Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 04.djvu/584

* CHARITY OBGANIZATION SOCIETY. 504 CHARIVAKI. trouble brouglit liim back. The Charity Organi- zation Society seeks to show a i)ersonal. friendly interest in the family. To further this aim. a corps of 'friendly visitors" is developed — culti- vated, intellijienl men and women — who under- take to visit a family regularly, to share sym- pathetically in its troubles and its pleasures. The power of this personal interest of a tactful and resourceful i>erson on the family life is hard to estimate. These friendly visitors are always unpaid, and thus their interest is wholly unselfish. The way is opened for all sorts of sug- gestions for imjirovenient. for making the home attractive to the cliildren and father. The friend- ly visitors hold regular conferences. Social Service. Growing out of the intimate knowledge gained by frequent personal visits comes the opportmiity to inlhu>nce the commu- nity regarding the necessity for playgrounds, bet- ter sanitaiy and housing conditions, factory legislation, and the like. Such service is of the highest value, often accom])lishing great reforms. The present movement to reform the tenements in New York City is largely the result of the labors of the Cliarity Organization Society and interested individuals. Here should be noted the possibility of handling special relief funds in times of emergency. The Charity Organization Society, with its trained force and intimate knowledge of local conditions, can act to great advantage. Mention should be made of the in- fluence exerted to cut down unwise appro])ria- tions for supposed charitable p>ir])Oses. Another valuable ser ice is the investigation of charita- ble organizations for the information of intend- ing donors. ]?y no means the least valuable part of this social work is in getting so many jjcople directly interested in the work of the society. Self-Help. The object of the Charity Organi- zation Society is to 'help to self-help.' It is not sought to give something for nothing. The self- respect and the independence of the individual is always to be preserved. Work rather than alms is given. Laundries, sewing-rooms, wood- yards, employment bureaus, are maintained ac- cording to local needs. In some cities the vacant lots and waste places have been transformed into vegetable gardens, carried on, under expert guidance, by the poor. When necessary the pro- fessional beggars are prosecuted: lists of un- worthy alms-seekers are published, to compel them to seek honest employment. Preventive ^VoRK. The lieail of the family is dealt with whenever ])ossible. The children who ask for assistance on behalf of jiarents are told that the parents must come in person. The child must not form the begging habit. All workers will testify to the value of preventive efforts on behalf of the children. Summer camps, home libraries, local associations, mothers' meetings, penny savings banks, are among the forms this work assumes. This great power of adapting the ■work to local needs and conditions is of the utmost importance. It will be seen from the foregoing that the work of the Charity Organization Society is to an unusual degree administrative — personal. This is the secret of the great work it is able to do, but is frequently a cause of complaint to those who do not grasp the situation. Personal service is considered the highest form of giving. A large part of the income of the Charity Organi- 7.ition Society is therefore spent in salaries. The complexity of the organization naturally increases with the size of the city. There is a board of directors chosen from among those «bo contrib- ute to the society, and under the directors an executive conunittec. The administrative officer is the superintendent, who has bis necessary as- sistants. The larger cities are divided into dis- tricts, each in charge of a district supcrinteiulent, who is responsible for the work in the district. Applicants for help are referred to the district in which they live. The central and district offices are open daily. The central ollice kec])s on file a digest of all cases from each district. In each district a 'decisions committee' meets weekly to discuss the variotis cases and decide upon courses of action. The funds come from ])rivate donors. ExpEitT Service. The work of the Charity Organization Society calls for educated and trained men and women. The mere desire to do good is no qualification, nor is charitable work in general any longer a dmnping-ground for those who have failed in other professions. The high- est abilities are sought, and some societies are conducting special schools for jiorlicuis of the year for the training of workers. The adminis- tration of charity has become a profession. Prm.iCATloNS. The best periodical in America devoted to the charitable field is Charities, pub- lished by the Charity Organization .Sotiety of New York City. In Kngland this place is filled by the Cliarilii Oi-tiiiiti::ation Revieic of the London Society. Consult: Warner. Amrricaii Charities (New York, 18!I4) ; Devine. The Practice of Charity (New York, 1001) ; Eichmond, Friendly Visitiny (New York, IIIOO) : Loch, Charily Or- yaiiizatioii (London, 1S!)2) ; Ilci)orts of Societies (Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, etc.). See PAtPEUt.sii ; Social Debtor Classes. CHARIVARI, sha'rii'va'r*' (Low Lat. chari- rariuin). A French term used to designate a wild tunuilt and uproar, produced by the beating of pans, kettles, and dishes, mingled with whis- tling, bawling, groans, and hisses, and got up for the purpose of expressing a general dislike to the person against wlunu it is directed. The etymology of charirari is obs(ire: the Germans translate it by A'a/ioimH.si/,'. the English of which is cater- icaiiliny. In France, during the ^liddle Ages, a charivari was generally raised ag:iinst persons contracting second nuptials, in which case the widow was especially assailed. On these occa- sions the participators in it, who were masked, accompanied their hubbub by the singing of satirical and indecent verses, and would not cease till the wedding couple had purchased their peace by ransom. Charivari answers to the Knglish concert upon 'marrow-bones and cleav- ers.' with which it was customary to attack a married couple who lived in notorious discord. It was also organized against an unequal match — e.g. where there was great disparity in age. In some of the rural districts of the United States a like custom prevails, the instruments of discord being horns, tin pans, horse-fiddles, and whistles. The rustic American corruption of the woi'd 'charivari' is 'shiveree.' for which a syno- nym is 'skinimcrton.' Similar customs seem to have existed under different names in all pai>ts of Europe, and sometimes they were of such a licentious and violent character as to require mili- tary interference to put them down. Even as