New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-04-19
DAY NURSERIES, CONFERENCE.
JOHN w. KELLER GIVES WARNING AGAINST
SPIRIT OF PATERNAL1SM

The biennial Conference of Day Nurseries was
| opened evening in Assembly Hall, Charities
| Building, Fourth-ave. and twenty -second-st Many
persons interested in social problems were present
when Mrs A. NJ Dodge, the president called the
meeting to order Mrs. Dodge reviewed the progress
and purposes of the organization and then intro
| duced John W. Keller, president of the Board OF
| Charities who spoke the subject of 1.-The Chill
dren of Our Charities" President Keller said that
| In day nursing it must be borne in mind that I'M
| less care is used discriminate when applications
| are made the spirit of paternalsm Will be fostered.
He referred the evils that result from indiscrim-
| mate giving Of coal and aims, and said that the
| most important point not what to give but
| how TO give. Mr. Keller said that it was once his
practice to give something to every one who asked
| him for assistance, the ground that even il
| only one ont of ten was worthy Ii would be the
| right sort of charity. But" he added, my in
| vestigatons have shown me that nine out of ten
| are undeserving and am almost prepared to say
that 500 out of every LOCO are" The cumulative eff
feet of the borrowing habit was then touched upon
| bv Mr. Keller who related how. when earning a
salary of $12 week, he had lived rather more ex-
pensively for the first half OF a week than his
| means justified He made up his mind that he
would ask loan friend and called upon
| him three times without being able to come to
| the point
81 am glad that I did not borrow that first
time" he said ''for & might have destroyed my
self-respect, II does III so many cases. No man
| ever made the first request for aims without a
struggle abnegate his selfrespeet, but each sue
cessive appeal IS made easily. The
| spirit be fought in day nursing. Children
should be kept away from public institutions and
out of the city's l say this account of
the money involved. but because the environment
is necessarily not of the kind that makes for the
best citizenship"
At the conclusion OF President Keller's remarks
a letter regret read from William r.
George. The Value of Day Nurseries in Conserv-
ing the Home the subject of address by
Elgin r. l.. Gould of the Tenement House Com
mission, who said In part:
Nursery work comes under the head OF preventive
charity. II is very near to fundamental work in
social reform. 1t is fundamental partly account
of its effect the child. What do for children
does not have TO be done twice 1t is work that is
done and for all for the childs mind Is fertile
soil and provides a field for permanent dealsm
topic THE Influence of Day Nursery In a
Neighborhood" Miss Lillian d. VALID head worker
of the Nurses Settlement, read q paper by Mrs
Charles X. Lowell on The Need of More Day Nur-
SERIES
The following is the programme for to-day's
session of the conference
Morning session. 10:3o-First. What Shall Be
Done with Nursery Children Over Seven Years OF
cussion Second, "Matrons-and Where to Seek
Them" by Mrs. l. &. Dudley Discussion
Afternoon session. 2:30-"Need of instruction to
Nursery Mothers in Homemaking, Through Leaf
let's and Cooking Classes" Mrs. William G. Smaller
Will give some account of the work of the House
hold Economic Association. and ]. Eugene Whit
ney OF the Peoples University Extension Society.
Business meeting at $3.50 o'clock.