12 CHARLES RICHMOND HENDERSON 



unavoidable with a board of control without a legal method 

 of supervision independent of it. Reports on forms provided 

 by statute are deceptive ; there is no substitute for the inspec- 

 tion of a hving person. Partisanship is charged, for the bi- 

 partisan board is by no means synonymous with nonpartisan 

 when it comes to redeeming ante-election pledges by the party 

 in power. Such are the fears of most students of the situation, 

 and the fact that the new boards have really rendered im- 

 portant services during the short trial does not quiet anxiety. 

 It follows from the principle of social interest and sohdar- 

 ity of responsibihty that private charities must ultimately 

 be subjected to governmental supervision and control. This 

 suggestion will be resented by those who have been brought 

 up in the frontier conditions of a new country, where distance 

 of social atoms reduced friction and coUision. But with the 

 growth of urban life, and the consequent intimacy of contact 

 between persons and societies, more regulation becomes nec- 

 essary. We are defining new crimes with every legislature, 

 and soon we shall bring immoral and wasteful philanthropy 

 under legal control. Some states have already made prog- 

 ress in that direction, beginning with those associations which 

 receive subsidies. It is true that such control is often a mere 

 pretense, and, at the best, pubhc inspection is not infallible, 

 even with national banks and interstate commerce boards. 

 But this is true of administration generally in American cities 

 and commonwealths, and the remedy lies in improving the 

 service, not in inviting anarchy to remain. The perils of in- 

 spection by private organizations is illustrated in a recent 

 assault upon one of the best known representatives of 

 charity organization by an irresponsible money gatherer, 

 whose methods of sponging upon benevolent persons had been 

 exposed and thwarted. In the absence of public supervision 

 of alleged philanthropy private firms of detectives have de- 

 rived considerable income from reporting to business men in 

 regard to persons and associations who wish to be famous for 

 goodness at the expense of the dear pubhc. Evidently where 

 the owner of an automobile must take out a license before he 

 can use the streets for his pleasure, some protection ought to 

 be given generous people against the legion of well intentioned 



