TWO men standing by a river suddenly noticed a baby float by. One of the men jumped into the river and swam the baby to shore. Then a second baby floated by, and a third. Each time, the same man swam to the rescue. But babies kept coming, one after another. The other man saw that they were getting nowhere. So he walked upstream to stop the flood of babies at its source.

Most of the work of Phillips Brooks House Association resembles that of the man who dived in. Soup kitchens and tutoring programs address the immediate needs of very needy people. Public service volunteers bring food and warmth and human knowledge to people starved for lack of resources.

But soup kitchens will not reduce the number of homeless people, and tutoring programs cannot overcome racism, poverty, illiteracy, or environmental distruction. These are the issues which PBHA volunteers confront every day. Month after month, PBHers dive into the river and try to teach their pupils to swim. But, day in and day out, the stream of refugees and illiterates seems to grow longer.

It is small wonder that the directors of homeless shelters and big-sibling programs should look for more enduring solutions. Like the man who walked upstream, the PBH leadership recognizes the need to address society's ills on two fronts. A real solution must change the system that is producing homelessness and illiteracy in the first place. And the only way to change the system is to say when it is wrong.

THE explicit goal of PBHA is to help individuals gain control over their own lives. In order to promote this goal, PBHA cannot simply offer handouts. It must confront the deeper causes of social misery. PBHers' experience in public service gives them a valuable perspective which should not be muted.

No one at PBHA has suggested that the organization stop teaching people to swim. They have simply suggested that the organization stand up for a better society. The issues it confronts are too important to too many disadvantaged people to do otherwise. Long-term social progress requires politics.

PBHA enjoys the good company of the many credible service organizations which take political stands. Amnesty International outspokenly condemns the death penalty. The League of Women Voters supports the Equal Rights Amendment. Planned Parenthood offers abortion referral services. These non-partisan organizations recognize politics as an opportunity to humanize our society.

The staff position claims that political involvement will cost PBHA the support of its volunteers. The historical record dissents. Involvement in political stands is nothing new to the organization. PBHA has for years affirmed non-partisan positions on issues ranging from minority hiring to toxic waste. All the while, PBHA has grown until, today, it is the largest student-run public service organization in the country.

A few volunteers may shy away from an organization that stands up for social change. The loss of those volunteers to public service would be regrettable. But it would be far more regrettable for PBHA to forsake the opportunity to work toward real, long-term improvements in our society.