lly. To charity this position seems to exclude the ethical
element in life and to treat the people primarily or chiefly as human
animals. It seems also to exclude the motives for energy and endeavour
that come from self-maintenance. Against it, on the other hand,
socialism would urge, that only by close regulation and penalty will the
lowest classes be improved, and that only the society that maintains
them can control them. Charity from its experience doubts the
possibility of such control without a fatal loss of initiative on the
part of those controlled, and it believes both that there is constant
improvement on the present conditions of society and that there will be
constantly more as science grows and its conclusions are put in force.
Thus charity and socialism, in the usual meaning of the word, imply
ultimately two quite different theories of social life. The one would
re-found society industrially, the other would develop it and allow it
to develop.

The organization of charity.

The springs of charity lie in sympathy and religion, and, one would now
add, in science. To organize it is to give to it the "ordered nature" of
an organic whole, to give it a definite social purpose, and to associate
the members of the community for the fulfilment of that purpose. This in
turn depends on the recognition of common principles, the adoption of a
common method, self-discipline and training, and co-operation. In a mass
of people there may be a large variation in motives coincident with much
unity in action. Thus there may be acceptance of a common social purpose
in charity, while in one the impulse is similar to that which moved St
Francis or George Herbert, in another to that which moved Howard or Dr
Chalmers, or a modern poor-law reformer like Sir G. Nicholls or E.
Denison. Accepting, then, the principles of charity, we pass to the
method in relation to assistance and relief. Details may vary, but on
the following points there is general agreement among students and
workers:--

(1) _The Committee or Conference._--There are usually two kinds of
local relief: the public or poor-law relief, and relief connected with
religious agencies. Besides, there is the relief of endowments,
societies and charitable persons. Therefore, as a condition precedent
to all organization, there must be some local centre of association
for information and common help. A town should be divided for this
purpose into manageable