Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-03-02
SPEAKER SCORES
SOCIAL BURDENS
DR.. Devine Says Idle Rich and
Poverty-StriCken Depend
ent Must Go.

Placing the idle rich and the pow
crty-stricken dependent in the same
category, DIR. Edward T. Devine, New
York social worker and writer on
social economy, declared a means
must and viii be found for the eradi-
cation OF both classes, which he
termed burdens" from society, last
night in conducting the first Of a
weeks social workers institute at the
American Red Cross Building, which
is being held under the auspices of
the Washington Council Of Social
Agencies and the Monday Evening
Club John Barton Payne, head of
the Red Cross, presided over the
meeting, which was attended by about
800 social workers.
Parasites of both classes" DR.. De-
vine declared, ARE regarded by every
thoughtful student of social science as
defenSelesS Society will find a way
of getting rid of the idle rich who
have either inherited wealth and are
taking more from the common pool
than they are putting in, or who have
built up an income and then become
useless to society. And society Will
find a wa of getting rid of the poor,
the dependent.
Social work is not mere palliative,
not a mere maintenance, not mere
relief. though those are essential; 1t
is the business of the social worker
TO deal with concrete situations IN
the lives Of human beings. to stage
a comeback, as it were, after mis-
fortune, or to prevent a temporary
disaster such as a loss of job, an ill
moral misstep from becoming life
Of long tragedy. Social work is a
mediating service, using the good will
Of the community to meet the needs
Of the handicapped, the underpriV-
ileged. the retarded; but its spirit
democratic, looking forward to q time
when poverty shall be abolished, pre-
ventable diseases actually prevented
and crime diminished by a rational
system of dealing with offenders and
by such an education as will produce
a .y-abiding citizen"
Outlines Workers Duties.
DR.. Devine spoke disp2ragingly of
the sympathetic type of person who
hands out dOleS Of food from his
backdoor to mendicant beggars. "a
person who gives such incOnsiderate
relief without any regard to the
scientific and proper way to give
charity simply is ignorant, Willful and
actually illiterate in the sociological
sense. l believe sometimes that these
charity giverS do it to make social
workers feel bad"
Dr. DeVine took up in an elementary
way the duties of the social workers,
explaining that he is concerned with
everything that affects the lives of
their clients. those who are incapable
Of coping with their environment, in
come, health, earning capacity, saw
ings, place of residence, education, re-
ligious influences and social environ
ment.
He emphasized the necessity of
dealing with concrete and individual
circumstances and protested that So
cial work long since has been taken
out Of the realm of haZy idealistic
charity work. The modern social
worker, he said, makes first a scien-
| tific diagnosis of the case Of each
individual needing help of some kind,
and then makes plan Of aid which
is designed not only to alleviate the
situation, but to enable the depend
ent to improve, or even TO be cured
I of his aiment. The social worker is
! concerned with the development of
/ character of his client, DIR. Devine
! declared.
Hits Rigid Formula.
! The lecturer decried the old type
| Of social worker who always had a
! patented, rigid formula" to apply
! to all cases of a certain general type,
! such as children born out Of wed
! lock. There is a certain amount of
conceit still abroad in the social
workers field, which must be dis
pensed with
Scientific social work, he concluded,
consists in the need, rather than in
! the amount of funds available, point
! ing out that aid given the needy must
! be adequate.
Tonight, DR.. Devine will lecture on
poverty: tomorrow, on health and dis
ease; Thursday on crime and delin-
| quency, and Friday on results of the
| community organizations,
| Prior to the session last night, a
/ dinner was held in honor of DIR.
| Devine at the Cosmos Club by a com
mittee OF WashingtonianS headed by
John Barton Payne. Others who at
! tended were Bishop James Z. Free
man. Senator Arthur Capper, Sena-
! tor Royal s. Copeland. Representative
/ James Z. Begg, Representative VIII
liam J. KERRY, Dr.. Herbert Putnam
Justice Frederick l.. Siddons, Com
missioner Cuno IL. Rudolph, John JOY
| Edison, DR.. Frank ". Ballou, DR..
George NJ. Kober, John Ihlder, Walter
! S. Uford, George Wilson. DIR. John
A; NJ. Cries, Arthur Z. Moses and
| Dorsey w. Hyde, il, president of the
| Monday Evening Club.