Evening star., 1934-05-31

equality. Diversity and not equality is
the law of nature"
The young nineteenth century had
succeeded to and dealt violently with
philosophy of authority and inequality
without fraternity.
There has been no returning-for
mankind has clung to the last word
of the slogan. George S. Wilson, re-
firing welfare director, has seen a
progressively greater acceptance by the
Government of responsibility for the
material welfare of its citizens There
has been an ever greater expansion of
the activities of the Government for
the benefit of the poor by taxing the
rich.
Men are not born equal-but why
should men, women and children be
penalized for their inequality? From
all indications at present, Mr.. Wilson
saws, this movement will continue. 1t
has attained unprecedented momen-
tum during the past few years. This
will slow down, but not stop alto
gether. Probably there will be no road
back.
The more wealth is concentrated
the more it is taxed. In the past the
taxing power of the Government mas
been used for many purposes-to wage
wars, to slaughter heathen for the
greater glory of God, to buy silks and
wines for kings ministers, to encour-
age genius, to make the rich richer.
The present age. for better or worse,
seems to have seized upon 1t as
means of redistributing wealth. he
sees more and more services by the
Government for the benefit OF the
people. supported by taxes. Rlgnt OF
wrong, it is the way Of the age.
- ~
Mr.. Wilson had too conservative an
upbringing and too substantial per-
sonality pattern-and, besides, he has
lived too long on the battle front OF
charity-to share many of the enhu-
siasms of the young welfare worker.
| His has been a practical, detailed
lob here in the District of Columbia
for nearly 40 years.
He can't settle the ills of humanity
offhand. He has been face to face
with too many problems-poverty,
sickness, crime, unemployment. He
has met too many individuals.
Take crime, for example. The penal
institutions of the District have been
generally under his jurisdiction. He
has no formula for damming the
lowing flood of crime-unless it be
! b, reinculcation and intensiflcation OF
y. things the minister used to preach
| back in Ireland. There can be little
curb from without. 1t must come
from within.
And he sees no end to poverty-de-
preston or no depression-for pow
erty" is relative term.
It Is a below-the-line divergence
from the current standard Of living
whatever that may be.
II the standard of living calls for
only one meal a day for the average,
then those will be poor who can get
only half a meal day.
If the standard of living calls for
country estate for the average, then
those will be poor who can afford
only a small house.
Much that Is considered poverty to-
day. with society accepting the re-
sponsibility, at other times would have
been considered comparative afhuence
Coxey's army was made up of the
"poor." The B. E. F. was made UP
Of the poor.
But persons living on the same scale
of comfort as the B. E. F. might have
been considered comparatively affluent
in the days of Coxey's army. Poverty
cannot be abolished, says Mr.. Wilson
because the term is meaningless with
out reference to the setting.
, Some picture of the changing times
may be cleaned from the number OF
institutions established here during
the "a years since Mr.. Wilson has
been in active charge of the public
welfare activities in the District-Gal-
linger Hospital, tuberculosis Hospital.
the Home for the Aged and Inf1rm,
Municipal Lodging House, the prisons
at Occoquan and Lorton, the District
Training School, the Industrial Home
| 0CIlOOl lOT NOlOIco SIl1lOI I'll.
! Some of these institutions did not
exist before, not because there was no
need for them, but because society did
not consider such activities as any
part of its obligations.
Today Mr.. Wilson leaves the active
picture of the changing times to
watch with interest, as he is confident
will happen, the further and further
assumption of social responsibility and
the further and further efforts to re-
alize on earth what the minister back
in Ireland thought could be realized
only in eternity.
But-one gathers from talking with
him-he is stepping out with linger-
ing Doubt of the wisdom Of departing
too far from the divine's philosophy