The morning call., 1893-10-27
TO REACH GUILTY PARENTS.
A Law to Save the Children.

.: " Katie Walsh's sad case has drawn the
2 attention of many local re:ormerS to the
need for some more effective measures
: than now exist for the punishment of
.parents and guardians who neglect or iii
:. treat or debauch their children.
.Fifteen-year Katie Walsh has
alIeady seen much of the darker and lower
side of life, and according to her own
STORY her mother is the person most
. responsible for her rapid descent to the
. bfothels.
s.OfieeI Anthony, of the Society for the
e. Prevention Of Cruelty TO Children, took
Katie from her evil environment to the
police court. There, but for the timely
interference of Mrs. Clara Foltz and other
=: charfta BILE persons, she would have been
sentenced TO a term Of Imprisonment in
The County jail. This would have meant
Graduation for her into the ranks O: fallen
women. aud it is not likely that any power
could then have saved her.
AS it was Father Montgomery's good
ofices were readily secured In Katie's
:: behalf. and now she is an inmate of the
; Nsgdalen Home. When she goes out from
F.: t1Iat. institution it will proba bly, be as
BelT-reS Pectiug young woman to lead an
honest and a useful life.
- Katie Wslsh's case is by no means soli
,1liEy. More than dozen similar arrests
Pre-. made every month in this city and this
!. dozen represents only small portion of
:. t54eIr way into dlsreputable houses every
.Ihonth.
::..:Who is to blame for this state of affairs !?
= Primarily the system of living that
J.. III axes such things possible. But this is
=: Tfo reason why those. directly responsible
:: fer the fall of these children should go un-
- punished. In every case of this kind some
one or more adults are directly implicated
: In, if not the chief cause of, the ruin Of
: these children.
~ hat is the view several philantbropic
~la{1les have taken of the matter, and they
= have set for themselves the tasks of find
: Ing out who are the responsible persons
: and of causing the framing of such laws
as viii enable them to be punished.
The first task was not difficult. In
many cases the mother is directly to blame
for the ruin of her daughter, and in all
cases one or both OF the parents are di-
GectiY responsible.
: Mrs. Foltz has framed an amendment to
=, 2 section Of the Penal Code which will, it
. Is. fondly hoped. bring these negligent and
%yieiGus parents under control of the law.
Section 2I0 of the Penal Code is the only
Statute in this State that prescribes the
Responsibility of parent toward child. and
it's provisions extend only so tar as food
clothing, shelter and medicine. 1t reads
as follows:
Every parent OF any child who wilTully omits,
without lawful excuse, 10 perform any duty i'm
.pQSed upon him by law 10 furnish necessary
-f0Qd Clothing, shelter and medical attendance
for such child Is guilty of misdemeanor.
This law is good as far as il goes" says
! attorney Clara FOltz, "but 1t does not ex-
tend far enough. In the first place. it is
doubtful whether a mother could be
rpE0secuted under its provisions, since the
: 'personal pronOun used Is of the male
.gander. At any rate no woman ever has
= been arrested under this section and that
IS not because all mothers are all they
-cnght to be. Or course, it seems rather
unnecessary TO the unlntiated TO seek to
make mother care for her children,
since that is the one thing Of all that is by
nature wOman's prerogative; and man,
nQefiZlng aud idealizing women so long
has lost sight of the truth that often
mothers are as neglectful of their children
a5.ATe the fathers, and that they must be
held equally amennable to the law for their
neglect.
: .'-Then, too. this law refers only to what
may not be withheld by the parent from
the. chifl, aad leaves the laws s. sfr5
Youthful crimes and errors to be visited
upon thuse least Of all to oblame-thecbildren
themselves. L think the am endment to
tlfis section which we propose will make it
possible to visit the sins of the parents
upon the parents to very large extent"
Mrs. FOltZ's amendment reads as fol-
lows:
Every father. mother, guardian or other per-
sou having the care, custody control of any
minor child, who. without lawful excuse will
fuzzy omiS 10 reform any duty imposed upon
him by law 10 furnish necessary food clothing,
slleiter or medical attendance for such child,
or Who shall in the presence OF such child do
any leWd or IicentiOus act, OF be intoxicated or
Use vulgar or obscene language; who shall per-
NIT such child 10 frequent or resort 10 disrep-
utabe places, or places where intoxicating
drinks are sold, or TO associate with lewG, dis
solute. Idle Ouminal persons. or who shall
permit such chld TO roam about or remain
upon the public streets or alleyways at laIe or
Unusual hOnrs u the night, shall be guilty OF
m[sdemeanOT.
=: = YOu see. this law will bring the moth
ers under the same responsibility as the
fathers" said Mrs. Foliz; land / think
we may hope under its provisions to reach
the culpable persons. no matter what their
sex.
i."Perhaps you remember the s o'clock
ordinance that was once enforced in this
city for short time? II prohibited chill
>dEen under certain tender age from be-
ing on the streets at night. Now, whose
.fanlt was it that children roamed the
streets after dark? 1t was the fault of
stf1e mothers and fathers, and more often
Of 5he mothers than of the fathers. Idle
and dissolute women did then as they do
nOw-they turned their children out OF
doors so that they might be free to follow
*theiT evil ways. And when they came to
:enfOrce this ordinance they crowded the
;Btatl en-honses with children of tender
ages. While the reprehensble parent or
paTents went scott free. The victims were
p9}nfshed for the sins Of their parents. 1t
1850: to-day under the law providing for
the3artest OF young girls found in disso-
:ftite houses. The girls are taken out and
punished, when the chances usually are
that they have been driven 10 these vile
resorts by their mothers or fathers, or at
leasi so i'll treated or neglected that the
doors of The brothel alone stood open for
tNem.
-: !"Mothers who neglect their children
sh6ulm be punished for it and the children
taken from them and placed where they
will be free from evil influences"
Father Montgomery, who took such a
Kindly interest in Katie Walsh. is con-
sdera bly, interested in this question of
par6n tai neglect. though he is not over
sanguine of the benefit Of the law proposed
. by Mrs. FnltZ-
"It is certainly most excellent idea"