Arizona republican., 1900-11-07
A NEW YORKER'S NOBLE WORK
Elbridge Gerry and His Society for
 Protecting Abused Children.

few months ago young Jewess of
 the lowest east side had a Ioafer ar
 rested for running after her and calling
 her a vile name. When the offender
 had been brought before the district
 justice, the court asked the girl to re- peat the epithet that had been applied to her.
 He called me Gerry Society," judge" said the girl.
 The court room roared with laughter
 and the judge imposed a fine for dis
 orderly conduct on the defendant.
 Such is the significance that the So- ciety for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children has for some people in New York's Ghetto. The agents and sleuths of the society are a menace even more terrible than the police. For the po- lice are political body, and the rumor is universal that they are not always deaf to the supreme argument in poli- tics. But the Gerry society, as Ambas-
 sador Choate long ago jocosely nick named it, is private enterprise. spon- sored by the state and controlled by q ! master mind on the twin base of jus tice and humanity.
 Not alone in the slums is the odor of
 the Gerry society repellant. Gerry's , agents have always been a thoYn in the side of stage managers or concert di- rectors who have infant prodigies to , exploit The sentiments of this class were crystalliZed once by De Wolf
 Hopper in topical verse about the So- ciety for the Prevention of Kindness 10 Children. Even honorable mothers and
 fathers among theater goers have thought it a shame that Gerry should interfere when the song or dance of a
 o-year-old. that lass about fifteen minutes. brings salary sufficient to support the parents of the little won der The newspapers have wasted small sympathy on Gerry because his methods have sometimes seemed dras- , t-c and his tone to the interviewer is i prusque. Nevertheless, q case is
 Known in which MT. Gerry out of his PriVate purse supported an infant
 dancer and her mother until the child mad attained the legal age to appear
 on the stage.
 Regardless of the enemies he has made, and stimulated by the support the government has allowed to his en- terprlse, Gerry has forged ahead until quarter Of century after the found- ing or ms society the organization is become an indispensable arm of the
 law Originally Elbridge T. Gerry was counsel for the late Henry Berg, the
 founder of the Society for the Proven i ton Of Cruelty to Animals. To the I notice of the latter society came a case of atrocious cruelty to a child. known
 only as Mary Ellen" The investiga- ton and handling of this case was the germ of the children's society. which
 from the start won the aid of many wealthy philantnropists. Henry Berg became president and Elbridge T. Ger ry, vice president. In 1879, MT. Gerry
 was elected president of the society
 from which time it has been the main work of his life. | was the first SO ciety of its kind in the world. Today there are 800 of them. and all are mod
 eled largely on New York's example
 The records show that the society has
 received 129.675 complaints, involving
 the custody of 36S, 799 children. Of
 these 50,S0O cases have been prosecuted,
 with 47, 455 resultant convictions; while
 S3,9 9S6 children have been rescued and
 cared for. During the year 1899 more
 than 5000 cases were investigated, , with saving to the city of $S4,S64 at