New-York tribune., 1909-01-26
TO AID POOR CHILDREN
COUNCIL At WHITE HOUSE
Opened By President Roosevelt
Care of Dependents Discussed.

Washington Jan. 25.-The Importance OF the pres
ervation OF the home the central theme at
the conference the care of dependent children.
formally opened by President Roosevelt in the
East Room of the White House late to-day The
subject under consideration was SHOULD the Break
ing of a Home Be Permitted for Reasons of Pow
erty, or Only for Reasons OF Inehciency or Inn
morality?
1t was the unanimous opinion OF the charity
workers who took part in the discussion that chill
dren best be reared under the influence OF the
home. and that they should be removed from the
family circle only when supervision at home
has become mpossble. It also the consensus
of opinion that where poverty exists in the home
state aid should be given. While this subject
formed the principal topic of discussion. other
questions of Importance to the welfare of the child
were considered President Roosevelt, before call
ing the gathering to order. received the delegates
After outlining the scope of the work before the
conference ne called Homer Folks, president OF
the State Probation Commission of New York. to
the chair.
The President spoke in part follows:
There can be no more important subject from
you are 10 deal; because when you take care OF
the children you are taking care OF tne tsr nam. @
OF US to do all In his or her power 10 provl1e& & Ior
fortune has Handicapped @ at the very outset Of
their lives. I earnestly hope that the members Of
as ans to establish @ goal al toward which the whole
tba each a Of y9S will consider not only the ner
ests of his own immediate locality. but the inter-
There are. Of course several different types of
conditions which you are trying to meet & De
clusion that where possible. the thing to be done
T26 eT {ee a f is IS o TO possee e Should make the
conditions as nearly as possible ike those 1a MnSn
room for all existing Institutions. but the work
Of extension should be, so far as possinle Work x
not 0d 6osbe m 10 ak he
as kA would
There are half a dozen different types Of chill.
cren for whom we need to care. There Is hrst OF
ALL the complete orphan, The child s Wn9 ma mas sI IGJ
to make permanent provision. My own belief is s
eab Sne is Pes to paee Ed that at cRiid IN
have TO meet the case-one of the most distress i
breadwinner has gone, where the mother would
ike to keep the child, but siEply lacks the eaGni arm
toward which we should strive is to help that
Sf5f Keep the 50 ohd hat in m seq thing
t Be done for that child. How the relief shan
what way You are competent to say and am not
but am competent TO say what think the so1i
Then we come to the case of the child who must
ents but Where It is not desirable that the
ton Should 902 bc BE t is peoiariy tted
There are other problems OF course that you TIH MI
tbs hase cbd G dfa at be treated at home
ease. but vet can be completely cured IN nos @
less iesslv vicious or hopelessly inefficient Here We
provide for the exercising Of the greatest re @ Ws the
line so as to know Just when ~ OF
keeping the % onld ara IN by the fact
but source of menace and danger, TO me chlio.
Y9q % VIII have 70 sn 10 ch But never for
get that the government cannot do everything
Citations outside that religious and Rhilanthropic pic
fn fbe goTernment or we cannot get the
best results Another thing as 70 the goverie5s m EN-
merely an abstract term. The government con-
sists Of the men in It, and If you do not have the
ghf shfa msp spstem then adg that part win work
m anaton nng 1s IN dealing with ali these questions The
wisdom Of man cannot devise system so peTreet
GOOD and wise and unless outsiders who take a
genuine interest in the matter also give 'heil aiu
and exercise their supervision.
FOR PRESERVATION OF THE HOME
The spectators who made strong pleas for the
preservation OF family ties included Michael j.
Seaman, president of the New York Cathalic Home
Bureau; Ernest p. Bicknell. president OF the Con-
ference of Charities and Correction; James r JACK
son. superintendent of Associated Charities Cleve-
land; Judge William II. De Lacey. Of the Washin-
ton Juvenile Court, and DR. Edward T. Devine, OF
New York.
Mr. Scanlan declared that there is battle on be-
tween those who would preserve the family ana
those who would destroy it, For US Catholics
he said I'VE stand by the teachings of our Church
in favor Of the preservation Of the family circle
An emphatic affirmative given to the ques-
ton should the state inspect the work OF all
child caring agencies. including both INSTRUCTIONS
and home finding societies?" The principal speak
ers on this TOPIC were Amos w. Butler, secretary
of the State Board OF Charities OF Indiana and
Hugh r Fox president Of the State Board OF Chli-
dren's Guardians of New Jersey.
An Affirmative answer given TO the question
Should child caring agencies aim to cooperate
with each otner or with other agencies OF social
battsrment for the purpose of diminishing or re-
moving altogether the causes of orphanage OF child
destitution and child delinquency" Among those
who discussed this subject were Professor Charles
r Henderson. president of the National Children 8
Horne Society and Thomas W. Hynes. president OF
The sunertor Council of the St. Vincent De Paul So
ciety. of Brooklyn.
The final topic was SHOULD the approval OF the
state Board OF Charities other body exercising
,,rar novver, be necessary to the incorporation
of all child caring agenciesT Timothy D. Hurley,
of the visitation and Aid Society of Illinois. and
robert W Hebberd. Commissioner of Charities.
spoke
Hotel tonight.
lane Addams of Chicago. declared that in
,r,erica should encourage the natural family
rather than foster families or suggestions OF fam
lilies" Rabbi Emil G. Hrsch president Of the Ma
tional Conference of Jewish Charities. spoke in
favor of the home for child rearing rather than
the institution The Rev. d. j. Mcmahon. super
visor of Catholic charities in New York said that
..tbe Home is the proper place to rear the child.
and that poverty aIons In the case OF worthy
widow is not sufficient to break up the home
nv sending the child OF to some institution
DR. Hastings H. Hart chairman OF the study OF
child placing for the Russell Sage Foundation, de-
cIared that the family preservation idea Is the best
pooker IT Washington said that the number of
dependent children among his race is comparatively
small "As you find the negro in the rural dis
tr,cts of the South, he asserted, you will not find
hin, a degraded creature. although he may be