garding the family welfare work of
the Associated Charities, and to urge
that as large a number as possible
who have not already responded to
the appeal ito be one of the 10000
needed for the Associated Charities
will do so.
The committee in charge of the spe-
cial Easter appeal in writing to the
clergymen. expressly say that they
are not asking that any one shall
give beyond his ability. but that they
. do want the church people to feel
that the work of the Associated Char
is their work: that these agencies Tor
mending broken homes are their mes
SengerS to the poor and distressed, TO
the INDECENT sick and the aged. to the
neglected children OF the city. &c
show them that somebody cares. The
committee asks that church people
will help the Associated Charities tc
! live up to its motto. when family
| is in trouble we are in trouble.
Contributions may be sent to The
Star or to Howard 8. Reeside. treas
urer. 923 II street northwest.
Mgr. Thomas Describes Work.
! Mgr. Thomas. rector of st. Patrick s
| Church. is a member of the board of
managers of the Citizens Relief AsSo-
citation. and speaks with first-han3
| knowledge of the work being per-
formed here by the Associated Chari-
| ties. He said today:
LAS a member of the board of man
ayers of the Citizens Relief ASSocia-
| tion I speak not as an entirely disin-
| terested party when / say that the
work of the family welfare agencies.
the Citizens Relief Associa tion and
! the Associated Charities should re-
! ceive the unqualified support of ali
; Washingtonians. In every large city
will be found very considerable e
number of families who. when they
are in trouble, would have no place to
go if it We're not for organized charity.
1T is the privilege of the churche IS
| to look after their own. In all. large
parishes there are societies or organi-
| cations for this purpose. The Cath
| olic Church has its st. Vincent de Paul
Society. The various Protestant
churches have their relief committees
or special funds. The Jewish people
have their United Hebrew Charities.
But after we have done what we can
for those of our own faith there are
always left lot Of folks out of touch
with the churches who must be cared
for when in trouble. It is to meet this
agencies like the Associated Charities
and Citizens Relief Association are
organized.
Many Out OF Touch With Church.
while these family welfare aeen-
cies minister to people many of whom
have lost active touch with the
church. constant effort is made
ticular family connected up with the
church with which it was formerly
affiliated. whether Protestant. Cath
Ollie or Hebrew. The district visitors
reported last year that church con-
nections had been strengthened in
fiftveight families under their care.
That the methods employed by or
ganized charity get results is shown by
; the record. Human nature, as we know
1t in ourselves and in others. is only
loo prone 10 Try 10 get something Tor
nothing. Because of this trait SO uni
versal, any city can have as many de-
oendents as 1t is willing to take care Of
Indiscriminate, ignorant. sentimental,
giving to those about whom we know
! nothing always breeds pauperism and
destroys the spirit Of self-help. On the
other hand, wise, intelligent philan-
thropy which. after the fashion of the
| physician. seeks to discover the cause of
| the trouble and to remove it, helps there
| by to reduce dependency and it's origin.
, IF the methods which the Associated
Charities have employed in this city for
the past forty years had served to keep
families dependent 1t would be shown
| in the number Of repeaters from year
| to year.
Discusses Another Aspect.
| "As a matter of fact, do the families
! under care tend to become chronic ap-
| Dlicants. is the turn over in these
| families fairly rapid? The figures show
| that the families under treatment are
! constantly changing. many graduating
| from dependency while new families
! take their places. Last year. for ex-
! ample. of the families under the care
| of the Associated Charities AZ per cent
came to the society for the first time
| that year Meantime. the total num-
Der OF families under care is not in
| creasing out Of proportion to the growth
| Of the city.
| "Finally, let me say that these family
| welfare agencies. the Associated Char
! tiles and Citizens Relief Association.
| represent all of us. whether churchmen
. or not. Our duty toward them is no
more and no less than our duty iowa rd
| our fellowmen when they are in trou-
| BILE. This is n humanitarian work in
which we should all have a part As
| we enjoy the common privileges of cti-
| Zens so should we share the common
| Of