The morning call., 1893-10-27

SAID be. land will do no harm. Indeed, l
trust it may DO much good, for those
parents ought to be reached in some way.
but have little hope that when the new
Jaw is hnally passed il can be enforced 10
any extent. l have almost gwen up hope
OF enforcing laws of this kind in San Fran
cisco.
The parents will demand jury trials,
and there you are. 1t seems that one
twelfth or more of every jury is either bad
or contemplate. and thus it becomes we'll
nigh impossible t. enforce the laws.
II fear we must look for the real rem
edy deeper than making restrictive laws,
yet certainly do favor this one. 1tseems
great shame to punish these children
and let their parents go free. / cannot
imagine a child of Is years being very
much of a criminal. can you?
Always 1t is the parents fault. and al
ways, alas, the parent escapes the punish
ment Of the law while the child is made to
suffer.
"Of course 1t will be hard to prosecute
under this law, for the neighbors, who can
be the only witnesses in most cases, will
decline to testify. Yet, say pass the law
by all means and let US do with it what we
can.
1T is good for the press to take an inter-
est in these matters and agitate such ques-
toDS, for though the results may not be
immediate and direct they are far reach
Ing. BY all means let Us do all we may
for the children.
"It is very great misfortune for that
class of girls to which this Katie Walsh
belonged that the Whittier School has
broken up the branch of the Industrial
Scho0lshere, where they were cared for by
the Sisters of Mercy. l hope the mistake
may be remeded We have great need
here for some refuge to which these girls
may go for a home"
N,.D,arsS Tni.n ond
kindred societies are now deeply interested
In this phase OF their work, and these and
other forces are working together to focus
n strong public sentiment In favor of the
law proposed by Mrs. FojZ.
Mrs l. c. Mason, who is chairman of a
committee of the Board 0i he Christian
Union Mission, was one OF those who took
an active interest in Katie Walsh'S fate
She is enthusiastic for tie amendment
proposed by Mrs. Foltz.
1--WE feel that the fathers and mothers
are the ones to blame for the downfall of
these poor girls, and there certainly ought
to be some way of reaching the guilty ones.
There s great need for some such law
and our society has long recognized it. |
think Mrs. FoltZ' amendment will greatly
simplify our Work and will do good in
making the parents feel the responsibility
that rests upon them.
1T is my experience that most Of these
~
dssolute mother or father is usually at
the bottom of the ruin of these poor girls
who are taken cut of the brUthes at such
ages. Were the home influences what
they should be there would be but few
such cases.
"One girl of 70 recently told me of her
mother beating ner and kicking her abont
almost daily. ana the thing that really
drove the poor thing 10 seek shelter in one
of these houses was that her mother finally
chased her out Of the house with Ratchet.
such mother ought to be placed
where she could do no more harm, and the
child given home free from evil environ
ments. This new law would at least
make it possible for US TO reach such
mothers. and l sincerely hope it will be
passed By the next legislature"
Mrs. Cole, president of the board of the
Christian Union Mission, Mrs. Gray, an
active member Of the WOmen's Christian
Temperance Union. and. indeed. all of
those interes ed in this class of work. ex-
press themselves as decidedly favOring the
law, and believe it will do much good for
the children.
F. j. Kane, superintendent of the
Youths Directory, is of the opinion that a
tint & Jf 5l5 H Hi5f1s5n5 thaI table institutions
of this kind could be dispen sed with if
there were some way devised by which
fathers and mothers might be compelled
to care for their offspring in at least de-
cent manner.
Not many days ago was called upon
to go after two children who were abso-
lutely starving in a respectable part of the
city. The mother was desperate woman,
lying drunk in the City Prison. The
neiehb0rs had been afraid to report the
neglect Of her children, fearing that when
she returned she would wreak vengeance
upon them for meddiing with her affairs.
I'm a miserable hOvel | found two
hoh of K
They were nearly naked. and had had
nothing to eat for Two days. Soon after |
brought the children to this institution the
half-savage mother appeared. She de-
manded her children and threatened VIC
lence unless they were handed over at
once.
"Of course we refused to let her have
the babes. We found one of them he'd
contracted almost a fatal cold from lying
in The cold and damp house. The bodies
of both were covered with sores and
ulcers of such a vicious type that it is
doubtful whether they will ever recover
1t Will be years, at all events, if they have
the best Of care, before they will be in
good health.
Even worse than this, though, was the
recent case of beautiful young Italian
girl whom found appealing to the Judge
of the Police Court for help.
''She was the victim of a stepfather
NlCCIi0l. 11bT UIOtNeT, Olg
brawny woman, married this man five
years ago, and ever since hen beautiful
little Nina has been beaten, kicked,
cursed and abused in every possible way
almost until now she is nearly an imbecile.
Only curses ard bruises were her lot.
She received the punishment for the rest
of the children. One day the brutal step
father kicked her all the way down stairs,
and although she could not move from her
bed for several days he showed no sign of
remOrse or grief, even when she was ex-
pected to die. On the other hand, his
brutality only seemed to increase, and in
stead of one bit Of pity or teu derness he
showered her with curses. AT last the in
human stepfatber threatened his wife's
daughter with fastening her to her bed
with chain. This so frightened the girl
that she asked to be sheltered by the law
from abuse. took her to the sisters aud
steadily refuse 10 give her up"
MIR. Kane also paid his res poets to those
parents who manage To keep themselves
lntoX Gated most Of the time on the earn
ngs of their children.
There are more of those cases than one
cafd h., nfk h.,