The Survey, Volume 30, Number 6, May 10, 1913Various
General
The Survey, Volume 30, Number 6, May 10, 1913
Various
Charities -- Periodicals; Social problems -- Periodicals; United States -- Social conditions -- Periodicals
The Sunday afternoon meeting was devoted to the subject of federation in
relation to standards of work. Henry Moskowitz of Madison House asked
that the settlements keep in mind their primary duty of furnishing
opportunity for the manifestation of local social spirit. He showed that
in an increasing number of neighborhoods the neighbors are forming
federations of their own, made up of representatives of the various
local societies. While this sort of community organization is sometimes
sporadic or indefinite the settlements should be willing to support it
both with money and workers. He warned the neighborhood worker never to
forget that the primary duty of the settlement is to build up
neighborhood life. He must, therefore, not permit what sometimes seems
the larger aspects or implications of neighborhood life to sap his work
at the roots.
Philip Davis of the Civic Service House suggested directions in which
federated action among settlements might be directed. He showed that,
outside of such oversight as the licensing of minors engaged in the
street trades involved, the great mass of the minors of the community
and the street merchants themselves are free to run into danger without
possibility of interference or guarding from the outside. Immigrants are
another class who will in the future be more and more in need of
constructive human service, especially at the point of entrance on
citizenship. The city, either through its officers or by delegating the
work to others, should surround the gift of citizenship with appropriate
safeguards and should make the process itself educational. The minimum
wage is now becoming a significant problem all over the country and Mr.
Davis believed that settlement workers should take their place among the
pioneers in endeavoring to push its benefits.
Elizabeth Williams, of the College Settlement, New York, spoke of the
enthusiasm of the pioneers and outlined some of the means of making the
settlement ideal today as great a challenge to young men and women of
capacity as it was to these early leaders.
Albert J. Kennedy of South End House discussed the question of
federations of settlements in relation to the problem of club and class
work. The chief task of the settlement is in his opinion to bring about
the democratic organization of local communities in order that the
people themselves may in time assume the task of local organization. The
chief function of club work as such must be that of building up
standards toward this end. The fear of rigidity which has oppressed
certain critics of federation is, he believed, unfounded and there are,
he held, great possibilities for settlement federations in enlarging and
bringing to a high standard certain forms of craft work, dramatics,
pageants and large recreational events.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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