Evening star., 1924-10-27
COOLIDGE PRAISES
BUDGETARYSYSTEM
Tells Jewish Workers Plan
Is One of Best MOnu-
mentS to Virtue.

opinion expressed by President Cool
idge in an address telephoned from
the White House to the Jewish Phi
lanthropic Societies meeting in New
York City. He lauded the com
munity chest" idea in charity work,
comparing it with the budget system
which is being used by the Federal
Government
The President stated that he be-
lieves in budgets and that he wants
every one else to believe in them. He
regards a good budget as among the
noblest monuments of virtue. In his
opinion, much waste and indiScrimi-
nate charity can be eliminated by
greater utilization of the com
munity chest" and budget plan"
Help to Help Selves.
THE best help that benevolence
and philanthropy can give" President
Coolidge said, lis that which induces
ev 'rybody to help himself Nothing is
III than the open hand and the
generous heart that prompt free and
unselfsh giving. But modern social
scrence knows also that i'll directed
charity is often directly responsible
for encouragement of pauperism and
mendicancy. The best service We can
do for the needy and the unfortunate
is to help them in such a manner
that their self-respect. their ability
to help themselves. shall not be in
Jured, but augmented"
Text of Address.
His address. in full. follows.
Ladies and gentlemen of the Fed
Grafton for the Support of Jewish Philan-
thropic Societies of New York City .
When the committee representing your
federation brought me the invitation to
=, IL
ceive them with any very profound en-
thusiasm. To be confidential for mo-
ment ! may confess that an invitation
TO make a speech is not the rareSt eX
perlence that comes into a Presidents
life. But | listened with. | hope. proper
politeness. down to the point where your
spokesman started explaining that you
We're to devote an evening TO the con-
sideration of budget. Then ] began 20
take real interest for the budget idea. |
may admit. is "a sort of obseSSion with
me. / believe in budgets. | want other
people to believe in them. | have had
small one to run my own home, and be
sides that, | am the head of the organi-
cation that makes the greatest of all
budgets-that Of the United States Gov
ernment Do you wonder. then, that at
times | dream of balance sheets and
sinking funds and deficits and tax rates
and all the rest?
Yes, ] regard a good budget as
among the noblest monuments Of
virtue. 1t is deserving Of all emuIa-
ton; but there are other topics that
afford more obvious inspiration to
popular oratory. So when | found
that YOU actually wanted "A budget
speech, | felt warming sense Of
gratitude. Anybody who would de-
liberately ask for Il budget speech
ought to be accommodated ac-
cepted the invitation, and now 7 want
to begin by extending nay hearty
compliments to my audience. Your
practical interest in the budget plan
your adoption Of il AZ the basis OF
your great charity system, is fine
accomplishment. Wherever the same
plan has been adopted. in th,. IL
nanclng of hencvoienc"S. philanthro-
pies and charities through the Com
munity Chest method. it has been
productive of the best results. II
has eliminated tho waste of indis-
criminate charity; but that is not by
any means its most comniendable ac-
complishment. Far more useful.
think is the service it has done in
organizing these works cf human
helpfulncSS so that We may he sure
they will not do more harm than good
and the generous heart that PROMPT
free and unsellish giving. But mod
ern social science knows, also. that
i'll directed charity is often directly
responsible for encouragement Of
pauperism and mendica The best
service we can do for the needy and
the unfortunate is to help them in
such manner that their seIf-reSpeCt,
their ability to help themselves, shall
not be injured but augmented. No
body is necessarily out merely be-
cause he is down. But. being down,
nobody gets up again without hon
est effort of his own. The best help
that benevolence and philanthropy
can give is that which induces every
body to help himself.
Work for Schools.
"Your Federation for the support OF
Jewish Philanthropic Societies in
New York is the central financial
agency. 1 am told, for no less than
81 various philanthropies, which re-
ceive annual support aggregating ST.
1000. Among them are hospitals,
orphanages, a great relief society, a
loaning organization, a home for aged
and inferm. The Young Mems Hebrew
Association and the Young Women s
Hebrew Association do social and
educat tional work of the greatest
value. Especial attention is devoted
indeed to educational effort for which
technical schools are maintained.
That is, of course, precisely what we
should expect from a great Jewish
organization; for the Jews are always
among the first to appreciate and to
utilize educational opportunities
Into this entire system of com
munal services, reaching to every
possible department of social rela-
tions, the federation brings order and
proper nter-relationship. Dupica-
ton of services, which always means
multiplication of expense and division
of results, is avoided. The man or
woman who gives through this
agency. knows that the most good
will be done. at the least expense.
All administrative costs of the organ
ization have averaged less than 4
cents on the dollar. Other Com
munity Chest" activities, which in re
cent years are getting spread all
about the country, make like show
ings of efficiency and economical
management. They have been able.
just as your federation has been able,
to enlist the best abilities, the most
skilled direction, the widest expert
ence, in systematizing operations that
ordinarily are haphaZard and wastefuI.
Worse Than Wasted.
But, with all of my regard for the
strictly business aspect of this splen-
did modern program, ] must empha-
size once more that to me the great
est good of these communal organiza-
tions of benevolence lies in their i'm
measurably greater capacity for real
good. There is an impressive array
of testimony that the average dollar
of indiscriminate, well meaning, igno-
rant donation to charity is mostly
wasted. Many such dollars are far
worse than wasted. You seek no cold
and heartless elimination of senti-
ment from your charitable works
You have, however, sought to substi-