9. By suppressing, by prosecution or otherwise, improper or mala fide claims on the charity of the benevolent, and thus preventing the misapplication of charitable funds. 10. By supplementing the resources of the District Committees of the Society, by the personal assistance of officers appointed and paid, in all or part, by the Council, by grants for general purposes, and, when necessary, for relief, and by obtaining adequate help in cases of difficulty. II. ON THE PART OF DISTRICT COMMITTEES. 1. By careful inquiry regarding all applicants for assistance (whether they be referred to the District Offices or apply of their own accord), in order to ascertain how and by whom they should be helped, and to test the truth of their statements. 2. By applying to each case, susceptible of permanent benefit, and suitable for assistance by charity rather than by the Poor Law, such remedies as are likely to make the applicant selfdependent. 3. By obtaining the various kinds of help required from those interested in the applicants, from their relatives, from charitable institutions, and from private persons. 4. By making loans, on security, but without interest. 5. By making grants, when the help required cannot be obtained from other quarters. 6. By endeavouring to procure pensions from charities and from private persons for chronic cases in which there has been evidence of good character, of thrift, and of reasonable efforts to provide for the future. 7. By sending (gratuitously) to legitimate inquirers, whether charitable agencies or private persons, reports on cases of distress. 8. By bringing into co-operation with each other, and with the Poor Law authorities, the various charitable agencies and individuals in the District, and thus preventing the misapplication of relief and the evils of overlapping.' 9. By making the District Committee representative of local charities and a centre of reference for all interested in charitable work, and promoting local schemes for the aid of the poor and the spread of provident habits. 10. By repressing local mendicity by means of investigation tickets and otherwise. THE Membership of the Society. Meetings of DISTRICT Duties of THE CONSTITUTION OF THE SOCIETY FOR ORGANISING CHARITABLE RELIEF OR CHARITY ORGANISATION SOCIETY. The Charity Organisation Society consists of a federation of 39 District Committees, one or more in each of the Poor Law divisions of the Metropolis,* and of a Central Council at which every Committee is represented. Any person being a member of a District Committee, or being an annual subscriber of not less than £1. 1s., or a donor of not less than £10. 10s. to the funds of the Council, or of any District Committee, is a member of the Society. (See Rule III. p. 47.) There is an Annual Meeting of the Society. The Council have power to convene a Special Meeting of members of the Society. Any thirty members also may require the Council to convene a special meeting. (See Rules XVII. XVIII. and XIX., p. 49.) The District Committees consist, as far as possible, of Ministers of Religion, Guardians of the Poor, and representatives of all the principal local charities. Each Committee has a Chairman or President, one or more Hon. Secretaries, and one or more representatives at the Council. It is the function of the District Committees to receive, investigate, and deal (in accordance with the general prin *The offices of the District Committees are open daily at hours notified in various papers of the Charity Organisation Society, copies of which can be obtained on application to the Secretary to the Council, 15 Buckingham Street, Strand, W.C. Twenty-two Committees now take charge of districts co-extensive with Poor-law Divisions, while seventeen take charge of portions of Poorlaw Divisions: the latter are marked with asterisks in the list of Committees on pp. 2 and 3. The parish of Stoke Newington, forming part of the Union of Hackney, the northern part of the parish of Islington, part of the parish of Camberwell, and a portion of the Wandsworth and Clapham Union are the only portions of the Poor-law metropolitan area not in charge of a Committee. ciples of the Society) with all cases of alleged want or distress referred to them. Each Committee is intended to form a common meeting place-a centre of information and charitable work-for persons in the district desirous of benefiting the poor. The Council consists of (1) A Chairman, Vice-Chairmen, and Treasurers. Hon. Secretaries of the Committee (not exceed- (3) Additional members, in number not exceeding (4) Representatives of Metropolitan Charitable Institu- Vice-Presidents of the Society are honorary members of Council. THE COUNCIL. of the Councils. The Council supervises and endeavours to strengthen The duties and consolidate the work of District Committees. It takes into consideration all questions of principle and matters relating to the work of the Society generally. It endeavours to bring into systematic co-operation the larger Metropolitan Institutions and Societies, to improve the administration of Charity, and to suppress imposture. NISTRATIVE The Sub The Administrative Committee is the executive Com- THE ADMImittee of the Council. It is elected annually by the Council, COMMITTEE. and consists of not more than twenty members, of whom fifteen are elective, and five co-optative. The Treasurer of the Council is an ex-officio member of the Committee. There are permanent Sub-Committees of the Administrative Committees: the Sub-Committee on District Work, the Medical and Convalescent Sub-Committees, and the Inquiry Sub-Committee. Each of these undertakes a special department of the work of the Council. Members of District Committees not being members of Council may be members of the Sub-Committees. * This Committee is also the Finance Committee required by Rule XXIV. (See p. 50.) Committees of the Admi Committee. nistrative WHAT WORKERS CAN DO FOR THE POOR IN CONNECTION WITH THE CHARITY ORGANISATION SOCIETY." CHARITY ORGANISATION is an endeavour to create a federation of those who desire to give, or are giving, some of their time with the intent of bettering the lives of the poor and remedying their distress-of all who may be able to forward this object directly or indirectly. To this end 39 centres have been established in different parts of London, with a Central Council. In the attempt to help the distressed thoroughly every kind of charitable work has to be done, and the services of co-operators of all kinds are brought into requisition. By the tales and circumstances of those whom it is wished to help, many social and general questions are suggested. What affects the class is suggested by what affects the individual. Accordingly, both wise methods of helping, and the principles of charitable relief, and the acquisition of better knowledge by continually renewed experience, have been part of the Society's work; and the other part has been the study of general questions, such as the Dwellings of the Poor, Provident Dispensaries, the Care of the Blind, Want of Employment, &c., which arise out of thought for the individual case, or by the constant wish to prevent and ward off perpetually recurring conditions of distress by some general action. A circular letter was sent to the District Committees of the Society, and these are some of the suggestions they make as to Persons Wanted for: *This is a reprint of a paper issued. I. COMMITTEE WORK.* 1. Regular assistance in the general work of a District Committee, even though it be only for a few hours on a day or two in the week. Attendance at Committee, with a view to learning and then helping in its work. Additional Hon. Secretaries are greatly wanted in several districts. 2. To visit those who have been helped by the Committee. These persons (in some of these respects not unlike their betters) are often without the commonest ideas of thrift in food, dress, &c. ; often incur ruinous expenditure, especially on such occasions as funerals; and are often ignorant of the most ordinary requirements of sanitation and cleanliness. The application for assistance in distress may be made the turning point in the career of a whole family. It should be premised that, as is natural, owing to differences in local circumstances, in the local credit and position of the Committee, in the bent given to the work by the influence of some one or two leading members, and from other causes, District Committees excel and fall short, some on one point, some on another, though there is a continually increasing tendency towards uniformity in questions of importance. At some Committees there is much more scope for various kinds of work than at others. Some are given to hospitality in entertaining and interesting visitors and strangers. At others, the work is less attractive; there is a lesser power of organisation, or there is an inclination to limit charity organisation to the mere decision and granting of relief on a set of investigated cases. cause. A Committee is, or should always be, the meeting-place for workers. Those who take part in it should be expected each to do something for the common It is well to attend for a short time at one or two District Committees as visitors. But, afterwards, some special obligation should be, if possible, undertaken. Charity should be as personal as possible. The use of a Committee is to strengthen personal work, not to supersede it. It were better to have no Committee if the latter were the result. Wise almoners and visitors and administrators of charities are wanted, and not the imposition of responsibility on a third party, be it Committee or Society, which can undertake the difficulties of decision and settle what should or should not be done in an impersonal semi-official manner. Yet there must always be many, the calls upon whose time require them to employ some agent in at least a considerable part of their charities. ANY PERSONS WILLING TO ASSIST IN THE WORK OF THE SOCIETY ARE INVITED TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE SECRETARY: OFFICES OF THE COUNCIL, 15 BUCKINGHAM STREET, LONDON, W.C. |