The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-02-12
THE CARE OF POOR CHILDREN.
Mrs. Williamson Wants q Commits
sion 10 Investigate thesSubjsct.

Special to the Jerseu CITY Neus.
TRENTON. Feb. IL, 1S97.-In Lower LII
brary Hall. last evening Mrs. Emily e.
Williamson gave an interesting talk to
the members of the State Charities Aid
Association. Mrs. Williamson is the
general secretary of the association and
resides in Elizabeth. She was introduced
by DR.. George c. Maddox, the prison
chaplain.
In the course of her remarks Mrs.
Williamson said there are 600 children In
almshouses in the State. A large pro-
portion of these are in Snake Hill. A
bill was prepared last winter for a COM
mission to investigate the care of chill
dren in the State. 1t was considered too
radical and was not enacted into law.
This winter, Mrs. Williamson said, a
joint resolution would be presented in
the Legislature creating such a commits
sion, to be composed of three persons, one
to be a woman. The work of looking af-
ter children was the starting point of all
reform. The environments afforded by
almshouses caused children to lose all
self-respect.
Mrs. Stevens of Hoboken had organized
an orchestra among poor children in the
Hudson Almshouse, which was very
praiseworthy. The Commission, if Great
ed, will give much ofgits time to looking
into the conditions at Snake Hill Aims
house. There are many children in all
cities whose condition must be improved
in order to make them good citizens.
Mrs. Williamson congratulated Mercer
county On its workhouse, which a done
much good. She said h was glad that
the tramp house had been abandoned.
The idea of men Who should be made to
work having a moments rest was prepos-
ferrous.
When New Jersey, adopts the indeter-
inmate and probation system for Grim
inals, the speaker thought it would be
among the foremost of the States. All
the State institutions were worthy of
praise, and the same could be said of
many of the county almshOfses.
Mrs. Williamson did not hesitate to say
that she thought, much of this excellence
was due to the State Charities Aid Asso-
citation.
In other States, she said, the Girls In
dustrial School of New Jersey is regard
ed as a model of that class of institutions.
She thought the fee system among
committing magistrates should be abol-
ished altogether. We should not put a
Sheriff or a Justice in the position to
keep a person or to commit one with the
result that the official is enriched.
The Civic Federation's work was high
ly commendable II it could be made
successful it would be the greatest work
of the kind in the State. Good work was
expected from the, women's clubs in the
State. Men are good for making money
and outlining plans, but women are the
best for details, which Is the outgroWth
of attending to small things at home.
Mrs. Williamson had not examined Mr..
TeradelPs work, but understood 1t was
based on the proper idea, to make men
help themselves. In this connection she
referred to the visits of Bishop Potter
to the slums, where he studied the poor.
He had not gone among them to pray
with them, but to study them and min
gle among them as one of themselves.
In this way he had accomplished much.