Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1908-07-19
tCopyright. by Joseph b. BowlesJ

(Copyright. by Joseph =. BowlesJ
(Miss Julia G Lathrop. long associated
with the work of Han iious" in 'hi'.ig"
aul with l;tTs'.r activities elsewhere, Eh'
had an important part in bunting Ep
many worthy institutions in Illinois. oar
ing her terms of ServIc" on the lhu"'S
state board of public charities. OF whlrh
she is now II mc,ni.'r. she has actively
labnr,.'i 10 improve conditions in the great
hospitals and aSyiumS Of the state II"
Cook county institutions at b'InninS aus"
ow. much to her public spirited work.
Much of the credit for establishing IN"
Juvenile court in Chicago and broadening
its intiuen". for good * due I" her. IN
ameliurating the condition 81 child work
erS and In other ways she has shown her
devotion to the helpless Classes OF the
pOpulationD
One of the significant signs Of the
times is the growth of a sense of re-
sponsibility among women as to mat
ters of public hygiene. the protection
of chi).'ren. the care of dependents
and ID -nentS-in short. that rather
indefinite and constantly charging
field which may be called public char
tiles. This sense OF responsibility is
the natural development of those lndl-
viGiual charitable ministrations which
have always been assigned to women
as their legitimate province. The com
Portable. if not comforting. charity OF
a Lady Bountiful is outdated. A wo-
man cannot make the most innocent
visit to family in distress without
finding herself beset by the whole army
% problems Of causation. Willy-nilly
she is dragged into public efforts for
laws and institutions, in each case the
inevitable result of simple activities
which apparently would lead her no
farther than 4 neighbours hearth.
For example. in the last few years.
to take Illinois as fair type, large
amount of legislation has been secured
of a philanthropic sort-the parental
school law the Juvenile court law, the
Improvement in the compulsory educa-
ton law. the law as to factory inspec-
ton and the labor of children. the eS-
Establishment of the asylum for chronic
insane. the state training school for
girls. the new St. Charles school for
boys. These measures and others
have been initiated and urged in large
degr~ by women. and are logical
eviA ,.ce of the desire 10 find con
SJTtlCllVe vi 6ShCi al oppiAN'
ton which fellows the simple
beginnings involved in being neigh
Dor in the direct fashion of the para
BILE. The time has passed. we take 1t.
for Questioning the usefulness or pro-
priety of such larger activities on the
mart of women Further. as We dis
cover that few conditions are local or
spasmodic, that cause battles us and
prevention alone shows itself as an
ADEQUATE end. the effort to make COM
mon provision for specially helpless
persons or classes of persons. in the
interest of society as well as Of these
classes is certain to increase.
As an illustration of this tendency
to increase tine scope of charitable ef-
fort consider tine growth of public
charitable institutions from the county
poorhouse to the constantly elaborat-
ing system by which the blind. deaf
and feeble minded. insane and Others
are cared for by the state unit In sep
arate groups and by which the care OF
groups once classified as criminal are
now set under a miider heading The
states too. are constantly taking up
new tasks. 50 that the phiiaDthTopic
and reforrlative functions Of state
are its larges. item Of expenditure.
sometimes absorbing half It's revenue.
In the state Of New York alone there
are said TO be Zoo dependent and
Delinquent persons. whose care costs
the public SIC. 00o. 600 annually. ard II
f. conservative TO estimate the total
population thus supported Al 2"e.ooe
persons.
Consider another phase which at
first glance appears to be judicial
rather than charitable. but which Is
really In point-that Of the juvenile
court. The law authorizing this court
I'm Chicago YVES the result Of long
wears Of effort on the part Of men
and women to lessen Juvenile crita"
and TO furnish some reasonable prutCc-
t,on TO children. To this end women.
especially through the sOmen's clubs.
-. c,-,r{hrtcd much and the SsCur