Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1909-12-13

notified of his sons arrest, his father
said: He got into the scrape, now
let him get out He refused to aid
his child, and so the boy was sent to
st. Charles.
MANY girls are brought to me and
I have found several sad cases. One
girl, totally unfit for marriage, was
about to wed a man who was more
unfit for marriage than she. Her
environment throughout her life had
been very improper and immoral and
she did not know the first thing about
homework. We learned of the case
just in time to prevent the marriage.
Her father fought the case. but we
won. and the girl was sent to Geneva
She now expresses great joyAbecause
of being taken there. AnoMer girl
lived with parents who quarreled
She was taken TO Geneva Her
cousin. who also received very little
care and no schooling, was sent there
also.
Parents Drink to Excess.
I'm the majority of the cases. the
parents drink to excess. There - no
religion in the homes and this is the
root of the evil in my opinion. If
there were Christianity in these
homes, We would have fewer cases.
In some cases the parents are not fit
to care fer a family. | know Of an
instance wI@Te the mother is foolish.
She has nine children, four of whom
were at home when ] learned of the
case. The home was filthy In fact
it was so filthy that we could not
open the door because of the ashes
and refuse piled against it. There
was a tub of stagnant water in the
middle of the room. The children |
were all dirty and the baby was sit |
ting in the high chair. l learned !
that he had been there for three days |
and had been uncared for in that |
time. l have been in the slums of /
Chicago and ST. Louis, but l have |
never seen a worse place. We took |
something. but lost. Two days later /
we reported the case to the superin-
tendent Of the schools, for the oldest
child. girl of II years, had never
been to school. We learned that the
half insane mother followed the nus
band around the city IN the daytime
DSCduSe SLG Thought Ine WOMEN were
crazy about him. He was the driver
Of a garbage wagon. When the tru-
ant officer went to the home to fulfill
the duties of his Office the mother
threw a sugar bowl at him and hit
him on the head We finally won
the case and took the children to
Bethany home. When they were
cleaned up they thought that the job
was done for a week at least, and at
night. when one of the older children
started 10 undress them, one said,
Why. she's taking my dress Off In
the morning she said it was too much
bother to dress and undress so often.
The little girl had inherited the in
sane traits of her mother and it was
necessary to send her to Lincoln asy-
um. The other children have been
placed in good homes.
Difficult to Prove delinquency.
1t is exceedingly hard to send d
child TO a home for in most cases
The parents object and when the mat
Ter is brought to court the complain
ng witnesses refuse to take the
stand, and it is impossible to prove
that a child is delinquent. 1t would
J6 ILIpCSSlDie 10 ndHUlS DlOSJ cases
f it were not for Bethany home. In
many cases a father or the parents
are capable of supporting the chill
iren, but through ignorance or neg
ect, the children drift into the wrong
channels. In one case, a mother has {
eft her family of children at home
with the father, who works all day. !
He commands a fairly good salary
and if the mother would discharge
her duties in the proper manner all
would be well. But as it is, the ,
father has to leave the children alone
in the day time and at night he cooks
a good supper and cleans up as much
rs possible. The result is that the
house has become very filthy. / have
-ried to get him to put the children
into a home, but he will not listen.
Many children are allowed to go to
he saloons. or rather they are sent
here by the parents.
The only way IN which we can
get results will be to form some sort
If organization through whose
agency the children can be directed
and kept from wrong doing"
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