The evening world., 1889-01-19
What Say the Fathers and Mothers
of New York

~ me tdih'TN ana NON"rS pf Ntit FORK:
Here il Il matter that deeply concerns yoll-
a Icgali2cd atrocity that should rouse your in
dignation and a remedy for it that will doubt
less have yonr support, as it already has the
support OF the Supreme Bench of New York.
AN EXTRAORDINARY FACT.
1t is an extraordinary and dcplCrRble FACT
that, under the present children'S commitment
law, if youI child, no matter whether Justly or
n]uiustly, il committed to an institution by a
police magistrate, there il no legal way for you
to recover il.
YOU MAY LOSE YOUR CHILD FOREVER.
Your child may stray into the streets. Before
yOn can fnl it-and this il not always an easy
thing in Il great city-it may be picked up as a
wait and sent to an asylum by Il police Judge.
L. there amy legal method to compel its return .?
No. The door IS shut. The law is iron-clad.
A TYRRANNoUs LAW.
Your little child may be stolen by some ma
ltciors person-and understanding is not uncom-
mon, aS the records show-and this person may
desert it in such a place and such a way az to
insure ita commitment. Can You by legal pro-
cess recover the child, even under these circum-
stance? No. The tyranuous law makes no ex-
ceptiOus. You have no legal claim whatever to
our child after commitment.
ANOTHER AIRoCIoUs CASE.
1t is possible that your child might be arrested
for some petty ]otfense, that notification was sent
you of the hearing before themagistrate. but that
for some reason you did not receive it, and the
child is committed. Have you any legal redress
even here? No. You are no longer a parent in
the eyes of this Infamous law.
Is NOT THIS INFAMoUs?
Suppose the child is committed with Your
knowledge, but against your protest, on evil
dence that you are too poor to provide for it. If
well-to-do relatives Were then found, eager to
adopt and care for il, with your approval, and
save it from the hard and dreary life of an APP
prentice, perchance, on a Western farm, could
you recover it even then by legal procedure?
No. II you afterwards became a millionaire
yourself, could you enforce a legal demand for
your own offspring? No. You could only vent
your righteous indignation against the stone
wall of the law.
JOSIE SHEPPARD NOT ALONE.
These are Il few phases of an existing legal
atrocity. There Hre others equally outrageous,
which appear in the courts from time to time,
The pitiable story Of little Josie Sheppard, so
familiar to the pablo, lisa case directly in point.
And there are not Il few others.
Is THIS AMERIcANIsM?
IT il no adequate answer to say that the officers
of the institutions may in their discretion release
a child, though experience shows that they are
sometimes reluctant to do it, even when in the
wrong. But i II Alncricauism that Il parent
with right on his side should go down on his
knees FOR the recovery Of hls own child? A law
that needles5ly and ruthlcsSly breaks mp fami-
lies savor1 Of Russia rather than America.
AMENDMENT NEEDED.
THE EVENING WORLD has ample reason to
know the practical working of this law. 1t does
not deny that it was well intended. 1t does not
deny;that the object Of its trainers was to subserve
the best interests of the children. 1t does not
deny-aud no one of common sense would deny
1. that the childreu's societies accomplish all ex-
tlaordinary amount of good work. But all this
III not TO the point, The Commitment law, as il
stands, does permit these atrocities, does rob
parents of their natural rights. and to that ex-
tent it needs amendment.
THE suPRElIE BENCH AGREES WITH US.
The EVENING WOGI.D j. not clone in this view.
The Supreme BC4ch Of New York recognizes the
great injustice wrought by the law, and has
frequently called attention to it in open court.
THERE MUST BIZ A RIGHT OF APPEAL.
The amendment needed is one giving the right
OF appeal to an aggrieved parent from Il police
magistrates decision to a higher court, where
any injustice done may be rectihed. Or other
matters, even of trivial moment. a citizen has
the right Of appeal, and vet in an effort to oh.
tain possession of his own child this right is ex-
pressly denied him under the existing law.