The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1880-05-22
TIMELY TOPICS.
CRUELTY TO CHILDREN.

i
| From Halper's Weekly.
On the second day of last March the
Rev. Edward Cowley, once director OF
the Shepherds Fold. was transferred as
Il convict from this city to Blackwell s
Island prison. Clad in the prescribed
striped dress. he was assigned place in
| one of the columns, which marched with
locked step to the supper room, and there,
seated on hard bench, ate from a tin
plate and drank from tin cup. At the
word of command he was marched again,
this time to his cell for the night. The
| cell is small, only seven feet by four; on
the wall a suspended card describes the
| crime of the occupant: "Cruelty to a
child" This legend-assuredly not one
| of honor-must meet the eyes Of the
Rev. Mr.. Cowley at morning when he
wakes, and at evening when he returns
from work to the solitude of his prison.
| The whole story is painful, but the ac-
| quiescence of the community in the
| righteousness of the verdict which has
consigned Mr.. Cowley to his present
abode is universal
Ever since Jesus of Nazareth laid his
hands upon children, saying, "Suffer
them to come unto me" childhood has
been regarded with solicitude unknown
| 70 fhn u-n,1l hafp,a ANT, ~
was il stranger to the sentiment now preva-
| lent in the Christendom which demands
gentle treatment for all children. In
Rome, during the later republic and en-
pire, the exposure of infants was prac-
ticed, says one authority, ION gigantic
scale 1t was condemned, to be sure.
but, when the parents were very poor.
was regarded as pardonablc oflense. 1t
is mentioned as a curious fact that the
same character in one of the plays of
| Terence who utters the noble sentence
81 am a man; reckon nothing human
| us alien to me, also directs his wife to
| expose their newly born child. And yet
| the thought dawned on the minds of sew
eral Roman emperors that childhood was
proper object of even imperial charity.
Nerva gave orders for the support of
poor children throughout Italy; Traian
followed out the plans of his predeces-
sor. and extended their scope. But it
| remained for Christianity to inculcate
the lessons of the sancity of human life.
and the obligations of charity to the OPP
pressed and the helpless of every age and
nationality. 1t attacked and suppressed
many of the barbarous practices of an
Gent society. and has given the world a
gentler civilization. Only of late, how
ever, have systematic efforts been made
through voluntary organizations for the
specific object of preventing cruelty to
children. Such societies have sprung up
very rapidly within few years. until
there are now twenty-three in the Chris
tan world. OF this number, one is in
England, one in France. and one in Italy:
the others are in the United States. The
society in New York is. we believe. the
original of them all.
Strange to say, these praiseworthy cf-
forts to protect children against inhuman
treatment began with the Association for
the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
Our modern st. Francis, Mr.. Henry
Bergh, has had the honor of initiating
fHx-n q II. l.
taught us a valuable lesson We do not
know whether he has the quaint sympa-
thy of his prototype for the brute crea-
ton; we do know that he would not be
content with merely saying. as is report
ed of the gentle saint, IF | could, |
would pray for the issue of an edict pro-
hibiting from catching or imprsoning
my sisters the larks, and ordering that
all who have oxen should at Christmas
feed them particularly we'll" Mr.. Bergh
has obtained his edict, and has protected
his humble clients by means of the strong
arm of the law. Six years ago the fol-
lowing facts were brought to his notice:
a poor woman was dying of consumption
Oh the top floor of 4 tenement house in
this city. a lady who visited her, and
offered charitable help, received this re-
ply, "My time is Short but l can not die
in peace while the miserable girl whom
they call Mary Ellen is beaten day and
night by her Step-mothcr next door to
my room" Ascertaining that the case
was one of brutal treatment, the lady
applied to the police. She had for an
swer, eve can arrest without evidence:
you have only hearsay to go upon She
applied to several well-known benevolent
societies, and was told, "If the child is
placed with us by order of court, we will
care for it; but otherwise we can not
act" She turned next to several gen
tlemen of high repute for philanthropy;
they assured her that it was dangerous
to interfere between parent and 4 child.
In that despair which is often a woman's
highest inspiration, she bethought herself
of one man in New York who had "never
turned deaf ear to the cry of the help
less She went to Henry Bergh. Mr..
Bergh acted with his usual energy, and
the child Mary Ellen, whose case soon
became known to the public through the
city press, was taken out of the hands of
her step-mother, and cared for Find
ing that the many similar cases now COM
ing to light could not receive from him
proper attention, Mr.. Bergh began the
formation of a society for the prevention
of cruelty to children. 1t has in six years
relieved 1850 cases of neglect and i'll
treatment. In 1879 alone it investigated
1,14S complaints, prosecuted 233 cases of
cruelty, obtained convictions in 1870 of
these, and placed 101 children in homes
and charitable institutions.
One of the most valuable services rem
dered by this society to the cause of hui
manity has been The suppression of the
traffic in children carried on by the Ital-
ian padrones. These traders in human
flesh have been accustomed to buy up
boys and girls of tender years in Italy
~; L.: Al,