Official proceedings of the annual meeting: 1923

476

PUBLIC OPINION

in conformity with the principles of civilization dreamed of by dreamer or idealist which
cannot be realized within the lifetime of a single generation."
Germany, not more than a generation ago, was one of the most peaceful nations in
Europe, and yet within a generation we have seen her transformed into the most militaristic nation of the earth. That militarism, I believe, is broken if the nations of the
world will meet Germany half way, and if we will do what we can to promote peace
in our own nation by instilling self-control into the hearts and minds and souls of our
youths. When we plant the seeds of peace here, they will not only immediately take
root but will make us the leader of all the world in the arts of peace no less than in the
arts of war. So we might apply this principle to our social work, permeating our public
schools and higher institutions of learning with a sense of service and a sense of brotherhood, and then the day of the social worker will soon have come.
But after all, friends, there is one element in human nature which, if appealed to,
will be the strongest element in the arousing of public opinion, and that is the element
of religion in its broadest sense of the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man,
which leads us in this convention to have spiritual contact. Whether Catholic or
Protestant, Jew or Gentile, there breathes here a spirit of brotherhood through which
we find fellowship. There is a passage in the Scriptures which I presume is as familiar
as any other passage in the Bible. May I seek to give you an interpretation of it?
"Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." How do we love ourselvesl I have a
family of children. I love them as part of my very being. They are me; as I love
myself I love them. How do I love them? I desire that they shall have suitable
nutrition, an abundance of food to make them fit for all their tasks. I desire they shall
live in helpful surroundings, that they shall enjoy life. I crave for them the very best
education that their abilities will assimilate. I desire for them days of play and recreation. As I love myself I crave these things for them. "Thou shalt love thy neighbor
as thyself." If I covet these things for myself I will covet them for my neighbor as
well. Thus we will follow the injunction of our Master, whose words we have been trying to interpret, and we will receive an inspiration for the task of interpreting love to
the world without which peace can never come and the social worker can never be content.
Public opinion will always rise and respond to the man or the woman, even to the
social worker, who is engaged in a task which is capable of expansion and infinite
enlargement. The business man wants little to do with the business which is always
to be a two-by-four shop in a side street. He has a vision of his business moved on
to the main street, occupying a prominent comer. If it is manufacturing, he looks forward to the time when he sells his own goods, not only to his own state and nation, but
exports them across the sea. Thus, in every department of endeavor we are looking
forward to the days of enlargement and expansion. As social workers we must dare to
risk, we must dare to take a chance, establishing our facts, showing the public what we
find that they need to know. We must lead them on and out into further achievement
still. As one who has had considerable to do with raising money and with interpreting
public opinion for public work, charity, philanthropy, religion, and education, I have
never yet seen the public fail to respond to the appeal built on broad expansive lines
of effort.
I heard a little story that illustrates my meaning. Alfred H. Smith, a well-known
Congregational missionary, returned to Chicago and gave a lecture there upon China.