The Ordway new era., 1905-07-07
CHILDREN co HUNGRY
PUPILS WHO SUFFER IN SCHOOL
More Than Sixty Thousand In New
York City Underfed.-Asitation for
Public Lunch for School Children.

New York City is wrought up. or
should be. over the various investsa-
tions being made as to the underfeed-
ing OF children. Robert Hunter esti-
mates that there are from GO00O to TO-
900 school children In that city who
suffer from want of food.
This was regarded as an extrava-
giant estimate at first. and even yet no
entirely reliable investigation has been
made, but such as has been attempted
more than bears out Mr.. Hunters
claim. John Spargo, for the Independ-
ent, has been making careful inquiries
and securing investigation from teach
ers, hospital workers and others in a
position to know the real situation.
Some of the facts disclosed are appall.
ing, yet he insists that the same con
ditions exist in all other large centers.
The inquiries by teachers are rarely
made in such way that the full truth
can be secured. Children are sensitive
and the shame of poverty is great even
in the young. Only the most tactful
can elicit anything like the complete
situation. while some teachers can Sc
cure no information whatever. YET
even with the inadequate data sup
piled by such inquiries the reports
showed seventeen per cent. of the chill
dren TO have been underfed. In one
class OF forty-three children present no
less than thirteen had had no break
fast while twelve had had very little.
Miss Wheeler of the Babies Hospital
gives underfeeding as the major cause
OF all ailments treated in the hospital.
Some of this is improper feeding. due
sometimes to ignorance. more often to
the inability to purchase milk and
wholesome food. A classification of
the cases entered in the Babies Hos
pital In single day-siNteen in num-
ber-gives eight cases due to absolute
underfeeding. five to improper feeding
and only three in which these causes
did not appear as primary factors.
At one large dispensary where they
treated more than 1000 children last
year, I was told that quite fifty per
cent. OF all the cases were due. wholly
or In part, to underfeeding or improper
feeding. Taking only the absolutely
underfed. the registrar told me that
thirty'three and one-third per cent.
would be conservative estimate.
Fifty per cent. underfed was the esti-
mate OF the superintendent of another
OF the large dispensaries.
Apart from the underfeeding di-
rectly due to poverty. the neglect of
children by mothers who must go from
home to work is an important cause.
Children are often given few pennies
by such mothers for their lunch ana
they have no idea of spending them
wisely for anything nourishing.
The result of such impoverishment
of the system as comes from all forms
of poor nutrition Is intellectual and
moral as well as physical. Teachers
of special classes Tor detectives find 1t
utterly impossible to mane any pro.
gress until the children are fed. and
habitua! underfeeding in infants and
children leads to defective mentality.
The mora result is also serious.
This is form of race suicide" more
serious than n decreased birth rate. 1t
is not strange that there is an agita-
tion for public provision of lunch for
school children. At least that much
should be done to protect society from
the evils of an illdeveloped, badly.
nourished citizenship.
Mr.. Spargo suggests that 1t is time
to prevent starving.out process as
a method of having the fittest survive.
40 make as many as possible fit to
survive is the better basis for civilized
statesmanship."- News.