SOCIAL SERVICE, American Institute of. The League for Social Service of New York City was organized in New York in 1898 by Josiah Strong and William H. Tolman, who became its president and secretary, re spectively. The League, reorganized, enlarged and incorporated, became known in 1902 as the American Institute of Social Service, with head quarters at 287 Fourth avenue, New York. The three functions of the Institute are: (1) To gather from all possible sources facts of every kind which bear on social and industrial betterment. (2) To interpret these facts by ascertaining their causes and effects, thus gain ing their real significance and (3) to dis seminate the resulting knowledge for the edu cation of public opinion, with an educational charter from the Regents of the University of the State of New York.
The work of the Institute is divided into 11 departments: (1) Bureau of Information; (2) Investigation; (3) Illustration; (4) Publica tion; (5) Legislation: (6) Lecture Bureau; (7) Library and Archives; (8) Museum of Security; (9) Personal Study and Research; (10) International Relations; (11) Relations with other Societies.
The American Institute of Social Service is collecting a great mass of facts from Europe, as well as America, which embody experiences of many millions of people, and these facts scientifically interpreted throw light on many social problems, new and old, and afford prac tical guidance in the conduct of life and in the establishment of right relations between man and man. In response to inquiries, the Insti tute's bureau of information is constantly send ing materials bearing on social and industrial betterment to newspaper men, ministers, stu dents, teachers, authors, legislators and the like. When a corporation desires to improve the condition of its employees, the Institute can furnish facts and photographs showing •what is being done along these lines by many of the world's great captains of industry, such as Casimir-Perier of France, Van Marken of Hol land, Cadbury of Birmingham and Lever of Liverpool, describing their improved housing, their sanitation, their hospitals, homes for con valescents, schools, kindergartens, athletic grounds, parks, baths, swimming pools, systems of insurance, old-age pensions and the like. Again, a city desires to improve its municipal housekeeping and would like to learn from Glasgow as a model. It is not necessary for Cincinnati or Chicago to send a committee of investigation to the Scotch metropolis. The Institute can send Glasgow to Cincinnati or Chicago and by means of hundreds of lantern slides show her improved tenements, her street cleaning system, her playgrounds, her out-of door gymnasia, her hospitals, her park system, etc. A church which is struggling to adapt itself to a changed environment wishes to know how certain problems have been solved. The Institute can give information of scores of churches which have successfully adjusted themselves to new conditions and whose ex perience will probably afford the desired solu tion. The existence of all the States with their separate legislatures affords a vast field for social service by helping all to profit by the experience of each. Most of the great prob
lems of all the States are substantially the same, as in the case of pauperism, crime, de fective and delinquent children, the rela tion of labor and capital and the like. Some States are much in advance in one particular, others in another. What if, in each particular, all the States could be brought up to the stand ard of the most advanced State; how would the nation leap forward in civilization? For instance, the experience of several States has demonstrated the value of juvenile courts and of industrial legislation for children. In the natural course of things it takes years for such reforms to reach the more backward States; whereas the Institute, with the necessary funds, could doubtless educate public opinion so as to secure the desired legislation in one-quarter of the time. As President Roosevelt says in a letter to the Institute: "The possibilities of the Institute are well nigh boundless. It is ap parently proving to be the beginning of a world movement, and is being recognized by the best men of many different countries as a necessity in each and all of these countries in order to facilitate a readjustment of social relations to the new conditions created by the modern in dustrial revolution.* In 1903, Andrew Carnegie (q.v.), the phil anthropist, placed in trust the sum of $2,500,000 for the purpose of beautifying and improving his native town of Dunfermline, Scotland, and the American Institute of Social Service out lined a plan of procedure for this important work. The plan included a regional museum, a district for a *city beautiful," a social centre, a department of civics, boys' and girls' flower gardens, children's playgrounds and out-door gymnasia, holiday tours and historic pilgrim ages, *get-together club* and a system of awards and prizes. The general outline for a city beautiful suggests that somewhere in the confines of the park land should be set aside on which can be built model dwellings of diversified architecture. One house should be set aside as a working model, furnished throughout with all necessaries and as many comforts as are demanded by a modest taste. By means of this model house, clerks, artisans and laborers may be shown how to furnish their homes. Under this plan the social centre should be a building located in the park, easily accessible, so as to be a resort for all the peo ple—children for the most part by day, adults at night and on holidays. It should contain a hall for music, speaking, dancing, flower shows and other entertainments. There should be classrooms for instruction in music and art in its various branches. In a regional museum should be collected the various processes of local industries, in order that the individual workman may get an idea how his part in the process is related to the great industry as a whole. The department of civics is intended tc• inspire youth and to direct their enthusiasm wisely, so as to raise the tone of their citizen ship. Consult Ogburn, W. F., 'Wages in Amer ican Cities) (1917); Calhoun, A. W., 'Social History of the American Family> (1917).