Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-26
Session of the Conference
at the Willard Last Niqht

District Commissioner Mcfarland well
coined the delegates who met in the New
Willard ballroom last night, and invited
the members of the conference to use the
boardroom of the District building for
their two sessions today. He outlined
the history of the Juvenile Court in this
city and told of the work Of the board
Of chfldren's guardians. He said:
I'm 1903 Congress asked the Commits
sioners. at their suggestion, to make a
comprehensive report upon the care o.
dependent and delinquent children in the
District of Columbia. In response to
that resolution the Commissioners jan
uary g. 1904, transmitted such a report
to Congress. recommending that the de-
tendency and delinquency of every child
to be made a public charge be determined
by Juvenile court, which should COM
NIT to the board of children's guardians
children not of the reform school class
1t recommended also probation system
for child offenders under probation off,
GERS to be appointed by the Juvenile Court
This recommendation of legislation neces-
sary drafted subsequently by the Commits
sioners has been adopted by Congress- and
the sytem, including the Juvenile Court
and its probation work has been in op-
Grafton for eighteen months with excellent
results.
''The board Of children S, guardians which
for so many years has been the public
foster father Of dependent children. has
consistently anu successfully 1OllOWeQ the
policy Of placing them in private families.
mostly without expense to the public. At
the first of this year that board had 1871
wards, of whom 1,2S4 were in families
and 29S In institutions. mostly for tenn
porary care or because they were de-
fectives. The Commissioners bill for the
regulation Of child labor. which became
law last July. has been effectively en-
forced and has met measure of coop
Grafton from most large employers of la
Dor which is very gratifying.
I'VE have also been able to improve
home conditions somewhat through better
laws and appropriations secured since
1900, when the new progress Of the Ma
tional capital, physical and moral began
to appear"
Preservation Of the Home.
The same general questions discussed
at the afternoon session were taken up in
the evening.
An eloquent appeal was made by Rabbi
Emil G. Hirsch of Chicago in favor of
bringing up children In families instead
of in homes.
Address by Rabbi Emil G. Hirsch.
Rabbi Emil G. Hirsch of Chicago said:
There is suggestive significance in
the circumstance that this conference
is close second to that convened dur
ing the past twelve months in this
city and also at the instigation Of the
President for the purpose of consider
ing what measures ought to be de-
vised to put an end to the thoughtleSs
waste Of this nations natural re-
sources. Our solicitude is not for iron
and timber and coal and game. The
drain which we deplOre and which we
would end is in human values infinite ly
more precious than minerals and food
products. If the study of man by man
is the noblest of all intellectual pre-
occupations. it is always the last in the
hierarchy o fthe sciences. True civil
cation cannot be measured by the con-
dition Of the strongest. The weak are
the true barometer indicative of the
altitude attained by the race.
Our concern today is for that weak
ness which is incidental to childhood
and results from circumstances in the
creation of which the children certainly
had no share"
LAS now constituted the basic rock on
which society rests is the home. the fam
lily, the structural cell. 1t seems thus a
very queer proceeding first to unhome the
young when later they will have to do