Arizona republican., 1899-06-11

| or nODOQl6S.
 Sad as is the fate of nobody's child,
 far sadder is the lot of these children
 of melodies Nobody's child may be-
 come the child of some warm hearted
 charity. but the child of melodies he
 longs to them. They may have aban-
 doned their child driven it forth CT
 left it with vicious associates when | they themselves were dragged off u prison. It is the blackest part Of the
 crime of society in it's treatment of
 children that it calls these little out casts by terrible names, and brand3 | the little innOcents forever with the
 infamy of their guilty sires. It Is hcartrenGEng to read the stories of lthousands Of these little melodies" "
 as revealed in recent years through the
 investigations Of the charity organi-
 zation societies of the great cities.
 Save the children Take them away
 from the worthless parents," is the
 cry But what shall be done with the children? There are ample laws for | the punishment of the parents, but the ychild can go to wreck and ruin for a.. 4 the law cares; and but for the private benevOlence and the watchfulnesS eX-
 ercised by the humane societies where
 ever they exist, the crime Of society
 would be still greater.
 1 What is needed is stirring agita-
 ton Of this question until public sen timent shall demand and secure the remedy for this terrible wrong. Not . sing,e child must be lest The remedy l lies partly in legislation, to secure |
 more perfect guardianship of every child, with officials and proper re-
 sources to see that both classes-To- b0dy's children and the children of the nObOdles-are taken from the haunts of vice; partly in private and public beneyOlence to establish temporary homes for al such children in which to separate the incurables from the
 cuTables. The weddings in intellect, who are liable to become insane; the weddings in morals, who are liable to become criminals; the weddings in
 industry and thrift. who are liable tc
 become paupers-these must be kept
 in institutions, so as to prevent them
 from further cOntaminating the race
 with their c0mpanionship not only,
 but with their blOcd; thus recognizing
 the law of heredity and having the courage to act in view of. it. All the others, the cuIables. to belkept just SC long as in each case may be needed tG prepare them to enter worthy homes. where they shall have a share in al the joys and advantages which belong to a true home.
 The remedy lies, then, in removing this whole matter out of the sphere of haphaZ3rd charity and planting 1t ir the well ordered domain of the oDliga- tions Of citizenship. It is wrong, equivalent to putting premium on vice, to demand that the self-resDect- | ing parent, whc exercises all due eau ton in rearing his child, shall be l taxed either by the state CT by private | beneVolence to feed and c.Othe and | rear the child Of the shiftless, worth | less parent. The latter should be made to pay for his own child, either in money or in work.
 Bring the outcast into thy house. This is exactly what Michigan. Ohio and some of the other states are doing. The old apprentice system is reversed. Instead of having boys and girls bound out to those who apply fer them irrespective of motives. the state now, through it's agents, out appropriate homes for the dependent children, and when neces- sary pays the family well for the re- spOnsibility it assumes and is kept un- der. "The placing-0ut system,' as it IS called, is generally conceded to have passed from a fine theory into a sue ,eSsful practice. The cheering result has been reached which expresses it. self in the glad message Cf hope that for every homeless child there is @ chiid.ess home" Homes must be se- euced in every case at any cost. This s duty of the state and of the indi- 7idu2l. The neglect of this duty Is the .rime of our age I.
 Save the child and you have re- ieemed the man. Think of those lit Ia ok ] lssre 50 stirring as that aroused by 2 lCmeless child. The little one is walking on the edge of a precipice with yaWning, interminabIe depths the forces of corruption , .rOWding thick and fast about it lrge it ever the brink. Will no hand 'e stretched forth to save, none tn ,uide, no arm to protect, nc heartclasD 0 Lold it?
 Hear the cry of the little cne out Of oorsi U rings into your homes. Y0zI ut your arms about your own dar- ings and you say, with a shudder, Thank God, 1t is not my child.' But crtune is fickle. What if, by some . Thirl Cf it's mighty wheel, your child ecame the outcast. If then. from he serene heights of immortality, Ou look down upon the dOings oi arth, how will net you shower your enedictions upon the good soul that Jould care for your neglected dar- ing. Shall we not strive to merit uch blessings? While the cry of the hildren is still in cur ears, and we old cur little ones thus close to our carts, let us VOW that we shall 50 live 1r them that in the next era there ill be no vicious, broken-up homes, Id, as far as cur efforts can prevenL, o Outcast, dependent children
 Oh, that cry of the little children, l. i'll not be hushed. It penetrates ven into the sanctuary. When that " shall be fully needed, then reIig- ms grandest work will be wrought ct there be more teaching to the Oung, and there will be less need of reaching to the old