Evening star., 1925-09-10
PAY HELD HANDICAP
IN SOCIAL SERVICE
High Training Requirements
Should Be Applied. Cath
oIic ParIey Is Told.

That social service is a profession
that should rank in training require.
ments with law or medicine, hut which
is handica pped badly by poor salaries
and prejudice. was the concensus at a
round table discussion on training so
cial workers in the gymnasium Of
Catholic University this morning in
connectin with the annual Conference
on Catholic Charities.
Rev. Francis T. lie Ruffe. 9. J.. head
of the Social Service School of Ford
ham University. told the conference
that such schools. both sectarian and
nOn-sectarian now are in vicious cir
Gle, from which there will be only
gradual escape. If the schools put
up their standards sufficiently, he said.
to place the work on an expert pro-
fessional basis requiring a previous
college degree they cannot get stu.
dents because the financial future Is
uncertain. II they lower the sta ndards
graduates are put out with 40 poor a
cultural background that they do not
render really efficient service.
Work Entails Sacrifice.
Although the work requires special
lists. he said. only real desire 10 de-
vote one life to the service of the
unfortunate or intense scientific in
terest in the problems afforded would
induce any one TO enter it. A girl
he i'd can get better money hv
reaching the first year after she
leaves college than she can expect
for several years in social service
work requiring an extra two years of
schooling.
Many parents. he "a id. are unwill.
Ing to have their daughters enter this
work because Of the very immoral
conditions which are apt to he en-.
countered.
On the other ha nd. he said the So
cial worker who does not thorouchIv
understa nd her business is apt 10 do
more harm than good. He likened
her TO doctor who entered practice
at once after leaving school without
an interneship.
The solution will come. he believes
through broad courses in sociology
and religion in college courses which
VIII awaken in some students an in
tense interest 10 go ahead with their
studies in this field. regardless of the
immediate pay they can expect.
Sees Profession Discredited.
Rev. G. Hubert lie Blond Of Cleve.
land protested against allowing stu
dents who may have taken two or
three courses dealing with social work
In college 70 consider themselves ex
pert social workers and obtain iohs
AS such. They usually are Incompe.
tent. he said. and by their blunders
throw discredit upon the whole pro.
fession.
Miss Rose J. McCue OF Chicago. as.
Slstant director of the Depa rtment OF
Social Action. National Catholic Vel
tare Council, reported on a study of
the courses of study in all the social
service schools in the country. There
Is such a wide diversity in studies and
sta ndards, she sa Id. that it seems i'm
possible TO get any secure founda ton
upon which to stand in considering
graduates for positions.
sister Rose De Lima of the College
of st. Elizabeth. Convent Station. n
told of the great difficulty in obtaining
slris Wiling to take advanced courses
in this work. In one case where a
free scholarship was offered, she said
the college was obliged to go into am
other State to find a taker.
Study Woman's Activities.
The committee on woman's activi-
ties met this afternoon in the gym.
nasium.
reaching immigra nts English is the
basis of successful social work among
them. Mrs. Edward A. Skae. presi
dent of the League of Catholic VI ON.
en-. Detroit. told the committee. This
she pointed out, esta blishes a liaisnn
between the subject and the new
society into which he is thrown. Cath
olic women have an exceptional op-
portunity in this respect she ga i'd
because often religion gives them
readN-made point of communication
with the immigrant.
Another important step, she said
was to reconcile the pa rents. weIoed
TO Old World ideas of conduct. with
the jazz age" ideas which their chill
dren were certain to pick ND in an
American environment-a step very
essential to preserve the happiness of
some ia miles
Charity, she said. should not con.
sist In blindly giving but rather in
teaching unfortunate people to help
themselves and thus making them
seh-reliant to meet the problems of
life. One OF the greatest problems
facing Catholic welfare agencies, she
said. is the increasing number of girls
In industry. These come to the cities
from surrounding villages without
much idea OF the difficulties thev will
encounter. she pointed out, and un-
less they are taken in hand become
The victims of Unscrupulous exploite ers
The speaker appealed for more super
vised boarding houses for Catholic
girls in Industrial centers.
Diet Is Important.
Miss May j. Spoor of Kansas CITY
told of the work done there with a
group of Mexican Immigrants One
OF the greatest advances she said.
was in teaching them to alter their
diet in keeping with the new climatic
conditions, with the result that many
of the diseases which can be traced
TO undernourishment have disap-
peared. Another advance. she SO id,
was in overcoming the Latin pref
udice against girls working, so that
now the daughters are able to help
swell the family income and make
more sanitary conditions possible
There was conference of nuns on
problems of service TO children held
at the Carmelite Retreat House this
afternoon. Rev. DIR. John O'Grady of
Washington spoke on service to chill
dren in their own homes. Miss Mar
oaret A. Delahanty. Syracuse, spoke
on the work in that city.
Sister NJ. Eileen Of st. Annes Ma
ternity Hospital Cleveland told of
the work in that city for the restora-
ton of broken homes and for the
care of delinquent children
Typical Cases Cited.
Miss Florence Hornback. super.