The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1907-06-11
PRESIDENT ADVOCATES BETTER IANES

~ =; Y Y y III :. 4 1lIG nv
more ~ 81. than q very few years. iii any
community organized on really healthy
lines thesavsrage woman will have
quite enough to do In her own home.
whether she IS rich or poor; and
nowhere else can she do work Of such
value to the nation as a whole ana
by work, ! mean her homework. her
work as housewife and mother, and
not so.called home Industries" Az
regards children. It is as essential to
look after their physical as their men.
tai training. We can not afford 10
let children grow up ignorant: and II
they are sent to school they can not,
while young, also work hard Outside
without detrlment, physical, mental,
and moral. There Is, urgent need for
the health authorities to increase their
care over the hygienic conditions and
surroundings Of children Of tender
years, and ESPECIALLY TO supervise
those in the schools. is a good thing
TO try TO reform bad children, 10 try
10 build up degenerate children: but
1t Is an even better thing to try to
Keep healthy In soul. body, and mind
those children who are now unsound
but who may easily grow up unsolnd
II no care Is taken Of them. The ma.
IONS most valuable asset Is the chill.
dren; for the children are the nation
OF the future. All people alive 10 the
nations need should join together to
work for the moral, spiritual and ply.
steal welfare of the children in all
parts Of our land. ! am glad that
there has been founded national so.
ciety of public school hygiene, and |
wish 1t, and all it branches, well in
every way.
There Is increasing need that the
welfare Of the children should be ef.
iectively safeguarded by government.
al action; with the provlso, however,
~
that this action Shall be taken with
knowledge and In q spirit Of robust
common sense; for philanthropy,
whether governmental or Individual,
Is a curse and not blessing when
marked by spirit Of foolish sen,i.
mentality and Ignorance. Such gov.
ernmentaf action Is merely one inevita.
BILE result Of the ever.increasing
growth Of our complex industriallsm.
Decade by decade, 1t becomes more
and more necessary that. without sac.
rifcing their Individual independence,
the people Of this country shall rec.
ognize In more effective form their
mutual interdependence, and the duty
OF safeguarding the interest of each
in the ultimate interest Of alt. We
have Inherited and developed su.
perbly self.reliant individualsm. In
this country. most earnestly hope
that It will not be lost, that It will
never be exchanged for deadening
socialism. The only permanently ben.
eicial way in which to help anyone
Is to help him to help himself; II
either private charity, or government.
al action. Or any form Of social ex.
preston destroys the individuals pow.
err of self help, the gravest possible
wrong Is really done to the indivil.
nal. Nevertheless, as the conditions
OF life grow more complex, It Is not
possible to trust Our welfare only 10
the nnbrldled individual initiative Of
each unit of our population working
as that unit wills. We need laws
for the care Of our children which
were not needed when this country
was in Its infancy. We need laws
for the control Of vast corporations
such as were not needed when the in.
diyidnhl fortunes were far smaller
Than at present, and when these for.
tunes were not combined for business
use. In the same way we need to
change our attitude toward labor prob.
lens from what that attitule was In
the days when the great balk OF our
people lived. In the country with no
more complex labor relations than is
implied In the connection between
The farmer and the hired help.
For example, the great increase in
mechanical and manufacturing opera.
tons means corresponding increase
IN the number Of accidents to the
wase'workers employed therein. these
including both preventable and inevl.
table accidents. To the ordinary wage.
workers family such calamity means
grim hardship. AS the work Is done
for the employer. and therefore ultI.
mately for the public. It Is n bitter
Injustice that 1t should be the wage.
worker himself and his wife and chill
dren who bear the whole penalty.
Legislation should be had. alike from
h~ a.