Mtttermtij of Nnrtlj dkmltna Olollerlton nf Stetlj (Earnlitttatta UNIVERSITY OF N.C. AT CHAPEL HILL 00034013335 This book must not be taken from the Library building. 2 * m:> Form No. 471 The Report of the Social Service Commission of the Diocese of North Carolina to the Convention 1917. The Report of the Social Service Com- mission of the Diocese of North Carolina to the Convention of 1917. This Commission has not been able to do much constructive work during the past year owing chiefly to a lack of funds with which to curry out its program of service. The Convention of 1915 passed a resolution granting a certain sum of money for the use of the Commission, but no funds have been available. We have held three meetings during the past year, each mem- ber defraying his own expenses. Some of the resolutions passed at these meetings are appended to this report. Lack of time and means has prevented us from making an exhaustive study of the whole subject: or making an adequate survey of the field of Social Service, but we have made an ef- fort to study the larger phases of Social Service, and to obtain such information relative to local conditions as would enable us to co-operate with the organized forces of the Church throughout the country, and to take care of the problems within our own Diocese. Summarizing our study and investigation we find: 1st, That the Social Conscience of the Church is only be- ginning to be awakened. 2nd. That while the forces of evil are organized to hurt society the Church is not organizing with commensurate speed to combat these evils and save society. 3rd, That the clergy, with but few exceptions, are only mildly interested in Social Service and some are opposed to it. We believe that the church is the Body of christ, and as the Body of Christ it has the same sort of service to render to humanity which Jesus rendered to society when He was here in the flesh. The Church must bring to society something of the mind which was in Christ Jesus. His mission was co-extensive with the social and spiritual life; His ministry was to the whole man. As He went about teaching truth He was applying it, practically to society. He taught men about the [Mansions in the skies, but He was ever acting in the Society in which He found Himself. He went about doing good; not doing what we call charitv, but giving expression to love in helping men onto their feet and enabling them to help themselves. He got behind the conditions which made it necessary for a man to beg, and helped the man to help himself. He restored the wage earner 10 the widowed mother rather than merely relieving her distress with a coin. Industrial conditions, un-safeguarded often take away wage earners by sickness and accidents which could be prevented by better housing, better wages, better san- itation. Jesus said, "I am come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly." His service was in the direction of making a Social Order in which justice should be done, and that every man might live a normal life. Society, as at present constructed, is not after the mind of Jesus. Strong groups which control the social and economic factors thwart justice and cause great suffering. Willi produc- tions almost normal the high cost of living, in large part occas- ioned by speculation, is causing thousand to suffer for the necessities of life. The masses toil; the few have luxuries. The prodigality of the idle rich overshadows the wickedness of the poor. Masses create wealth which others enjoy. The world is full of social unrest. Humanity is crying for justice. There is positively no place in the ideal Kingdom of God for group control or favoritism. That many of the workers are turning away from the Church is sadly recognized by us all. They are turning to any sort of an organization, any sort of leaders which promise relief from the oppression of injustice. Is not the reason apparent? They have turned away from the Church because, while preaching justice, the church has not been the champion of justice. Like the man at the gate, which was called beauti- ful, who looked on Peter and John, the lame man in society looked to the church to champion his cause and enable him to leap and walk as other men. And, is it any wonder, that since the Church has failed to boldly follow the example of these representatives that the lame man in society has begun to look on organizations which promise help. Peter and John went beyond charity; they helped the man on to his feet. It is time that our ministers, ring clear on the social question. Our pulpits ought to send forth a Gospel which has in it Social justice. There is no conflict between the idea of spiritual regeneration and the idea of Social Service. "Except a man be born again he can not enter into the kingdom of heaven;" but the regen- erate man is the one whose function it is to leaven society with the leaven of social righteousness. The church MUST do social service. No organization can perform the function for which the organic Body of the Church was created. This was the reason that Jesus refused the Kingship of the earthly kingdom. He knew that any kingdom built upon an unregen- erate humanity would suffer the fact of all other temporal kingdoms — rise and fall. Men must be born again. The Church and the sacraments are necessary— not alone for sal- vation of the individual, but for the service which the individ- ual can render to fociety. In the old Jewish Church when the constituted authorities failed to fulfil the law in social righteousness GOD sent proph- ets to cry out against them. There was no conflict between the Prophets and the organized system of worship and sacrifice. They cried out, not against the Law, but for its fulfillment; not against Rites and Ceremonies but against the lack of righteous- ness, which ought to have accompanied them. And to-day, if the church fails in her mission, GOD will hold her responsible. We need not be surprised if HE raises up prophets outside the Church, to cry against wrong and oppression and to plead for justice. Feeling so keenly the lack of interest and effort in social service the great need of a Social awakening and Social educa- tion, especially in our own Diocese, we offer the following resolution and recommendations: RESOLUTION Resolved, That the Convention appropriate from its treasury adequate financial support for the Diocesan Social Service Commission. RECOMMENDATIONS 1st, That the Clergy read as many as possible of the books recommended by the Commission. 2nd, That the clergy conduct classes in the study of Social Service, wherever possible, and that they preach frequent ser- mons on subjects relating to Social Service. 3rd, The organization in every Parish of a Social Service Committee. 4th, That a page in the Carolina Churchman be devoted to Social Service. Rev. N. C. DUNCAN, Rev. GEO. W. LAY, Rev. R. B. OWENS, Dr. JOSEPH H. PRATT. Resolutions Passed at the Meetings of the Diocesan Social Service Commission On the resolution of the Convention of 1916, page 57 of the Journal, The Commission after studying the methods of caring for dependent children passed the following resolutions: Resolved, That the Social Service Commission of the Diocese of North Carolina requests the North Carolina Social Service Conference to appoint a special committee to study and report on the best methods of caring for dependant children throughout the State. With direct reference to the Thompson Orphanage, the Com- mission determines that the abstract question of the whole orphanage system is too large to be determined off-hand, since the system of caring for dependant children is a matter of slow growth and evolution, adapted to local conditions. They believe that the Thompson Orphanage, as at present conducted, is doing the work in a worthy manner; employing the cottage system of separate houses in combination with the general institution. The Commission feels that the work of the Thompson Or- phanage ought to be brought partcularly to the attention of the children of the Sunday Schools throughout the Diocese, and that they be requested to make a regular contri- bution at least once each month for this work. Resolved, That this Commission earnestly calls attention to the duty of the Church to improve the condition of family life and of social customs, so as to educate our young people in better ideas of propriety and modesty, and thus prevent them from falling victims to the many temptations which befall them under present social conditions. While thoroughly sympathet- ic with all efforts for the reform of the delinquents and incor- rigibles by legislation, and for all legislative means designed to prevent delinquency and crime, the commission feels that there is a real danger in trusting too much to such measures, and thus neglect the fundamental and natural duties of parents and the effect on the younger members of the community of careless, unthinking acquiesence in demorilizing social customs that have grown up without wise direction. We believe that laxity of home life and lack of parental dis- cipline is the most serious question before our people, and that the Church has the duty and the responsibility of taking measures to correct these conditions. Whereas, the influence of Carnivals and Midways is general- ly recognized as exerting a harmful influence, therefore resolved, That the Social Service Commission of the Diocese of North Carolina recognizing that the State Fair is intended to promote the best interest of all the people of the State of North Carolina request the management of the Fair to prohibit Carnivals and Midways on the Fair Grounds. To our minds the elimination of this feature would increase the value of the State Fair to the people of North Carolina, and would do more to build up the Fair as a Statewide expo- sition of the State's resources. WHAT IS SOCIAL SERVICE? Extracts from the Publications of the Joint Commission. Social Service is not "charity." Charity at best is only an expedient. It will relieve temporarily but will not remove the cause of the trouble. Charity in the older sense, even if not now, was largely individual; social service is what its name implies — collective. In the fullest sense, Social Service is service by society, for society: full human co-operation to the end of true social living, without prejudice to any individual, group, nation or race. Genuine social service, in short, is co-extensive with humanitv. Economic reconstruction is an ultimate aim of social endeavor Under a system whereby "each should give according to I is ability, and receive according to his need" much, if not all, of pur social problem would be solved. This is not the aim of the Socialist merely, it has only to be stated to be recognized as Christian. What, short of justice, can satisfy the claims of our religion? If all men are equal in the sight of GOD, should they be less equal in the sight of one another? FROM THE DIOCESE OF FOND DU LAC Resolved, that it is the mind of this Council that the highest form of Christian Social Service is the establishment of social justice, that is to say, of a condition of lite wherein the fruits of industry shall be so distributed that every human being shall have a chance to live a full human life, with due chance for the preservation of bodily health, the cultivation of mental powers, and the exercise of spiritual faculties; and, further, that no merely ameliorative or charitable activities can take the place of this fundamental duty. PAROCHIAL SOCIAL SERVICE COMMITTEES In answer to "what is the function of such Committees. From Pennsylvania Commission. "First. They can arrange for and assist in the making of a survey of social conditions in the parish. "Second. If the field were a larger one and there were churches of other religious bodies within it. such a committee could co-operate with these and other bodies along lines making for the social welfare of the community. "Third. The committee can co-operate with, and act as volunteer member of, such general bodies as the Society for Organizing Charity, Court Aid, Playgrounds Commission, Hous- ing Commission, the Registration Bureau, Big Brother and Big Sister Movements, and Kindred organizations. 'Fourth. It is the custom of the Church that all commun- ion alms be used for the relief of the poor, and the problem is often perplexing to the parish priest to do so wisely and justly. A parochial social service committee could be of great assistance in this matter, especially if it were composed of those skilled in social questions, and could not only investi- gate but follow up all cases to which alms were given. "Fifth. Many parish organizations have as a part of their function what is really social service work. Such a committee would co-ordinate this work and see that it is given a wider scope and more definite aim. 'Sixth. It could stimulate interest in social matters by the formation of social service study groups and by seeing that the parish library was supplied with books of social topics, and furnish literature for distribution. "Seventh. While it is not the sphere of the Church to dictate to her members how they should vote, yet at the same time she must lay stress upon the duty of every Christian to cast his ballot wisely and intelligently. A social service com- mittee could therefore stress the importance of the ballot and be a potent factor for clean politics. "Eighth. It could perform a very important duty of interes- ting itself in the films which are being shown in the moving picture theaters." BOOKS RECOMMENDED Christianity and The Social Crisis— Rauschenbusch. Misery and Its Causes— Devine. Yale Lectures on Preaching — George Wharton Pepper. The Clergy and Social Service — Ede. Christianizing the Social Order— Rauschenbush. The Approach to The Social Question — Peabody. The Truth about Socialism — Allen Benson.