Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1909-02-21
{'3y MRS. JOHN M. LOGAN.)

lns made to obtain national lcgisla-
 eton In behalf of the children is one
 that should receive the enthusiastic
 support not only of all fathers and
 mothers, but Of all who have the real
 welfare of this great country at heart.t
 A bill has been introduced sin, tho house of representatives by Represen-.
 tative Parsons of New York. It pro- . vides for the establishment of a ~fed-
 eral childrens bureau. The objects ' of The bureau will be to investigate z infant mortality, the birth rate, phy-
 sical degeneracy, orphanage, juvenile
 delinquency and juvenile courts. de-
 sertion, and illegitinaacy, employment,
 dangerous occupations, accidents and Adiseases of children Of the industrial iclasses and legislation affecting chill tlren in the several states and terri /tories. =,
 The existing bureau of labor, census :, bureau, bureau of public health and { marine hospital service, and bureau 1s of education. all have certain limited : and fragmentary responsibilities for ; the welfare of the nations children. : Even these responsibilities. however, { might be discharged far more con- 7 pletely if they were concentrated. The labor of childern enters into the rela- tons between employer and employe. and into the general question. of the condition of labor with which the fed ; efal bureau of labor deals, but this < very fact Is anomalous and deplorable.
 Edward T. Devine, general secre- tary of the New York Charity 0rgani-
 zation Society. in discussing the sub- \ feet: SAid: There should be 10 such thing as child labor. and whilesit ez- ] ists 1t should have the. serious atten.' ton of the government, not as a ,nermal condition to be investigated iand regulated like sda!t labor.-.::.in
 mines and factories, but as an abnor- s1ss8e and temporary condition to he
 elip4pated as.speedilys as possible. It
 should De investigated and dealt with ltt .lptot .as 1s4- industrial pr commercial 2r5b61ieem;; but aa one sntcting she very
 He ana we1Issing of the race, as 2
 Sfo6lsm of ,h.aH, education. n1ofa!s
 and etcia, ecoao1ng: '.='>'
 .With ali recognition Of tie ,iseful- aess of such .pertial and sporadic at- tention es the lsbor bureau has been
 abie to give the subject. 1t Is obvious
 that fhe Interests. of children are ht-
 orally of vital, national concern. and
 that they should be approached from quite another point Of view than that &rom which strikes. wages and the |conditious of adult labor are appro-
 priatefy treated. Nor does the cen
 aus bureau serve the purpose which
 bureau of children would serve.
 huantitive investigations may be made { bH the census bureau, but we need children's bureau to determine what information Is desirable and to con- gnder what to do after it has been
 obtained. The rudimentary bureau os public health, it would naturally in-
 menk commands constantly increes- ing Respect for its wo:k in controlling epiddmics and ;ts directions, notably. for example, in its current investi- sgation of the hook worm. If this bN-
 reau should eventually outgrow the. Limitations imposed by. it's origin In
 thes. marine ,+ hospital service, and syMpld Secome in reality bureau of ,,A IFS health, 1t woul dnaturally in- cid4e within its activities the investi- gation of many problems connected with epidemic and infectious diseases of children and other dangers to their health. f1it.s , .tBut a childrens bureau would 4,sea)s te promote health. vigor. phy-. sical well-being and efficiency of children. and would thus begin where a health bureau ends. It would util-
 ize the results of all investigations by labor, bureau. census bureau ana
 health bureau. so far as they bear
 upon the welfare of children. It would directly concern itself with the
 improvement of the human race by the improvement of its physical and mental stock. Even the bureau Of education, however active and efficient it may become, cannot cover the wide range of activities which would nat urally devolve upon the children's bu- reau. Orphanage, illiteracy, illegiti- macy, infant mortality, race suicide and >rs degeneracy, child depend ency, juvenile delinquency with all its attendant issues of children's courts, reformatory probation and parental schools. and the more complete social