Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-02-09
A Plea for tho Juvenile Court.

uIuBSlSlS.
A Plea for tho Juvenile Court.
Editors Timse- Republican: So
many persons have approached me. as
humane officer. upon the subject of
the Casey family, since the notice in
your paper OF their restitution, that l
beg ~ little space in your columns.
which have ever been open to me In
my humane work. to reply to ain Mt
once l know the Casey family. EARLY
myself Investigated this case. and
found a comparatively young woman,
33 years of age, in apparent good
health. and only the one child, 10 years
OF age Mrs. lngledue provided the
child with an ovcrcoat, cap. under
clothing and other clothing. 1 know
from the books of the overseer of the
poor that this family has been receiv
ing almost weekly aid. / have today
visited the place, and found n dirty
place a filthy bed, but notwithstand-
ing her restitution, two fires going in
a house of two rooms.
"One of the best woman farmers in
this county appealed to me early iii the
fan for n boy from II to t3 years OF
age, whom she could board and clothe
for the winter and send to school, only
requiring him to do errands and assist
in the chores. If the boy suited her
he would be kept indefinitely. This
woman can give references beyond amy
question, but when | started on my
search, among AL the boys who are
loafing about the streets, half clad,
half fed and sleeping at night, many
of them, in beds unfit for hogs,
could not find one who would go.
There was a good home and every
comfort. plenty of reading matter AMI
other pleasures attendant upon the life
of a country boy. holding it's doors
open for some one who needed just
such home, and they all preferred to
lead their present lives, and enjoy
their freedom, as they expressed 1t, to
all these comforts and advantages.
For more than a year l have been
looking for a likely girl. between nine
and twelve years of age, who would be
taken into childless family where
they can give her all the advantages
of a good home, an education, must
cal and otherwise, and at the end pro-
vide for her as they would their own.
l want among the families dependent
on the county but when they are
approached upon this subject the par
ents hold up their hands in holy hor-
ror at the thought of having their child
bound out. Many of these girls are
already at this age, we'll on the road
to ruin thru their vicious surround
ings and no restraint.
., ,.l,n III a In >f
this city would assist the humane and
other officers in establishing a iuven
lie court, and removing these children
from their evil surroundings and plac-
ing them in good homes, where they
may become good and useful citizens,
instead of merely furnishing them with
meagre comforts, and leaving them to
drag out a miserable child's existence,
and later become shiftless tramps or
parasites upon the county and repro
ducing their kind, all would be better
off
II know where there is bright lit
tie girl. about eleven years old, whose
mother died several years ago, and who
lives with her father and has the most
of the care of the house. This fathers
place q can not call it honey is fill
ed all the time with disreputable char
acters. and this child Is reared In this
atmosphere of vice, tobacco smoke and
hard cider. Here is a case for real
charity, and starter for the juvenile
court.
MY heart goes out to the little chill
dren who are being ruined by the ex-
ample around them, but I do not feel
that it is real charity to give to par
ents who encourage idleness, and do
not make an attempt, with what they
have to do with to make the home at
mosphere beneficial to the child.
ROSA LIEBIG.