OCIAL FORCES and of the depth of change required in their own to continue to wait while creativity is tested in understanding and response to their social world. types of human relationships, in which one party is not at such a disadvantage as compared to the HUMOR other Social work tends to be defensive in regard to ASSOCIATIONALISM humor. Workers are most keenly aware of it as a sanction used against them. They still smart at Ever since the days of deTocqueville the injustice of the W.P. A jokes, and they wince cans have been aware of their tendency to tonalism. The Kluckhohn connect the fact that shrined in certain bitter novels. They work to we are a nation of joiners with our gregariousness establish a permissive atmosphere for their clients and with the cult of the average man. But associ- in which they can relax and to develop in them a ationalism has been used also for the securing of sane and cheerful philosophy of life. They retain power and prestige, for social climbing, or atleast their right to employ humor in their private lives, for making certain of one's place in the social but it plays small part in professional literature. structure. Organizations have been substituted for the family, as status-defining agencies, in a society where position is gained more often by achievement than inherited through ascription Social work has profit Charity organizations in the past were socially characteristic of American society. It would never useful to many of the people who founded, sup- have developed without the gifts of the phila- ported, and ran them. Prestige has been attached thropic. During the nineteenth century, however, to public generosity in an unusually high degree by charity workers carried on a constant warfare American society But fish peddlers only rarely against person-to-person alms. In our careless and become millionaires in these degenerate days, and ocially competitive society, such gifts were apt large fortunes are tending to be fewer in number to be giver-centered and emotionally exploitative thanks to the income and the inheritance tax of the recipient. In many ways, social work runs There is a growing realization that even the counter to the older American ethos in its insistence wealthiest community has only a limited amount on impersonalized giving. On the other hand, it of resources to divide among its people or to ex has helped to redefine our democracy which insists pend for the common welfare. At the same time that no one is so poor that he should be embar- the demands and the possibilities for community rassed by having to accept money given to him spending increase with each new advance in personally out of pity. Instead, the cult of the Utopian thinking. Community councils are average man has brought it about that American veloping as centralized agencies, semi-public in generosity is being translated by legislators and nature to determine priorities in the allotting of officials into publicly financed provisions for meet- a fixed income among desirable expenditure ing all the needs of our citizens, without requiring Social work has accepted the principles of joint that any shall demean himself by appealing to the planning and joint financing. Free enterprise, as sympathy of the prosperous occupants of higher we have long known it in this field, is coming to social positions an end. No longer is the individual permitted, by Social work has been engaged, too, in replacing reason of the possession of money, to set up a new volunteers and the untrained by professionals. charity to suit his fancy. His gifts must follow Does the depersonalization of the giving of both carefully defined patterns designed to keep the money and aid mean either the frustration of the social economy in balance. But it is possible that generous or the elimination of generosity from the free enterprise in human relationships is getting list of American virtues. The development of a new lease on life. The councils of Jews and voluntary forms of service for which some training Christians, the Quaker work camps, the inter is required and in which some discipline is enforced, change of visits among the farmwomen of this in connection with the hospitals, possibly points the and other lands are cases in point. In the eighteen ew uses of altruism. In the field of inter- eighties, the social settlements pioneered in bring national relations, imaginatively conceived outlets ing people together over class lines and across the have been opened up for the expression of sym- bitter abyss that separated labor and capital pathy. It might be wise, however, for social work Present-day social work is engaged in nothing so296 SOCIAL FORCES and of the depth of change required in their own understanding and response to their social world. HUMOR Social work tends to be defensive in regard to humor. Workers are most keenly aware of it as a sanction used against them. They still smart at the injustice of the W.P.A. jokes, and they wince at the crude caricatures of the social worker en￾shrined in certain bitter novels. They work to establish a permissive atmosphere for their clients in which they can relax and to develop in them a sane and cheerful philosophy of life. They retain their right to employ humor in their private lives, but it plays small part in professional literature. GENEROSITY Social work has profited by the generosity so characteristic of American society. It would never have developed without the gifts of the philan￾thropic. During the nineteenth century, however, charity workers carried on a constant warfare against person-to-person alms. In our careless and socially competitive society, such gifts were apt to be giver-centered and emotionally exploitative of the recipient. In many ways, social work runs counter to the older American ethos in its insistence on impersonalized giving. On the other hand, it has helped to redefine our democracy which insists that no one is so poor that he should be embar￾rassed by having to accept money given to him personally out of pity. Instead, the cult of the average man has brought it about that American generosity is being translated by legislators and officials into publicly financed provisions for meet￾ing all the needs of our citizens without requiring that any shall demean himself by appealing to the sympathy of the prosperous occupants of higher social positions. Social work has been engaged, too, in replacing volunteers and the untrained by professionals. Does the depersonalization of the giving of both money and aid mean either the frustration of the generous or the elimination of generosity from the list of American virtues. The development of voluntary forms of service for which some training is required and in which some discipline is enforced, in connection with the hospitals, possibly points the way to new uses of altruism. In the field of inter￾national relations, imaginatively conceived outlets have been opened up for the expression of sym￾pathy. It might be wise, however, for social work to continue to wait while creativity is tested in types of human relationships, in which one party is n-ot at such a disadvantage as compared to the other. ASSOCIATIONALISM Ever since the days of DeTocqueville, Ameri￾cans have been aware of their tendency to associa￾tionalism. The Kluckhohns connect the fact that we are a nation of joiners with our gregariousness and with the cult of the average man. But associ￾ationalism has been used also for the securing of power and prestige, for social climbing, or atleast for making certain of one's place in the social structure. Organizations have been substituted for the family, as status-defininig agencies, in a society where position is gained more often by achievement than inherited through ascription. Charity organizations in the past were socially useful to many of the people who founded, sup￾ported, and ran them. Prestige has been attached to public generosity in an unusually high degree by American society. But fish peddlers only rarely become millionaires in these degenerate days, and large fortunes are tending to be fewer in number, thanks to the income and the inheritance tax. There is a growing realization that even the wealthiest community has only a limited amount of resources to divide among its people or to ex￾pend for the common welfare. At the same time the demands and the possibilities for community spending increase with each new advance in Utopian thinking. Comimiunity councils are de￾veloping as centralized agencies, semi-public in nature, to determine priorities in the allotting of a fixed income among desirable expenditures. Social work has accepted the principles of joint planning and joinlt financing. Free enterprise, as we have long known it in this field, is coming to an end. No longer is the individual permitted, by reason of the possession of money, to set up a new charity to suit his fancy. His gifts must follow carefully defined patterns designed to keep the social economy in balance. But it is possible that free enterprise in human relationships is getting a new lease on life. The councils of Jews and Christians, the Quaker work camps, the inter￾change of visits among the farmwomen of this and other lands are cases in point. In the eighteen￾eighties, the social settlements pioneered in bring￾ing people together over class lines and across the bitter abyss that separated labor and capital. Present-day social work is engaged in nothing so