Los Angeles herald., 1909-12-27
LAUDs MRS. ScHoFF AS
TRUE AMERICAN WOMAN
"AROU REN ADHFM"


Write me as one who loves his fellow-men'
LOS ANGELES Dec 23.-[Editor
Herald: In your issue of the 10th
inst. (Which, incidentally, ] desire to
remark. is the best daily Sunday
newspaper have seen in fifty
years observatory, there is an article
copied from the New York Herald,
giving an extended account of Mrs.
Frederic C. Schoff of Philadelphia.
As shown in this article, Mrs. Schoff
has been constantly engaged in the
work of juvenile reform for the past
ten years and a half. In May, 1899,
she found by careful inquiry that
there were in the prisons of her native
city five hundred children, and from
two hundred to three hundred children
every month passing through the sta
tion houses of the city, with no help
ing hand outstretched for their assist
ance. There were children in every
county prison in Pennsylvania, COM
mitted for trifling offenses; and there
were eight hundred children in each
of the two reformatories of the state,
crowded together without classification.
Becoming thoroughly aroused by the
appalling condition of this most help
TESS Htb ltGltu anu SulLNAAh6 NAtAo9 va
humanity about her, Mrs. Schoff re-
solved to devote her life to their relief
and betterment. She first enlisted the
assistance of the New Century club,
an organization of six hundred women.
She procured and had compiled digest
of the laws of every state of the Union
| upon the subject of juvenile Offenders.
She prevailed upon the legislature to
enact law embracing the best fea-
I - -. fnf n n
the states for the state of Pennsyl-
vania.
The concrete results of the labors or
this devoted woman for the past ten
| years are as follows
| There are now no children under 16
! years of age in the prisons of Phila-
! delphia. Where there were three hun
dred children passing through the sta
| tion houses of the city every month
there are now only so per cent of this
number arrested. and these are placed
! in houses of detention. OF the 400
| cases i'm the Philadelphia juvenile
court i'm 1905 all but sixty-three cases
were adiudged worthy Of being placed
on probation.
Mrs. Schoff has been n direct in
! fluence in starting the juvenile court
and probation system in various states
Finding by experience that the Of
/
Of cases, directly due to the deficien-
! cies Of their parents. she succeeded
| through the help of the mothers clubs
| in connection with the public schools
| in organizing fathers and mothers
clubs" for the purpose of assisting pa
rents in the training Of their children
and in these associations there were
| 10000 parents as the result OF the hrst
years effort.
Mrs. Schoff has the unique distinction
Of being the only woman ever asked by
| the Canadian parliament To deliver
| before that body an address Both
| houses adjourned and held joint scs-
! sion to hear her. As a result juvenile
| courts and probation work are well
started in Canada.
! In 1903 Mrs. Schoff was elected presi-
dent OF the National Cangress OF
Mothers, and stimulated by her intiu-
ence that organization is establishing
parent teacher associations in every
state in the Union.
1 make no apology for copying 50
! largely from the article in last sun
DAYS Herald above referred to. Tne
story of the achievements of this noble
woman should be repeated and dwelt
upon until ample provision is every
where made to carry out the sys-
tematic plan she has inaugurated. II
appeals to the sympathy and good
Judgment of every patriotic father ana
mother in the world, If crime and
suffering are to be reduced 10 a mini
mum, and the cause of truth ana
Righteousness is to be exalted in the
nation, the foundation for it must be
laid I'm the home, and fathers ana
mothers must be taught how to prop
erly care for and instruct their chill
dren. The mutual affection born In the
hearts of parents for their children
leads them to desire to train them
properly and see them become useful
and respected members of society. The
plan of Mrs. Schoff is, therefore, fun
damental and practicable. Not among
American women is there one inspired
by a more lofty purpose. or one whose
| efforts are bearing more salutary ana
far-reaching results than hers.
And who shall doubt, when by the
recording angel the names are shown,
"of those whom love of God has
blessed" poetic justice will be served
| if it shall appear that the name of this
benefactress among American women
"leads all the rest"
y - POWERS