plan which has for its object ultimate independence, yes, independence even of Christmas givers. The difficulties of the visitor in families whose morale has been broken down because of unwise help were described from concrete examples. Does our generosity extend far enough to keep us from intruding into the home of a family which wishes to make its own Christmas plans, even though this means a much more meager outlay than one would deem compatible with the spirit of the season? was the proposition put up to him. It was explained how many gifts to families being aided were given direct to the mothers in order that they, in turn, might give them to their children as their own gifts, or those of Santa, thus strengthening the family bonds. The editor came to see that even Christmas baskets and gifts, when gained not by foresight, not by careful planning and scrimping and saving, but merely by getting the family name on a list, may have dangers.

The results were not just what we wanted. The editor abandoned the series entirely. We would have preferred to have him continue, as another afternoon newspaper, whose series I have already mentioned, had done. Feeling that the medium ground was not sufficiently colorful, he took the only ground which satisfied his own decisive nature. But the point is that what results were accomplished came principally from a careful interpretation of the professional standards of the family agencies.

Holding high the standards-and the result is illustrated in the experience of the Minneapolis Infant Welfare Society. For some years Minneapolis was overrun with baby shows. Did a department store have a sale of linens, it was felt that nothing but a baby show would make it complete. Was there a trade week in the south, north, or northeast sections, the management seemed to feel that a baby show would make success certain. Children were brought together, kept waiting for hours, with flies, dust, sunshine, and sometimes rain beating upon them. And the best baby was generally the one with the prettiest ribbon, who wasn't crying when the judges came around. The Infant Welfare Society was frequently called upon at the last minute with a request to provide judges or nurses, and often acted in a spirit of compromise. But it found that halfhearted opposition was of no avail. It came out flatly against the baby show. It stated that those seeking to capitalize upon the child life of the city for business purposes were a menace. Cooperation in supplying nurses or judges was flatly refused. It wasn't long before this opposition became known to promoters, press agents, photographers, and stores. Recently a department store manager wanted to celebrate Child Health Day with a display of baby clothing and accessories. He had "Baby Show" on top of his list, as he was a newcomer to the city. It was the photographer whom he called in to discuss taking pictures of the prize babies who told him to look out for the Infant Welfare Society. The manager interviewed the infant welfare executive, arguing that babies come together on street cars and in parks; that mothers would not bring sick babies anyway, since a sick baby wouldn't win a prize. He was asked what good

the show would do. He mentioned the proposed cash and other prizes. But was it a fair contest-should curls and pretty clothes form the basis of the estimate of a baby's health? Would anything be gained for child health? He thought a physician could do the judging. It was explained how the physicians felt about such shows. He was told what an enormous amount of equipment and time would be necessary even for a superficial physical examination, and that even then no good would result unless the babies were brought back for subsequent examinations, and this, he was told, was the task of the private physician in the case of families able to afford it, and of the society's clinics if they were not. Upon his asking upon what basis the Infant Welfare Society would cooperate, he was told that it would help him plan a really educational exhibit for mothers. Stimulation of child training must be the key of the exhibit. A collection of the most recent books on child care would be provided. Problems in child training could be discussed by the mothers with the nurse in attendance. The exhibit was carried on with this plan in mind and proved very successful. Many mothers registered their babies, thus providing a mailing list for the advertising manager. He was happy. The nurse, a former supervisor of the Infant Welfare Society, was kept constantly busy discussing child problems with mothers who called; pamphlets on child health were distributed; books were on display. Has the Infant Welfare Society lost friends by this staunch support of its professional standards? Quite the contrary. It occupies a stronger position than ever before through its frank championing of the rights of the child. No protest has come to the Community Fund office against the attitude of the society in opposing the baby show.

Through publicity we have at last changed the name "charity" to "social work" so effectively that every newspaper copyreader in Minneapolis uses the term with familiarity and by preference. It should be said that such agencies as had the word "charity" in their corporate names have changed their names.

What of the agencies which do not set their standards as high as the leaders in their groups? They, too, are affected favorably by stating the highest standards. The power of example where there is also cooperation and mutual friendliness is of vast effect. It is the task of each social agency to have high professional standards and to keep them up to the level of the best thought in the particular field of social work that it represents. It is the task of the social agency and of the central office together to propound and defend these standards, using to the full the three great forces of publicity-liaison, literature, and lips.

In speaking for Minneapolis, I can say that the social agencies need never refrain from adopting the highest standards of social work and acting upon them for fear that the Community Fund will not support them in their stand. The Community Fund is embarrassed very little by agencies having high standards. It is the agency with poor standards which causes most of the difficulties.

INTERPRETING PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS OF SOCIAL
WORK TO THE PUBLIC: FROM THE VIEW POINT
OF A NATIONAL AGENCY

Clara Louise Rowe, Publicity Secretary, Child Welfare League of America New York

To interpret better standards of children's work to the public prior to undertaking a survey at the request of any organization has been found by the Child Welfare League to be one of the most important considerations in the carrying out of any program. It is hardly to be expected that such interpretation will appeal to the general public. It needs experience of actual work and a consciousness of a certain lack of success in such work to prepare the mind for the acceptance of professional standards.

It is therefore to the organizations at work in the field that the Child Welfare League renders its more important services. It undertakes a program of interpretation of standards at the request of these organizations. To give an illustration: the first city in which the League made a survey covering the entire field of children's work was one of 300,000 population. An anonymous donor stimulated a group of club leaders to try to improve their work in the prevention of juvenile delinquency in the city. A committee was made up of three representatives of each of the following clubs: Rotary, Kiwanis, Gyro, Lions, Zonta, and the Women's City Club, and to this number were added, as advisers, the superintendent of the city schools and the judges of the supreme, county, juvenile, and city courts. The survey committee then engaged Mr. C. C. Carstens, director of the Child Welfare League, to be responsible for the survey. The committee and members of the survey staff acted in complete cooperation during the time the survey was being made. Not only were the children's agencies studied, but consultation was carried on with the juvenile court, visiting teachers, advisers in junior high schools, and the Big Sister Council. When the survey arrived at completion the committee had secured not only the cooperation of all these agencies, but had aroused a lively interest among the townspeople as well, and a luncheon meeting at which results of the survey and a plan of procedure for the future was presented was attended by seven hundred persons. The result of the whole undertaking proved to be most gratifying, due to the splendid foundation which had been laid. The recommendations embodied in the report were received in good spirit, and almost all of the recommendations were later put into effect. From the practical point of view, that of receiving financial support from the city, it is interesting to note that a circular letter, mailed three years later, requesting contributions for the League's work brought a return on the first letter of 143 per cent in number of responses.

A striking contrast was another survey made in another city, where the methods of approach were very different and the results were not altogether

satisfactory. The League was invited by the Community Chest to make a citywide survey. The various organizations dealing with children which were receiving support from the chest were brought together and the plan of the survey was outlined to them without any further effort to arouse interest in the community. The agencies gave full cooperation, but when the report was submitted it was almost impossible to put the recommendations into effect because the public was not sufficiently aroused as to the necessity of a new program for their city.

The report of the survey is made in two divisions, known as the general and the specific reports. The latter is the confidential report written by the members of the survey staff concerning conditions at the individual agencies. This report is submitted only to the survey committee and to the organizations involved. In this way members of the local boards receive practical suggestions for better methods of work.

It has always been a general policy of the survey staff to make their experience available as they went along in the day's work. In harmony with this plan many suggestions have been frankly and, we believe, tactfully given to the executives and other workers as the survey proceeded. When the groundwork has been properly laid before the survey has been undertaken, and a good spirit of cooperation has prevailed, the experience has been almost always a gracious acceptance of criticism, even by those most severely dealt with.

On the basis of the individual reports, as well as the other information acquired, a general report is presented to the survey committee. This general report has the greatest value as a medium of education for the public. Sometimes this report is printed in local publications, and there have been instances where the community chest has used the report for campaign material to bring before the public the needs of more adequate children's work and the value of different processes than may have been used in the past.

It is the purpose of this paper to show some of the difficulties confronting a national agency in its endeavor to interpret better standards to the public. Perhaps the experience of the Child Welfare League of America relative to this problem will be of particular interest, as it is a national agency whose purpose is entirely that of raising standards. The work is sometimes within an individual agency which has requested help, and sometimes that of making a case study of the child welfare situation in a city, including the needs of the city, the adequacy of the present program and equipment, and the making of recommendations for improvement. Also, it is the service of this organization so to interpret those recommendations to the residents of the city as to lead to their adoption.

Another reason why the League's experience may be useful is that approximately one-half of its yearly budget is derived from individual contributions. The membership is comprised of 125 agencies and institutions caring for children. These allied groups are distributed over forty states in the United States and four provinces of Canada. Thus, in approaching the public for support the

League has one important advantage, that of serving a very large number of dependent and neglected children in all parts of the country. It has an equally great disadvantage, that it does not deal with children directly, but aims to promote and standardize the work of child-caring organizations and groups.

It is a well-known fact that a large percentage of all the wealth given away in this country is given in the name of children, but to the average person improved methods of caring for socially handicapped children are a relatively unimportant matter. The attempt to secure public interest through newspaper publicity has not brought satisfactory results. I do not believe that the League has ever received definite invitation for service through newspaper publicity. A few individuals have shown interest as a result of articles appearing in such magazines as Success, Collier's, and Pictorial Review. During the five months that I have been connected with the League, in order to secure immediate resources I have found it necessary to appeal only to those people who are connected with some form of work for children in their community; and, because of the many phases of this national work, the spoken word has proved much more satisfactory than any other form of appeal.

Missionary work has to be undertaken before a community can realize what services the national League is prepared to render. Meetings are arranged first in the large cities. These will be followed up later by similar meetings in smaller cities as our field expands. To these meetings are invited members of boards, contributors, and a few other persons interested in the local child caring agencies. A comprehensive report of what the League has accomplished since its organization is presented. Charts have been found to be a most effective way to show these accomplishments. The attention of the audience is aroused by the graphic presentation of the many activities of the League. This preliminary report is very necessary before one can attempt a discussion of the needs and qualifications of higher standards. Among the charts which have been prepared for this purpose are the following: maps which show the exact location of the member organizations and their branches; maps to show in what cities surveys have been made and where consultation services have been rendered. These exhibits show the exact number of institutions and agencies covered by each survey. They also show the location of the regional conferences. Another chart shows the total number of child caring institutions in the country, the proportion which have received consultation services, and those which have been surveyed in detail. The charts never fail to be of great interest to selected and intelligent audiences. After the visualization of the extent of the work it is comparatively easy to keep up the interest through a talk involving standards. The audience learns the meaning and use of a survey. It is also shown the services rendered by the departments of the national League, for example: the Department of Group Movements in Child Care, which gives assistance to civic, business, and fraternal organizations and to churches in setting up practical child welfare programs; the visiting teacher service, which carries the best