The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1891-05-20
The EVENING SESSION.
An Interesting Discussion OF the Child De-
hnquency Problem.

An Interesting Discussion OF the Child De-
nnquency Problem.
The good crowds that attend the night
sessions do not seem to fall off, and the
church was even better filled Friday night
than on the previous evening. More faces
OF citizens were noticed. The music was
of high order as usual, George A. Emerson
playing the organ and quartet consisting
of Mesdames w. G. Lynn, L. L. Morrison,
II. h Rowland and c. r. Watson con-
tributing Sullivan Anderson's "Lost
Chord"
Mr.. John II. Finley of New York took
the place of an absent member on his
committee and read paper on the child
problem. He said the solution of this
problem would accomplish all the aims of
charities and corrections.
In New York in 1890 there were 1912
children under five years of age in the
tenement houses. He quoted Mr.. Reese,
the author OF "The Other HALF" in a
description of an average New York tene-
ment, picturingthe dark Railways, gloomy
courts and poorly constructed rooms. The
great trouble lies in packing so many peo-
in these foul places. The board of health
found eighty-ive babies in one of
these houses. any own experience
leads me to confirm Mr.. Reese's
statement" he said" These tene-
ments destroy the wise provisions
of the compulsory education laws and the
laws defining the hours of labor, for here
the dreaded sweater holds his sway In
these tenement districts are 20S,000 chill
dren between fourteen and twenty-one
years of age and only 10000 of these at
tend schools of any kind. Another i'm
pOrtant factor is the saloon. The 'growler'
is daily incident in the tenement house
child's life and the law prohibiting the
sale OF liquor to children is about as
well enforced as the law against
swearing" Mr.. Finley found much
fault with these foul tenements and sug-
Rested that the example of Liverpool be
followed. This corporation constructed a
model tenement. made play court for
children and rented it for about half
what the New Yorker pays, and this at a
profit, too. The speaker favored kinder
gartens and agreed with New York
commissioner that the free kindergarten
should be part of every school system.
In New York the tenement children are
compelled to play on the street, and thus
fall early into vicious habits.
THE tenement house." said Mr.. Fin
ley, els one Of the factors which we can
not eliminate. We can substitute another
tenement for it. but we can not abolish it.
1t has come in answer to demand, which
schemes OF transportation and transplant
alton in the country have failed TO meet
and will fail. The hideous temples to
Mammon must be converted into homes
the same foundation. This must be
the first step in the solution of the pro-
blem. The city's part is the enactment
of ordinances which will under rigid en-
forcement insure a proper amount
of air and light TO each tenant,
oblige compliance with sanitary
regulations and compel such arrangement
as will permit OF family isolation. A Sec
ond duty OF the city is the extension of
the factory laws, as in the state of Massa-
chusetts, to include industries carried on
in these tenements. Home industry was
once blessing to the home; it is now in
the tenements a blight TO its life. Some
of the people who live in the worst parts
OF the city are superior to their surround
ings, and il the lettering influences which
come into contact with lives of the more
privileged were not wholly removed from
their existences, the number OF such
might be multiplied many times. This is
the work of the volunteer visitor; of the
neighbor and friend
Part Of the speakers paper was devoted
TO children who are dependent on state
institutions. 1t is eminently the proper
measure that they should be taken into
the country, where homes can be found
for them. What were originally the way
stations where orphans stopped on their
way to new homes are now colossal juve-
nile boarding houses. A bill recently in
troduced in the New York legislature
Children Cry for