The record-union., 1897-07-20
WHAT SHALL WE DO WITH THEM?

The State provides for the care and
training of abandoned children. 1t pro-
vides literally for the orphan and the
half-orphan. 1t takes especial care of
the child that promises to become
bad and drift into the criminal class
because of viciousness. 1t assists in
the support and raising to good citizen
ship of the founding. But there is
another class, dangerous to society, for
which the State makes no provision.
This is the class of children, who,
having fathers and mothers, are never
theless so neglected, placed in such an
atmosphere and brought up under such
influences that they are morally certain
to become criminal dependents, at least
TO become enemies to society against
whom it must maintain an armed force
of police
The only provision made for these
children, not yet bad, but as a rule af-
fectionate. is the moral aid of the State
given to Societies for the Prevention of
Cruelty to Children. The law on that
subject is so broad that it declares it to
be cruelty to raise a child in the en-
vironment of crime and vice, and to
train it up to ways that lead straight
to misery and the gallows.
But the State gives these societies no
money to enable them to rescue such
children, and the burden falls therefore
upon the charitable. The law author
ICES these societies to take and exercise
guardianship over these unhappy little
ones, but it provides nothing for their
support The very best that the socie-
ties can do when they manage to get
charge of such children is to trust to
the generosity of charitable people to
supply the necessary means to clothe
and educate the resuced little ones.
But this supply of means is always
inadequate for the reason that the cases
needing help are so many, and because
the assistance is always demanded
speedily. OF course, the right way is
the accumulation Of a fund for the spec
ia1 purpose, not capable of diversion to
any other. But we are told that this is
difficult to do. However. difficulties
are created to be overcome in the
scheme of civilization. Officers of the
child's society in this city report TO us
numerous cases that serve to illustrate
the subject written Of Take one, for
instance; a family consisting of a
father, mother and five children, the
eldest a girl of s years. The father and
mother are separated because of the
disreputable life and intemperance Of
the mother. The poverty of the group
of children would not be so sharp but
for this fact. The father is willing to
contribute all he can earn to support his
children, but he cannot make his income
adequate to that end without a true
mothers care over the households; the
cost is beyond his capacity to maintain
them in an institution. If the mother
was dead he might with some success
establish a home that would be a fair
moral shelter for his children. In the
meanwhile they live in abject
wretchedness and run wild upon the
highways. They are thrown into COM
pany that will corrupt them beyond
all question and hope of reclamation.
As soon as the eldest girl is old enough
she is certain TO go the way of her
mother unless withdrawn from the in
fuence of her example.
In some other cases of the order un-
der treatment both fathers and mothers
are vicious and are raising up broods
for the prison house and the gallows.
In these instances il is clearer sailing
for the rescuers. In still other cases the
children are not abandoned so as to
come within the law, nor are the father
and mother vicious, yet the intemper-
ance and thriftlessness OF the parents
is operating upon the children to make
them young criminals or vagrants
speedily. Other cases present still other
phases, but all are of the class without
the pale. within which they could have
State aid to their salvation from crime.
Here, then. society stands still and
sees many groups of small children in
active training for the gutter. the jail,
the prison, the gallows and the bawdy
house. Such little ones are not really