Evening star., 1928-12-08

| William Z. Proctor, the soap manuIac-
turer, recently gave $l,500,000 for a
children's hospital and provided 1t with
a $2,500 900 endowment for research in
diseases of children. His partner gave
another 81 100000 for general research
In children'S diseases. Mrs. Mary M.
Emory recently left an estate of $10,-
100000 to be devoted generally to public
health and welfare. Another estate OF
$4,000, 900 is in hand for the same pur-
pose.
The thought of donating wealth for
the good of the public has been put in
the minds of rich and poor alike, largely
through the general pooling of welfare
and charity interests in the Community
Fund, which provides for the wants of
organizations of all creedS. The city
works together. 1t is advancing rapidly
toward the possession of one of the
finest community equipments in the
country, which is certain to have a
revolutionary effect OH the health, hap
piness, peace and culture of the popu-
iGce.
Yet IL years ago when the Com
munity Fund was established civic spirit
here was at low ebb. There were
numerous factions and cross currents.
Conditions were far from encouraging.
Hospitals were running up big deficits
every year. Social relief agencies were
running practically in competition to
each other and duplicating each others
work.
Able Leaders Head Chest.
The Community Fund has succeeded
SO WE'LL it is claimed, largely because of
the quality of men who have devoted
| themselves to its leadership. The point
| has been reached where craftsmanship
of campaign is considered high
social honor, and friends of some of the
| biggest men in the city start campaigns
! for placing them in that Office year in
advance.
It didn't start off with bang. When
the Community Fund campaign was first
started there was a good deal of out
spoken opposition, especially among the
wealthier residents, some of whom were
distinguished for their private phi!an-
thrcpies. They were individualists; they
didn't believe very much in organized
charity
When one of my men is in trouble"
one Of the city's wealthiest nlanufac-
| turerS told C.. M. Bookman, director of
| the community fund, Il want him to
! feel free to walk into my office and
talk things over with me. I want to
treat his case as that of an individual.
I want to know what I am giving for.
don't believe in this machine-like
relief work"
quite the contrary" said Mr. Book
man. "You mean that you don't want
to give for the good it will do. You
want to give for the satisfaction you
get out of the persons gratitude, ex-
pressed to you personally. regardless of
what the effects will be-"
The man was angry at first, but he
thought it over, and now is one OF the
foremost supporters of the Community
Chest.
Cincinnati residents have had the
thought put in their minds that since
! good deal of their money has come from
the community it should go back to
the community. But it has been
stressed that this money should be
given from year to year.
Twenty-fOur Each Give $4,000.
The manner in which the community
as a whole has caught on to the spirit
is shown by the figures. This year "a
persons gave more than $4,000 each,
total of II per cent of the whole.
From $4,000 to $4,000 was contributed
by 81 persons, making per cent; BIG
persons contributed from $1,000 to
$4,000 slightly more than "a per
cent; BAL gave from $500 to $1,000,
or 10 per cent: 2,219 gave from $100 to
$500, or 1S per cent. There were 100000
contributors below 500. A total of
$25O,000 was raised from contributions
under SIS. This, Mr.. Bookman believes,
is about the percentage which should
obtain everywhere. Contributions of
more than $500 should account for
slightly more than so per cent of the
total
The extent to which the idea has
permeated the depths of the city'S con-
SciousneSS Is shown by the fact that
some considerable contributions were re-
ceived this year from families who had
been helped the year before.
Protestant, Catholic, Jewish and nom
sectarian agencies participate. The CO.
operation has been practically 100 per
cent A few years ago, after the bud
gets had been agreed upon and raised,
| two of the Catholic welfare agencies
found that they had larger job than
they had figured on. They presented
a good case, but it was felt that 1t
would be poor psychology to authorize
q supplemental campaign when the city
had been promised that it would be
asked no more for local charities that
year. All the agencies had been cut to
a minimum, but there were some which,
by making sacrifices, could get along
on less.
These were called into conference
There were two Protestant, two Jewish,
one Catholic and one Ton-Sectarian
agency. The plight of the two Catholic
agencies was explained. Mr. Bookman
asked them voluntarily to cut their own
budgets and make the sacrifices, in
view of the unexpected plight of the
two Catholic agencies. They agreed to
do so without a dissenting vote.
There is no question, says Mr.. Book
man, but that the two Catholic agencies
would have done the same under SINH
lar circumstances. All the agencies
have come to see that the vital problem
Is to get the work done In the most
effective way possible by the agency
best equipped to handle 1t.
Twelve years ago there were 5000
giverS to the first Community Chest.
Last April there were that many cam
paign workers alone.
The cost of raising and administering
the money is 81 per cent, compared to
minimum Of approximately is per
cent which it costs agencies to conduct
their own campaigns. But this 81 per
cent, Mr.. Bookman explains, includes
not only the actual cost of the campaign
and the office expenditures but items of
overhead that no business corporation
would include in its overhead-such as
all the research work conducted by the
} Council Of Social Agencies.
Many Cincinnati business firms now
set aside contribution to the commu-
nifty fund as part of their years bud
get. They have found that it is good
business; that it pays them in dollars
: and cents to improve social conditions
! in the city's great tenement house dis
/ trtct, where many of the workers live.
/: This, however, all has been due to a
) long process of education.
! Budgets Are Respected.