CHARITY
604
CHARITY
societies. This is entirely fitting, for two reasons:
First, because the methods and purposes of what has
come to be called organized charity — namely, investi-
gation, attention to causes, specific treatment, self-
help, record-keeping, and co-operation among the dif-
ferent charitable agencies in order to eliminate dupli-
cated and misdirected effort — are entirely sound.
Second, because Catholics have a prior claim upon all
these principles and practices. As noted above, the
general principles were first formulated by the theo-
logian, Vives, in 1526, and received their first appli-
cation about the same time in the Catholic cities of the
Netherlands and Germany. They were developed
and applied along the specific lines of present practice
by Fr&ieric Ozanam in 1833 (cf. O'Meara, Life of
Ozanam). The first non-Catholic to exemplify these
modern methods was Chalmers in 1850, while the first
charity organization society did not come into exist-
ence until 1868 (cf. Warner, op. cit., pp. 377-392).
True, these methods are liable to abuse: the work
may become too formal, too mechanical, too much
given to investigation, and the results may be waste
of money, lack of sympathy, and unnecessary hard-
ship to the deserving poor. Nevertheless time and
experience seem, in most places, to have reduced these
evils to the lowest proportions that can reasonably be
expected in a human institution. In many localities
it is desirable that Catholic charitable agencies should
make a fuller use of these methods, and in general
become better organized and better systematized.
Where the St. Vincent de Paul Society lives up to the
standard set by its founder in this matter, it is the
most effective relief society in existence. Some of
the American conferences of the association have in
recent years begun to employ paid agents with grati-
fying results. This is a wise feature, inasmuch as
voluntary workers cannot always be obtained in suf-
ficient numbers who possess the time, ability, and
experience essential to the largest achievement.
Again, Catholic charity-workers will follow the best
traditions of Catholic charity by co-operating with
the tendency, which is every day becoming stronger
in the circles of organized charity, to attack the social
causes of distress (cf. Proceedings of the Thirty-third
National Conference of Charities and Correction, pp.
1-10). This is, of course, the wisest, most effective,
most difficult, and, therefore, most meritorious form
of charitable effort. In the Middle Ages the social
causes of poverty were much better controlled than
at present, because the Church had infused into all
classes the doctrine that social power carries with it
social responsibility. To-day the chief social causes
of poverty arc the worship of money, and the lack of
social responsibility in those who possess social power,
i. e. economic power. Only within the Catholic
Church can be fount! the principles, resources, organi-
zation, and authority through which vhese causes can
be repressed.
finally, the opportunities of private charity, the direct assistance of individuals by individuals, are still and will continue to be- large. This form of char- ity has always been encouraged by the Church, and when wisely administered it has advantages which are not attainable by the organized form. It makes possible that exchange and that equalization between giver and receiver spoken of by St. Paul, and pro- motes that mutual understanding and mutual sym- pathy which are especially necessary in our day. when the gulf separating those who have and those who have not lias become so wide and so ominous. Indi- vidual charity also increases vastly the total amount that passes from the more to the less fortunate, there- by producing a more equitable distribution of the earth's bounty than would take place if all cases of were referred to the already overburdened organizations. Dr. Devine, who is one of the fore- most authorities in the field of organized charity.
speaks in the highest terms of rightly-administered
individual charity, and declares that, "it is a question
whether the unmeasured but certainly large amount
of neighbourly assistance given in the tenement-
houses of the city, precisely as in a New England
village or in a frontier settlement, does not rank first
of all among the means for the alleviation of distress "
("The Principles of Relief", p. 332, and the entire
chapter). See Alms and Almsgiving; Hospitals;
Poverty; Orphanages; Deaf and Dumb; Educa-
tion of the Blind; Homes; Protectories; Philan-
thropy; Monastery.
Baluffi. The Charity of the Church a Proof of Her Diiinity. tr. Gargan (Duhlin, 1885), general and popular rather than definite and systematic; Broglie, Si. Vincent de Paul, tr. Partridge (London. 1S99); Uhlhorn, Charity in the Ancient Church, tr. (New York, 1883), excellent except for some erroneous notions of doctrine: Lecky, History of European Morals (New York, 18801, II, iv; Ashley, English Economic History I New York and London, 1803', II. v; Dollinger, Gentile and Jew, tr. Darnell (London, 1906), II; Jans-en. History of the German People, tr. Mitchell and Christie (St. Louis, 1S96-1900\ I, II, III, IV; O'Meara, Life of Oranam (London, 1878'; Warner. American Charities (New York, 1894); Devine. The Principles of Relief (New York. 190.5); Mackat, The State and Charity (London and New York, 1898); Henderson, Modern Methods of Charity (New York. 1904), the best work in English on the subject with which it deals, and comparatively fair to Catholic charity; it con- tains an excellent bibliography; International Congress of Charities at Chicago in 1893 (Baltimore and London, 1S94); Proceedings of the National Conferences of Charities and Correc- tion (Indianapolis, 1874-1907); Proceedings of the International Convention of the St. Vincent de Paul Society (St. Louis, 1905); The St. Vincent de Paul Quarterly (New York); Chan', the Commons (New York); Palgrave and Lalor, Dictionaries of Political Economy; Bliss, Encyclopedia of Social Reform, s. w. Charity, Poverty, Pauperism, Poor Laws, Philanthropy: Ratzin-ger, Armenpflege (Freiburg. 18S4i. in all probability the best work on Catholic charity; it contains the fullest refer- ences to the sources; Ehrle, Beitrage ~ur Geschichte . . . der Armenpflege (Freiburg. 1881); Uhlhorn, Christlichc lAebes- thdtigkeit (Stuttgart, 1883-1S90); Emminghaus, A rmenwesen . . . in europdischen Staat>n ls7o . tr. under title. Poor Relief in Different Parts of Europe (London, 1873; this work was so in- accurate that it called forth the works of Ratzinger on the Catholic side and Uhlhorx on the Protestant; Stein, in Kirchenlex., s. v. Armenpflege; Lallemand, Hisloire de la charite (Paris, 1902); Monnier, Histovre de Vassistanee publique dans les temps anciens et modernes (1866); De Gerando, De la bienfaisance publique (1839); La grande encyclopedic, s. v. Charite.
John A. Ryan.
Charity, Congregation of the Brothers of, founded in Belgium early in the present century: the rule and constitutions were approved and con- firmed by Pope Leo XIII, 4 July, 1S99. The founder, the Very Rev. Pierre J. Triest, titular canon of St. Bavon of Ghent, on account of his services in the cause of charity, was surnamed the Vincent de Paul of his native country, and was three times decorated by royal hands with the highest civic orders of the land. After his death his countrymen erected a superb mausoleum to his honour in Brussels, the capital of the kingdom. The special aim of this con- gregation is the sanctification of its members in the religious state by the exercise of works of charity, which, in the spirit of its founder, embrace every phase of moral and physical suffering and want. They consist in a special manner in tending the sick, in sheltering poor workmen, in the care of the aged, and of insane or idiotic persons, in instructing and bringing up orphan children and young people of every condition. The services rendered by the Brothers of Charity were appreciated by the people and Government of Belgium, and in a short time they had marvellously developed. In 1906, in the mother province, they counted 12 communities in Belgium where about 1,000 brothers care lor about 6,000 insane persons, hundreds of old ami sick men. and a large number of blind adults. In this same province they instruct and care for more than 9,000
Eoor children, orphans, idiots, deaf and dumb, and lind. Here is also found the normal school of the congregation affiliated to the Government, the graduates of which teach in the numerous boarding
