Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-03-31

"gmslsney." "e41ssts and "survsy"
: Ar Weees Thas hide W and
R''s ", but esleWess Prompts
Recital % oeoa Work Done
BY SARAH b. IOWRIE

nse, and who was wartly extricatins himself
rom tneir tolsy unmarked to me on tne
iact tnat two words Md become very rcpus,,
nsnt 70 him bytrcason Of their potency and
,nnn. mmmnty IN any discussion Of ways y,.ds ane
and the other wds expert
l think they stiil override us and ride US
aown' put they have 9 rival nowadays In the
word myvey. When in doubt what to
, 40 next IN any matter pertaining TO the
social. ethical or criminal. il you propose a
survey survey every one will feel that something
vital is being done. But you must not call
After the public has the survey, great
tics whether the pubic lie smiles, Dl 81 frowns or
yawns. JF [-
1t may do yet fourth thing; having got
the survey, Il mat be content to let 1t
gather dust on some table for week or two
nnd then lst the ashmpn have 1t after that.
unread. Out Of every thousand surveys sent
out, not more than one in each hundred Is
read. and out Of the. ten read not more than
hve are remembered, and out Of tine five
remembered not more thnn one creates a
practical idea-at least that IL my survey OF
n"rveys. ast Inc psr.Sn who really oeneh,s ,has
makes it. The makers Of surveys have grand
conclusions from the bias Of their statistics,
but as they generally begin by having the
bias before they arrange the statistics. they
are not 80 much converts to an idea as pro-
pagantists for an idea.
WHEN we think Of the words experts,
efficiency and survey" we think of
offices. OF firm looking, decisive persons seated
near ll.top desks. debating rcams Of re-
ports and circular letters, or coming in with
leather cases full OF notes on human cases
that they have gathered statistics about for
fling-in fact, we think of social service
workers!
Mr.: Moody, the preacher and evangelist
and the founder OF the Mortified Schools.
invented the social service workers and had
school for them first in Chicago. 1t was
considered very laushable for some years that
religious work should be attempted on card
catalogue system and according to methods
a, Il and G. Few churches had any records
that amounted to anything. and the minutes
Of most organizations. not 10 spek of the
accounts, were dimcult to make head or tail
oi. everything except the actual housework
OF an institution was done by an individual
volunteer or by groups of volunteer board or
commitscc members.
/ With the Introduction of the words eff
cheney and expert. however. there began the
losing fight between the volunteer board
member and the trained and paid expert
secretary, until nowadays all the real work
Of the philanthrOpic institutions and most OF
the work Of the religious organizations is
done oy the paid expert. the function Of the
volunteer being to meet other volunteers and
to hear the report Of the paid expert and to
raise the money to carry out the suggestions
embodied in the report.
M1ITH the birth Of the magic word survey,
W however. there comes yet another kind
Of expert efficiency agent to the fore. She
or he is an outside social service secretary,
an expert at-large. so to speak. who will
IN no nf 49, c.,t.
tiOns and report to the volunteers of the
combination what they are doing and wha.
they are leaving undone along their particu.
lar line Of endeavor.
1t is obvious that no mere man or woman
volunteer can have the eagle eye and statis.
teal mind for such compressed wisdom 1t
must be done by an expert just as the bills
for our legislative reforms must be drawn up
by experts, lest he who runs may read and
understand. or at all events not faint.
sound satirical, but ! am really only admir-.
Ing. / know the social service worker and
the survey maker have come to stay. lust
rs telephones and motors have come to make
1t possible for us to do twenty things day
where our grandmOthers were content to do
five; but l am conscious that the fight be.
tween the volunteer and the social service ,
worker still mutters along the horizon. The
social service worker regards the volunteer
as necessary nuisance, and the volunteer
regards the social service worker as an ex.
pensive luxury.
Sooner or later, when both have come TO
the knowledge that the other is vital to the
success of the enterprise, then and then only
will there be peace.
DE1NG volunteer philanthropist,
- would like to stand up for the cxpert
philanthropist. First would emphnsize
that what she is paid for is her expertness,
not her philanthropy. She gives that lust
tho vo1 hor
cost her time and money TO become EXPERT.
and 1t costs her time and money and strength
to keep expert. but she is more than expert.
she is dedicated and devoted. and for dedica.
tiOn and devotion no money can pay Sec.
ond, ! would emphasize" that If she is really
expert she saves far more than her SALARY fo
her employer.
Take, for instance. the social service corps
of workers thirteen in all. on Miss Fergu:
sons staff out at the Philadelphia General
Hospital.
4 doctor finds an accident case in n ward
does not properly respond to treatment: he
is fevprish. anxious. seepless The doctor
has no time. nor have the nurses to seek the
mental cause OF these symptoms, nor indeed
possible physical causes prior to the accident
social service Office. His family and his his
tory are carefully looked up by them lie
is found to have been long out of work and
much depleted by undernOurishment: hi,
wife Is found to be incompetent and his chill
dr"n. in his absence. out of hand. Here is
cause enough for worry and for physical do.
preston. The family affairs are adjusted.
the mother taken TO clinic and examined
and found suffering from n remedinblc
malady. the children temporarily are pro.
vded for. the strain on the fathers mind Is
relieved and he il specially nourshcd to meet
the depletion Of his strength. When he re.
covers and Ia sent home he Is looked nftcr
by visiting nurse until he Is fully restored