EDUCATIONAL PHILANTHROPY AS AN 

 INVESTMENT. 



BY ROBERT A. WOODS. 



[Robort A. Woods, university settlomcnt worker; born Pittsburg Dec. 9, 1865; gradu- 

 ated Amherst college, 188G; head of South End House, the university settlement of 

 Boston, since 1891 ; lecturer on practical philanthropy in p]piscopal Theological school 

 of Cambridge; member Boston public bath commission since 1897.] 



Philanthropy has corrected its mistakes in large measure 

 by taking to itself the motive of education, and, nowadays, 

 every sort of philanthropy which is worth anything endeavors 

 in all its undertakings to secure educational result. Not only 

 that, it endeavors more and more, as all wise systems of ed- 

 ucation do, to put itself in a position to learn what the need 

 is. The teacher must kneel before the child, must learn first 

 of all from the pupil, in order that he may safely and effectually 

 instruct the pupil. Educational philanthropy is educational, 

 and has educational value because more and more it gives a 

 great deal of time, takes a great deal of pains, in order to find 

 out the actual conditions in which the people Hve who need 

 to be influenced and helped. 



Mr. Seaver has pointed out to us very clearly that the prob- 

 lem of educational expansion is first of all a financial problem. 

 In educational philanthropy that financial problem is gradually 

 being met by the concrete demonstration that comes from re- 

 sults. An interesting study prepared by the institutions regis- 

 tration department of Boston, presents the statistics for ju- 

 venile arrests during the past ten years. It shows that during 

 those ten years the number of juvenile arrests has decreased 

 in a proportion varying from twelve to twenty per cent. The 

 statistician who has prepared these tables gives a tentative 

 explanation for the decrease. He says it has resulted in the 

 first place from wiser ways in dealing with neglected children, 

 and in the second place from the manifold efforts which are 

 now being made throughout the city, to direct youthful energy 

 in healthful channels. When educational philanthropy can 

 present results of that kind, when the information as to those 



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