Evening star., 1921-02-20
Rate by Mail-Payable in Advance.
MARYLAND and Virginia.
Progress in Welfare Work.

of Columbia is making long strides
forward. Only few months ago the
situation, which had prevailed in most
of it's essential features for several
decades. was not auspicious. Some
sixty district agencies were in the
field. seeking with unco-ordinated ef-
fort to meet the welfare requirements
of the community. The measure OF
their success was inevitably limited
as a result of their different methods
of functioning. The agencies, those
dependent upon them. and the public
at large We're partially conscious OF
the defects of the situation. Co-opera-
tive effort was rare and sporadic, and
as an authoritative estimate of the
true welfare needs of the National
Capital was lacking, there was no
clearly defined program upon which
the several agencies were working har-
moni9usly.
The public was reacting to this con-
lition of affairs. Beset with what
seemed to be countless appeals,
vaguely sensing that the local methods
of social welfare work in the general
sense of the term were lacking in
efficiency, the interest and support
essential to continuing the work of
driving distress from Washington
were falling away. To meet the par
TALLY justified skepticism of the pub
lie several Endorsement committees
had been established, and these, unco-
ordinated, served in their turn to
complicate difficult situation.
That was a few months ago. To-
day. apparently fully appreciative of
the need for undermining the machin-
cry for dealing with the vital problems
of hunger and want and distress in
Washington. the agencies and the in
dorsement committees have combined
interests. The Washington Council Of
Social Agencies has been formed, evil
dencing the determination of the
agencies, which are no more and no
less than the creatures of each Wash
ingtonian for conveying help to the
helpless. to study their individual and
collective functional problems to-
gether, and to work toward the goal
Of complete efficiency. The several
and unco-ordinated Endorsement COM
mittees. the proxies of the public for
passing judgment upon the worthiness
Of the individual welfare agency for
public financial support have been
drawn together into a single instru-
ment known as the Endorsement Com
mittee Of Welfare Organization. The
/, National Capital, divesting itself of
outdated methods and machinery, is
abreast Of the times.
What the development Of welfare
work in Washington shall be in the
future must depend largely upon the
degree Of earnestness and enthusiasm
with which these newly created in
struments Of the public function Each
essential to the other, it should not
be long before the two in turn are
able to work together in complete
harmony. There is the obvious dan.
ger Of overlapping to be provided
against, and to this end a clear con.
ception of the scope Of their respec.
tive fields of activity is essential to
each.
On the face of it such a conception
should not be difficult to attain. The
primary function of the Endorsement
committee Is to pass judgment upon
the worthiness Of existing agencies
for public financial support. It should
not directly concern itself with the
business Of persuading the agencies
to come up to the standards it sets,
1t is the judge. The primary function
Of the council is to work to the end
that every welfare agency in Wash.
fngton may shortly be worthy of the
Endorsement Of that committee and of
the confidence and the support of the
community.
The function Of the public must
then be so to support the Judgment
of the Endorsement committee and the
Efforts OF the council that no social
welfare agency. either lacking in.
dorsement or refusing to cooperate
in the quest for combined efficiency.
can continue to live in unexamined
sslnshness within the District. SO
shall Washington attain to welfare
efficiency.