Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-02-21
Beginning Already Made.

Already a beginning has been made.
Where fifteen years ago we had no COM
pulsory school attendance law, no school
attendance officers, no regulation of child
labor, no Juvenile Court, few public play
grounds, no organized effort to improve
housing conditions, no organized attack
upon tuberculosis, no social settlements,
today 4he reverse Is true. We have a
compulsory school attendance law for all
children between eight and fourteen
years of age, enforced by three officials
charged with this responsibility.
'.Child labor is now regulated. We have
Juvenile Court with three paid proba-
ton officers. There are ten municipal
and fifteen school play
grounds. We have a law for the con-
delnnation of insanitary dwellings and
two companies for the erection of model
houses. We, have compulsory registration
of tuberculosis. free disinfection. a public
tuberculosis hospital. and the death rate
from tuberculosis in fifteen years has
been cut down from 2S3 per 100000 in
habitants TO nos. We have four social
settlements Police relief and free soup
kitchens are things of the past and in
summer we have our organized hair
charities II is well to dwell on the
progress that has been made in order
that we may take courage for future eff
fort. If so much can be gained by more
or less desultory efforts what may we not
gether on an approved social program?
Some of City's Needs.
..What are some of the needs to be
met by such program? We may only
touch them rapidly. Some of them are
already in process of solving, but they
need united public sentiment behind them
10 gain the best results. We all are
aware of the recent campaign of educa-
ton 10 secure for Washington remedial
loan legislation. A bill is now pending
III Congress TO limit the rates of interest
which may he charged for loans upon
chattes or prOmissory notes, secured In
effect by salary and wages. The pres
ent rates charged by loan companies to
this class of borrowers range from 40 to
more than 100 per cent. These companies
are organized to defeat the proposed
LEGISLATION Only by the strongest effort
is this bill likely to pass.
THE school board is asking for corps
of school nurses. Here again is a ma tier
vital to every family having children in
the public schools. The greatest oppor-
system to prepare for intelligent citizen
ship and self-support the 5000 children
now being educated in the District at
public expense. The committee on the
physical welfare of school children re-
Gently appointed by the Monday Evening
Club proposes 10 carry on a propaganda
for adequate medical inspection in the
public schools, including dental hygiene.
There is the subject of infant mortal
ity directly affected by the living condi-
tions of the poor and their food and milk
supply We still permit people TO live in
the alleys in the midst of insanitary, I'M
wholesome conditions and their children
TO grow up in these congested quarters,
infected with the germs of vice and mis-
ery We still send people to JAIL and
what a Jail, and crowd them together
there for first offense, instead OF trying
TO keep them out of jail by system of
parole and probation We still allow a
confirmed drunkard to roam at large and
TO continue to poison himself and hasten
his own degeneration because we have no
place or method by which to attack the
disease i'm it's incipiency and rescue the
man while there is still hope.
How to Get Together.
who will say that these are not vi
tai problems? Who will say that there
is not sufficient intelligence and moral
purpose in Washington to formulate a
reasonable. consistent and effective So
cial program for at least their partial
solution? How shall we get together.
for only by getting together can we
hope for improved conditions in the i'm
mediate future? Is not this part OF
the church's business? is not every one
of these questions legitimate part OF