CHARITY— THEORY AND PRACTICE 7 



ill twenty four states : Total n\im]")or of children cared for from 

 beginning, 18,528; children now under supervision, 10,704; 

 number of children placed in families for the first time, during 

 the year reported, 1,900; expenditures, $193,768; value of 

 lands, buildings and funds, $151,070. The figures show how 

 large a work can be done with little dead capital. 



As persons of various occupations, trades, arts and pro- 

 fessions federate and confer together with advantage to them- 

 selves and the pubhc, inspire professional spirit, improve 

 methods, so charitable workers and students are forming as- 

 sociations in local, state, national and even international 

 societies, for kindred purposes. 



This consideration brings us to a topic over w^hich dis- 

 cussion growls hot in the United States, the problem of state 

 supervision and control of pubhc and even private philan- 

 throphy and relief. It is easily shown that we have here one 

 phase of a world movement. The agitation, excitement and 

 even the irritation of the debate will conduct us toward a 

 sober and profitable consideration of the experience of civil- 

 ized nations, especially of those where the science of adminis- 

 tration has been more fully developed than with us. 



Some illustration from the older countries may serve to 

 light the way to secure ground. In a study by the present 

 writer, the documents relating to central administration of 

 penal and correctional establishments were collected and made 

 accessible to readers of Enghsh; and there it will be shown 

 with considerable detail that in estabhshments of this class 

 the necessity for central control has been everywhere legally 

 recognized, except in the United States. In Germany alone 

 there is no such system of pubhc supervision and reports in 

 addition to outdoor reUef, except in Bavaria. Tliis defect 

 seems due to the fact that the municipal rehef system has 

 reached a high degree of perfection, is based on a common poor 

 law, and is so independent of voluntary charity that no serious 

 demand is made for state supervision of administration. It 

 is admitted, however, by high authorities, that not only rural 

 rehef but even urban administration would often be improved 

 by the requirement of inspection and uniform reports of sta- 

 tistics. Such inspection and even control is carried ver>^ far 



