every city but in every ward of the same. Local relief socie such as those in the Eighth ward of Minneapolis and the F ward of St. Paul, are such applications of associated charity justed to small territories. The larger and smaller associati alike need to be multiplied, and become the central bodies in the several localities around which are grouped the churches and ot public and private movements for human helpfulness and reli These central associations thus become the nerve centres, gre and small, for sending through the body politic the messages mutual love, good will and helpfulness.

But in what form shall these organizations and all others see to dispense their charity for the relief needed by the unemployed From every thoughtful, experienced man or woman in the civilized world comes the answer. To the unemployed there is but one way of bestowing that charity of which we read in the New Tes tament. True charity, or love, seeketh first to give to the unem ployed two things-work and friendship. It giveth alms only when work and other relief consistent with independence and self-reli ance are impossible. At such times as these churches and charities may learn a lesson in New Testament charity from the oftmaligned organizations of the working people. Let us here give them a passing thought.

American and British labor unions afford us two widely dif ferent methods of treating the problem of the unemployed. The first, and, to the writer, the higher method, is that illustrated among others by the Typographical Union, or organization of printers. As a rule, in all the large offices the members of this union divide up the work to be had among the workers. Here is what is to the writer the best possible method of aiding the unemployed. It is a method in practical operation under the direction of several trade unions in addition to the one mentioned. It is the giving of work and not alms-the giving of work as a duty and not as a gratuity. It is a fair and just division of the bread in existence by a voluntary act of the workers, and not a tossing of crumbs from the table of the lucky ones to the dogs of misfortune sitting in want and idleness at a distance therefrom.

The second solution for the problem of the unemployed is seen in the Cigarmakers' Union. At all times and in every town that union maintains a free employment office for its members. Infor mation is gathered about the state of the trade from every part of the Union. In case work is to be had in one town and nothing in another, those out of work are furnished money from a common fund to take them to the place of work. In case no work is any

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CITY CHARITIES.-THE UNEMPLOYED.

ere to be had at any given time for any given worker, he is en paid a weekly stipend from the common fund of the organition. Here the money paid to the unemployed as a relief is not alms. It is a part of a business transaction. The fund out of bich this relief is paid is a savings fund into which all pay in mes of prosperity and from which all draw in seasons of adverity. It is a form of industrial insurance, aiding in maintaining worker's self-respect and independence, the same as does in other fields insurance against fire or other calamity.

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Over one hundred thousand families in the United States at this very time are given work under the system of the printers or receive aid by the plan of the cigarmakers. In this way they keep from their doors the wolf of want due to scarcity of employment. You will find my reason for referring to these customs of the labor organizations in this paper when I add that these families made independent by these plans and methods of their unions are greater in number than those cared for by any single system of charity, and is also larger than all who in the United States are helped by artificial schemes of municipal work such as that affordsanded in the city of St. Paul.

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The foregoing described methods of dealing with the unemployed have their origin in the sense of provident foresight. They are the outgrowth of plans formulated and means accumulated in times of prosperity. All others are, as compared with the foregoing, mere makeshifts. They are efforts more or less successful and commendable to meet emergencies. They must all be praised or condemned in accordance with their adherence to or departure from the principles which lie at the basis of the policy of the unions named. Let us now note what is being done and what further could be done along those lines.

And, first, I will speak about the individual. Christian charity always begins with the individual. What, then, is our individual part-yours and mine-in this problem of giving work to the unemployed? I answer, we must do in another form what the printers are doing, divide our work with the unemployed. How, do you ask, can this be done? I will answer by citing concrete cases. The other day a clergyman in this city had a call from an unemployed carpenter. The preacher could not have the carpenter preach for him, but he could, by looking around, give him some work. He had him fix a bay window in his house, and by so doing anticipated by a few months what he had expected some time to do. He also spoke to his friends about the man and they gave him work. Here is a better division of labor in some respects than that

cary! I are Rege organizations, mamaroh her offices special torna, teen, would be era and mind and heart for seem ing work for ne vemployed. Ther should dat horoughly lean the nooda, hanger and names of the idle in there own circle and then, in the name of “he common case which they represent they should clamor at the doors of heir more foranate members and secure, as far as possible, the needed work for the idle. The otheory of each church or society should become a sort of free employment agency for obtaining employment for those out of work. Then we need a larger application of the same methods of work. The rich churches and the poor should be united in some common homme for attaining this beneficent end. This is possible, and The Presbyterian churches of Minneapolis, true to their traditions of practical common sense plans for humanity, show us the way. This demons in all their churches have effected an organization for meeming work for their common unemployed. In like manner This Mwedish Amadeams have effected a somewhat similar organizutton. Who can memure the good to be accomplished by these anchome? Oh that all churches and fraternities were as aggres

In their plane for rols ing our perplexity over the unemployed. In the commotion the free employment agency of the Minneapolle comelated Charities should be mentioned, securing, as it did, In 1908 and ten thousand odd jobs of work for the unemplovest In the rume fry the mayor's effort along the same line

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been fruitful in grand results, and shows that spirit and enprise in any good cause count for vast benefit. In St. Paul the iendly Inn, recently established, has been of great value in aidg the needy transient by giving food and shelter for the night, return for its equivalent in work. The labor required of the ›dger sifts the worthy from the unworthy poor and aids in retricting public relief to the deserving. In Minneapolis the mayor, ›y having the vagrants all sent to the workhouse to break stone, ias by his free soup accomplished practically the same ends as the St. Paul Friendly Inn.

Private efforts I have placed first in my treatment of the subject of the unemployed. Each man and woman should do all that is possible for him in securing work or giving the same for the idle. But private initiative cannot meet all the needs of the day. - Hence the necessity of the united action of the labor unions, the single church or fraternity. Then, in a larger way to meet the same ends, the action of groups of churches or unions. In fact, the union of churches for this purpose is but a repetition of what was being done by the labor unions. In addition to these come the thousand special relief agencies of the day, of which I have spoken of only two or three. The others, just as deserving, must be passed over in silence for want of time. But all of these movements in most of our large cities have proved insufficient. Hence has arisen in those cities the need of municipal relief work, of special labor under special conditions, as upon parks and upon the streets as in St. Paul, and in kindred ways. Society is bound to give all people a support in such times. It is vastly better to give that support in the form of work than it is in alms. All fair men see this fact, and hence no one raises the objection to it on Better a socialism or the ground of paternalism or socialism. paternalism that saves human lives and fosters manly self-respect among its citizens than a charity that degrades all by its alms.

As a substitute for a living, vital interest of man in his fellow man, this municipal work for the unemployed is a sham and an evil. We cannot hire our officials to exercise our virtues for us. The Buddhist prayer-wheel is a poor substitute for devotion, but it is exactly as good as the charity of an American who sets a piece of human machinery, as that of a city government, to exercise his love for his fellows. But while municipal relief work as a substitute for private initiative in giving work to the unemployed is to be condemned, it is far otherwise when that work comes in as a supplement to a widespread, active interest on the part of the citizens in a community to give work to the unemployed. Under those circumstances it is to be commended.

One further subject should be mentioned in this connection. It is the acts of our public corporations exercising a more or less public function. The municipality in times of depression such as these must broaden its activities and create work for the unemployed. This it must do to supplement private initiative along the same lines. These public corporations doing a public or semipublic function should do the same. It may be a burden upon them so to do, but they should voluntarily assume that burden, the same as does the public-spirited individual or the municipality. But if these corporations fail at such times cheerfully to take upon themselves their full share of that common burden of the hour, the present rising clamor for the municipality to perform all of those functions now discharged by those corporations will grow to such proportions as to carry everything with it. Corporations of a semi-public function will go down, victims of their own selfishness and their refusal to do their part in giving work to the unemployed in times of need.

Fifteen minutes is not a liberal allowance of time in which to outline a financial policy, but I will endeavor to make the most of it. The suggestion of relief by temporary loans is the natural outcome of exceptional hard times like the present, when all thoughtful and humane people are brought face to face with the great problem of destitution and human suffering. It is true that "the poor we have always with us," but never in the history of this country did we have them with us so numerously as at present nor with demands upon our sympathy and our generosity so urgent. But the saying that "The poor ye have always with you," if it be accepted as the statement of a permanent social fact, should obviously stimulate activity to ascertain in what manner the poor can be most wisely assisted with a due regard for the general welfare.

The liberality with which the cause of charity is supported in the United States is not generally appreciated. An appeal for subscriptions is never made in vain. The amount left to charity by wills each year exceeds that given in any other country. There is scarcely a rich man or woman who dies whose will does not contain at least one bequest to charity; while many leave their entire