The Washington times., 1929-12-23
GO ORDINATION
SEEN As CURE
FOR BEGGING

I'll DLOOINO
Organized social work is making
It unnecessary for disabled street
vendors to clutter the downtown
sections and work upon the sym.
pathies and pocketbooks Of the
public, according to Harlan w.
Gilmore, member Of the research
staff Of the department Of soct-
oIOgy at Vanderbilt University,
writing in the magazine, The Fam
fly.
Officials of local social agencies
are much interested Just now in
street vending and have organized
d committee to deal with the prob
lem. These workers indorse the
sentiments expressed by Gilmore
In his article. which is entitled
ssThe Social Control Of Begging
"A rather large number OF peo-
pie are moved to give to charity
by the dire picture Of poverty
which the beggar portrays on the
street or at their door and, being
given to organized work, they ex-
pect the organizations which ham
die their funds to remove the
beggarS," says Gilmore.
The organizations, however.
find that the work which they are
able to do does not remove the
beggars from the streets. These
agencies, therefore, in response TO
the pressure which Is brought to
bear on them, in turn. put pressure
on the legal authorities to secure
suppression of begging, City. gov
ernments usually respond by pass
Inc ordinances. Often, however,
these legal restrictions are hall
hearteilv passed and hah-heagt-
edly enforced, and in most cases
the beggar continues his Soltcita-
tons little molested.
Three Approaches Open !.
The problem of controlling
begging may be attacked from
three angles. In the first place,
we may approach the problem Of
niendicancy from the standpoint
\ Of the begger himself. The beg
gar Is Ostensibly = product Of
social, economic, or personal Nm
adjustment, and to remove the
causes Of begging these unadjust-
ments must be corrected. The
work of correction belongs prl-
MARTY to the social agencies and
Isl cared for both in their case
work and in their general pro-
grams for social betterment.
Second. begging may. be at
tackled from the angle Of The
giver. It is unquestiOnably true
that If the gfver did not give,
the beggar would not beg:
People might go hungry or cold
but, If the giver did not give,
they would not long continue 70
beg. The social agencies, receiv.
ing their support from the giving
public and having the task Of
caring for cases Of need, face the
difficult problem Of preserving
the motives for giving but at the
same time Of educating the pub.
lie to give through organizations
rather than directly to the re-
Third, the control 81 mendi-
cancy may be considered as. q
problem of police control and
suppression. While suppression
has. definite limitations. no
method Of control can be- very
successful without it. Begging
brings such remunerative re-
wards 10 the skiIlfuI naendicaslt
that the simple elimination Of
needs does not stop the practice.
Coordination Required
TT is evident that the social
control Of begging is, perhaps
more than any other, q problem
which requires coordination he
tween the police department and
the social agencies.
The method employed In diff
ferent cities to coordinate the
agencies interested IN the control
81 begging vary between the two
extremes OF informal cooperation
and Of compact coordination. IN
cities where informal cooperation
Is employed, each special agency
goes its own way with no special
coordination other than that
which Is effected by the com
n1llnity chest.
The police departments also
eoes its own way. Ordinarily the
city has an ordinance prohibiting
begging. and the police depart
aeat enforceS It In more or
less haphazard fashion.
The social agencies discredtt
sSing to nnendica1lts as much
IS possible and Id some cases
carry on definite publicity cam
uaigns with the purpose of edu-
eating the public to give to or.
ganized philanthropy rather ian
I'd heggars.
The methods used In New
Orleans are perhaps typical Of
this. type Of cooperation. Accord
ing to q social work executive IN
that city:
New Orleans has done little
TO control begging on the streets.
There is an ordinance which
makes 1t necessary for the person
begging on the street to be In
possession Of 8 license obtained
from the police. This Is not al
ways complied with.
To eliminate sor 81 the beg.
gink the social agencies there
are religious In. their attempt Co.
reply to all letters which refer
such cases to them and have
advised them to give nothing to
those who apply at their doors