Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-01-30
MRS. HELLER's ADDRESS.
Teachers Guests of Women's Club at
Meeting Of Unusual Interest.

Meeting of Unusual Interest.
| The program at the Women'S club
Wednesday afternoon, in charge of
the mothers child study department
of the womens club Mrs. David Len
nox, chairman, proved treat indeed
to the large number who heard it. The
feature of the afternoon was a talk by
Mrs Harriet Heller, of Omaha, super
intendent of the detention school of
Douglas county, Nebraska, for the past
three wears, and former MARSHALL
town woman.
Mrs. Hellers talk was delayed until
the arrival of large number of the
school teachers, to whom an invitation
had been extended, and was preceded
by Miss Mae Smith, in delightful re-
cital of childrens songs and lullabys,
among which were two by Mrs. Carrie
Jacobs Bond. Mr.. Ralph HiX acted as
Miss Smiths accompanist.
Mrs. Heller, in her introductory re-
marks, paid pretty tribute to Mar
shalltown institutions Of learning for
their part in her training for public
life. She announced that she mad
come to tell of the Juvenile court and
detention school work in Douglas
county, and her own part in that
work. as we'll as to what club women
can do to help in the court work. and
better still, how they might prevent
the necessity of that work. Reference
was also made to the celebrated Judge
Lindsay, the kids jedge' of Denver.
The juvenile court, said Mrs. Heller,
works with three classes of children,
the dependent, tho neglected and the
DELINQUENT. Don't allow yourself to.
think of child as a criminal she
warned "he is not so in the eyes or
the law, by the very immaturlty or
his wears; he is a delinquent She
said that about the most comprehen-
sive sentence she could utter was that
while she has handled nearly 700 In
three years, these children are aston
ishingly like other children. 1t is just
a question of getting to work all the
good there is in the child, and keeping
in the background, so far as possible,
all the bad in him. 1t is not very diff
ticult to discipline them as general
rule. she said, and related many in
teresting and enlightening stories of
children who have come under
her supervision The degenerate
specimen, Sic Sdiu, 40 isAiS' n
large percentage of the chill
dren are sub-normal, or just little
below the average. Mrs. Heller said.
1.-The quicker we lose the feeling that
there is a great difference between peo-
pie who have broken the law and
those who have broken their con-
sciences, the latter crime if anything.
being the greater, the better it will
be for all of u.s. The boy who
doesn't have a mother doesn't have
fair chance, she said, and the public
school seems unable to reach many
children as they need to be reached.
Her motto Is, $50 long as there is the
least chance to save boy or girl.
hang on to it, and work.
Mrs. Heller spoke highly of the bene-
fit in training she hail received FROM
her work as Kindergarten and In q
private school of her own before asr
suming her present position.
The girl problem, Mrs. Heller said,
is big one and problem all by it,
upon it ALSO She believes that the flu
ture work Of women's clubs lies with
this girl problem, the ordinary case Of
WllCl--IndC OIL IOu
juvenile problem at all. The greatest
obstacle to overcome is the common
community sentiment Of hardness, and
lack of gallantry. 1t is the lack of
real living that makes children deln-.
quents, and it is Mrs. Heller's theory
that some day the club women of diff
ferent towns will have them districted.
and take up in earnest, the cases of
these subnormal girls. Many other
phrases of the work for unfortunate
children We're touched upon by Mrs.
Heller, who also answered and dis
cussed number Of questions put to
her.
Mrs. William Bryant, of Detroit
Mich, whose husband was the Presby-
terian minister here about fifteen years
ago, was present, and at the close Of
Mrs. Heller's talk was asked to speak
a few moments to the club. which she
did. Mrs. Bryant was member during
her residence here.
Mrs. Heller was the guest of Mrs. G.
r. Wiley during her stay in the city