Evening star., 1928-12-09
MERCY'S TAX COLLECTOR
FOUND In CHEST ACTIVITY
Community Fund Is Described As
''The Arm of the Social Conscience"
Not Begging.

doing very we'll at the start. Never
theleSs, it does not depend entirely on
his whim. 1t is tax which the citi-
from himself. He is partly response
BILE for the conditions he wants COR
rected.
No Begging Matter.
The community chest is not mat
ter of begging money. 1t is collecting
a bill which the community owes. 1t is
the arm of the social conscience. 1t
is mercy's tax collector.
The plan has been applied with sue
cess in many American cities. Notable
examples are Philadelphia, Rochester,
Detroit, Cleveland, st. Louis, Mime
apolis, Louisville, Columbus, Cincin-
natl, Indianapolis, Providence, New
Orleans and Des Moines, 1t does not,
of course, succeed equally everywhere.
But in every city where the plan has
been tried considerably more money
has been secured for public charity
and welfare than under the individual
financing plan. 1t has been a matter
of education.
Ordinarily co-ordinated with the
community fund organization is the
council of social agencies-the CEN
tral clearing house of all the charitable
and welfare organizations OF city
1t is in this organization that programs
of united action are decided upon, that
needs are determined and work appor-
toned A smoothly working council
of social agencies is of even more
importance than a constant, reliable
supply of money. 1t may save almost
as much as the public contributes by
eliminating duplication of work, doing
away with needless activities and con-
ducing comparative studies ana re-
searches.
After all. the final objective of the
community fund and council OF social
agencies is not to relieve distress.
Orphanges, asylums and hospitals are
side issues. Poverty and suffering are
side issues Unfortunately, they acquire
too great Importance in the present
social structure and take too much OF
the money which should be expended
toward progress to the real goal
Disease must be cured where u is
found. Poverty must be relieved. There
must be shelter for the Shelterless and
food for the hungry. But the ideal is
not attained when every beggar has a.
new suit of clothes and a chicken dinner.
It is not attained when every orphan
has been gathered in from the streets
and every crippled child cured.
It will be attained only when there Is
no more poverty, disease and crime to
be cured. Most councils of social
agencies recognize clearly that their
primary function is not curative but
preventive They must get the
roots of poverty in their own COM
munities. They must eradicate those
conditions that lead to sickness and
destitution.
Capable of Reduction.
"The poor We have always with you"
This famous biblical quotation GER
tainly has held true in the past. Yet
there Is no reason to believe that poverty
is part of the inherent scheme of things.
1t certainly can be greatly reduced
perhaps eliminated altogether some
day-by the proper training of individ-
uals. Neither are sickness and crime
Inevitable. Experience has shown that
pennies spent for character and body
building today save dollars for medicine
and family relief in the future.
The problem is to eliminate eventually
the whole of that socially maladjuSted
fringe. It requires the co-ordinated ef-
forts of the best brains now engaged in
social and charity work. It requires a
pooling of interests and resources. In
seeking to answer this problem social,
sectarian and racial lines must dis
appear.
Thus the character Of health building
organizationS-lik the Boy Scouts, the
Y M. c. A., the Mental Hygiene Asso-
citation, etc.-have prominent place on
community chest budgets AS the years
go by they are destined to have still
larger place while the actual relief work
will diminish in Importance.
No one organization can understand
adequately the needs of the whole COM
munity They all have a common pur-
pose, but different parts to play in the
working out of that purpose. The ma
chinery Of council of social agencies
appears essential.