Unfortunately these objects were seldom kept as clearly in view as they were at the time when the first societies were founded. At the end of the seventies they had be come for the most part simply relief societies, and often their administration of relief had fallen into routine methods, and was far from contributing as much as it should to the elevation of the physical and moral condi tion of the indigent. There were then in many cities, under various names, voluntary general relief societies, professedly ready to undertake any sort of human task within their ability.' Little use was made of volunteer friendly visitors, and consequently organized relief, if it accomplished its purpose of aiding the destitute, did not educate the charitable public in intelligent and discrimi nating relief methods. Public outdoor relief was in many places lavish, and its administration careless, ex travagant, and, in some instances, corrupt. There were no adequate safeguards against deception, no common registration of relief to prevent duplication, and private almsgiving, while it was profuse in meeting the obvious distress, was admittedly and wholly inadequate in meet ing situations which require generous financial contribu tions, and long-continued and persistent personal attention. To meet these recognized evils, and the lack of coopera tion to which reference is made in the resolution of the New York State Board of Charities already quoted, the plan which had been successfully in operation in London was proposed by those who were considering possible remedies.
The essential features of the movement, which distin guish it, not because they were novel ideas, but because they were worked out for the first time consistently and because the societies have clung to them with steadily increasing faith in their potency, are investigation, regis tration, cooperation, adequate relief, and volunteer per sonal service. In the hands of the charity organization societies, investigation has come to mean something much more than it had meant for those who proclaimed the necessity for discriminating between the deserving and the undeserving. Investigation is not solely or even primarily for the purpose of thwarting the expec tations of impostors. It is not even merely a device for preventing the waste of charity upon unworthy objects in order that it may be used for those who are really in need. Investigation is rather an instrument for intelli gent treatment of distress. It is analogous to the diag nosis of the physician, who does not attempt to treat a I Report of the Committee on History of Charity Organization, Charles D. Kellogg, National Conference of Charities and Correction, 1893.
serious malady from a glance at its superficial indications, but who carefully inquires into hidden and early mani festations of the disease and seeks to know as much as possible of the complicating influences with which he must reckon in effecting a cure. Investigation, therefore, while it should never be inconsiderate or blundering or heartless, must be painstaking, conscientious, and honest.
It will exclude irrelevant gossip, but will embrace a close scrutiny of the exact facts, its aim being not to enable the investigating agent to affix a label of worthy or unworthy, but to determine what help can be given, from what source it should come, and how these agencies may be brought into definite and hearty cooperation.
This kind of investigation has been developed in the work of the charity organization societies. Its possibili ties have been only gradually unfolded. They are real ized only gradually in the experience of individual workers. Investigations made at the outset, even by one who has thoroughly grasped the principles involved, are certain to appear to himself, in the light of later experience, to be either superficial and inadequate, or crude, mechanical, and unnecessarily elaborate. A bad investigation may be either too full or too meagre, or it may be neither.
The investigation is made, not for its own sake, but as a necessary step in the careful and adequate remedy of the defects or misfortunes that have brought the applicant to seek relief. In the majority of cases, however, if the investigation is wise and complete, it will reveal personal sources and facts which will enable the situation to be met without calling in outside aid, and in this way, in a large proportion of instances, investigation might be said to be come a substitute for relief. One of the oldest and best managed general relief societies has recently designated one visitor, who has unusual qualifications for this kind of work, to attempt to meet every case assigned to her by personal work, investigation, and the following up of clews suggested by the investigation, without disbursing any material relief whatever. It is confidently believed that she will succeed, although the number of families in her charge will necessarily be much smaller than if she were authorized to pursue the usual method of investigating superficially and giving material relief where it seems to be needed.
The second fundamental characteristic of the charity organization societies is their insistence upon cooperation. By this is meant not merely agreement among various societies and organized agencies upon general plans of coop eration, but rather cooperation in dealing with individual cases of distress upon the basis of facts ascertained by inves tigation. It involves, in other words, acceptance of the plan of relief which is calculated to remedy the defects or to supply the deficiencies that have been discovered. This may mean that each of the cooperating individuals or socie ties shall supplement the efforts of the others by contribut ing a part of the money or work needed ; or it may mean that they will agree to a division of work, each leaving to the other a part for which its facilities are adapted ; or it may mean a division of the cases to be dealt with, each agreeing to leave entirely to the other certain classes of individuals or families whose needs are to be studied and adequately met by the agency to which they are assigned.