The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1881-05-05
PREVENTION OF PAUPERISM.
The Most Important Charitable Work to
Begin at the Beginning.

All OF our prominent cities have tried with
abundant success, the experiment of organized
effort in their charities the past two or three
years, and much important knowledge has
been gained with respect to the best methods
of procedure and Of the especial needs of the
different classes needing aid. All have reached
singularly unanimous conclusion as is shown
by their reports, that 'the best place to begin
is at the beginning" or in other words, that
to eliminate pauperism from society, it is best
to begin with the children.
Hence several interesting papers have been
started by the charitable societies of different
cities wholly devoted to the special work of
saving children. One of these, called "Child.
hoods Appeal" published at Boston for the
nominal price of 80 cents per year, and which
our readers would do we'll to su bscribe for. has
an interesting article which we commend to
our readers. We reproduce it, and suggest
that something ought to be done for the chill
dren growing up in Portland to become, if ne
elected future paupers:
1t is becoming more andsmore apparent that
philanthropic effort, 10 be most successful,
must begin with the children. 1t seems up-
wise and illogical for society to direct its eff
forts mainly to the restraint and reformation
OF adult criminals and the support of adult
paupers, and leave that class of unfortunate
children from whose ranks criminals and pau
pers mainly come, uncared for, to grow up as
best they may.
The cost to society of its criminal and indi-
gent classes is growing more and more burden
some, and we may be sure the burden will not
become lighter while the methods of dealing
with these classes remain as at present. These
methods are radically wrong. They seem to
be based upon the false idea that as these
evils have always existed so they must con-
tinue to exist; and there is no practical means
OF Graduating them The wiser course would
seem to be to seek for the cause of the trouble
and, if this can be removed or prevented, to
apply the remedy there.
And it is not difficult to understand that this
cause is to be found in the evil surroundings
and influences which the ignorance and vices
OF parents and the lack Of proper care and re-
straint have imposed upon helpless class of
children, whose present condition is as sad as
their future is dark with threatened evil to So
ciety. Helpless and weak as they are, they
cannot struggle unaided against the hard con-
dltions of their lot From no more deserving
ella SIS can an appeal for help come than from
these neglected children, and in no other case
will aid, freely and intellgently given, re-
ceive so great return in good results OBJ
tanned.
The great question is, How can these children
best be reached and cared for9 1t is duty
that society cannot afford to neglect to see that
the present state of things does not continue
The most practical way of accomplishing this
object seems to be through means of societies
Or associations organized for the purpose lib
orally supported, and having sufficient legal
authority TO give them the necessary power to
perform their work successfully.
1t is evident that children are the class that
can be most successfully reached and dealt
with by reformatory measures. 1t is not prac-
tical to so work with adults.
AS rule, they can be subjected to reforma-
tive influences only when they come within
the strong grasp of the law, and the prison
door closes upon them. 1t is difficult for one
who has reached adult age to change a course
OF life long continued; and with this class the
difficulty is the greater, because of the jeal-
ousy with which they would look upon any
thing that would seem to trench upon what
they deem to be their personal rights;s and all
plans that might seem to abridge their privi-
lcges would be resisted, although it is clearly
apparent that, if carried out, their own good
and that of others would be greatly promoted.
1t is better, then, to expend money and eff
forts upon class that can be easily influenced
and controlled as is the case with children.
Removed from their bad surroundings, it
would be comparatively easy to train them to
become law-abiding, self-supporting citizens,
and in this way grave social problem may be
satisfactorily solved.