The St. Louis Republic., 1904-12-07

to BE- the hrsadwinner: the prime duty Of ihs
woman Is to be the mother the housewife
All questions Of tariff and finance sink into Ut
ter fns;gnifcance when compared with the .-e-
mendcus. the vital. Importance Of trying 70
shape conditions 50 that thess two dute, OF
the man and the woman can be fulfilled under
reasonably favorable circumstances II a race
does not have plenty Of children or IL the
children do not grow up. or II when they grow
up they are unhealthy in body and stunted or
vicious in mind. then that race In decadent
and no hsaping up OF wealth. no splendor of
n1omentary material prosperity. can avail In
any degree as o6setA
The Congress has the sane power Of legis-
lation for the District Of Columbia which the
State legislatures have for the various States.
The problems incident to our highly complex
modern industrial civilization with It's mani
fold and perpiexing tendencies both for good
and for evil. are far less sharply acceniuated
in the city OF Washington than In mos, other
cities Fer this very reason II is easier 10
deal with the various phases Of these problems
in Washington. anc the District OF Columbia
government should be a mod-i for tn. other
municipal governments of the ration in all
such matters supervision Of the housing OF
the POOR. the creation Of small parks In tbs
districts Inhabited by the poor. In laws affect
ing labor. in laws providing for the taking care
Of the children. in truant laws and in provid-
ing schools
In the vital matter Of taking care of
children. much advantage could be gained BY
careful study OF what has been accomplished
In such States as Illinois and Colorado by the
juvenile courts. The work Of the juvenile
court Is really a work OF character building It
49,
and young girls who 90 wrong should mt be
treated criminals not even necessarily az
needing reformation. but rather needing 10
have their characters formed, and fer this erd
to have them tested and developed by a sys-
TEN OF probation Much admirable work mas
been done In many CT our Comrnonwealths by
earnest men and wor.en who have made a sps-
cial study OF the needs CT those classes OF chill
dren wiich furnish the greatest num5-- Of
juvenile of1enders and therefore the greatest
number OF adult Offenders: and by their aid.
AID by prohtins by the experiences os the
different States and cities in these matters it
would be easy to provide q good code for the
District Of Columbia.
Several considerations suggest the need for q
systematic investigation into and Improvement
OF housing conditions In Washington The hid
den residential alleys are breeding grounds Of
vice and disease. and should be opened into
minor streets. For Q number Of years IN
fiuential citizens have joined with the District
Commissioners in the vain endeavcr to secure
laws permitting the condemnation Of insauitary
dwellings. The local death rates. especially
from preventable diseases are 50 unduly liEh
n to suggest that tho exceptional wholesome
ness Of washinGton.s better sections IL offset
by bad conditions In her poorer neishborhocdA
special Commission on Housing aad Health
Conditions In the National CapitaP' would not
only bring about the reformation OF existing
evils. but would also formulate IN appropriate
building code to protect the city from MANI
moth brick tenements and other evils which
threaten to develop here n they have in other
cities. That the nations capital should b
made Q model for other municipalities II an
ideal which appeals to all patriotic citizens
everywhere. and suoh special commission
might Inap out and organias the eity's future
development In lines Of civic social service 5uss
a. Major EEnfant and the recent Park Com
mission planned the arrangement Gf her streets
and parks.
II II mortifytng to remember that Washing
ton has no compulsory school-atsendance Law.
and that careful inquiries indicate the hari.uai
absence from school Of some % per cent Of all
children between the ages Of . and IA. 1t must
b evident to all who consider the ,roblems Of
neglected chIld-lifs or the benefits Of eompul-
most urgent needs Of the national capital y
law requiring the school attsndancs Of an
children. this law to be mforced by attendance
sxents directed by the Board Of Education.
Public Fairgrounds are necessary means for
the DEVELOPMENT Of wholesome citizenship in
modern cities. It is Important that the work
inauguratsd here through voluntary efforts
should b taksn up and extended through co.,
:ressional appropriation Of funds sufficient 20
equip and maintain numerous convenient small
Fairgrounds upon land which can b secured
without purchase or rental. It Is also de-
sirabis that small vacant places bs purchased
and reserved a. small park Fairgrounds In
denseIy settled sections Of the city which now
have no public open spaces and are destined
soon to b built up solidly. An these needs
SHOULD be met Immediately. To meet them
would entail expenses: but . corresponding
saving could Be made by stopping the building
OF streets and Ieveiins Of ground for purpoess
largely speculative In outlying parts Of the city.
There are certain offenders. whose crimlnality
takes the shape Of brutality and cruelty toward
tho weak. who need Q spectal typa OF punish
ment The wife-beater. for example. fs made.
quAtely punished BY Imprisonment: for impgiD.
onnent may often mean nothing to him. while
Il may cause hunger and want to the wife
and children who have bean tho victims OF hia
brutality. Probably some form Of corporal
p0ntsnnen wouid % tne most AdeQuAfo way
oe meeting this kind Of crime.
Ths Dspartmsnf Of Agriculture has gruwn IN
10 an educational instisution With q faculty. Of
loo socialists making research into al the
peiences Of production. Ths CongresD appro-
priats8 directly and indirectly. sfx millions Of
dollars annually to carry on this WORT. n
reaches even etats
and Territory IN ms
ASrAo' Union and the islands
Of ths sea lately cone
ndef caf nag. Cb-operstinn y had with the
State experiment sfationA end with many osh<r
Institutions and Individuals The world = care.
'ully searched for new varieties Of grnfnaL
,futta. grasses. vegetables. trees 6nd shTubA
MARKED benefit to our prodreery has resulted
The activities Of our age In lines of rssea!ch
sAye :tech0d fho tiiler1 of the SOL and 2n-
pired them with ambition. to know mRe e
1fh vhics ~ Rsss to essi Nsssay ~ 2