Omaha daily bee., 1910-05-25
REFORMS ANDPUBLIC HEALTH
Number of Topics Discussed by Chair.
ties and Corrections Conference.
NEW TREATMENT FOR INSANITY
Clifford w. Beers PrOmuIgates New
System of Mental HyEiene--Re-
IatiOn of Commercial Bodies
TO Charity,
lew TREATMENT FOR INSANITY

ST. LOUIS. May A-The reformation OF
law breakers. supervision OF poor houses
and eleemosynary institutions and public
health were the themes discussed at the
sectional meetings OF the National Confer
ence OF Charities and Corrections this
morning.
Clifford w. Beers executive secretary OF
the Connecticut Society for Mental
Hygiene promulgated his new program in
relation to the treatment OF insanity. He
proposes a system OF social service IN
asylums and campaign OF education for
the general public to the end that the
stigma OF having suffered from insanity
may be removed from the popular mind
Commercial Bpdies and Charity.
The responsibility of the central CONNER
cial organization of city ana its relation
to the standards of charity work done In
that community were pointed out by How
ard Strong, assistant secretary of the
Chamber OF Commerce OF Cleveland. o.
THE Cleveland Chamber of Commerce"
said Mr.. Strong rs concerned with every
movement for the betterment OF Cleve-
land, for the uplift of its citizens from
commercial, civic or social standpoint ana
| II is therefore, as much a chamber OF ciu-
zens as It is a chamber or commerce, The
of the city assumed as a fundamental prln-
| cple that the charity which receives its
support from the public Is in sense
public institution. and that the public has
a right, therefore, to know Its methods
and to demand its conformity with an ae-
cepted standard of efficiency. Fully 10
per cent Of the money which is collected
each year for the support OF Clevelands
charitable organizations is given by the
members OF the Chamber of Commerce or
their families. The chamber In recogni-
ton of its responsibility, therefore, has as
sumed supervision of the charitable organ
izations of Cleveland. Because certain or
the wiser contributors Of Cleveland recog-
nized the existence of uisconception OF
the standards of charity, committee on
| benevolent associations Of the chamber
was appointed. Because members OF this
committee discovered the existence OF In
stitutions which would rather give to an
unworthy recipient a Sunday dinner a
thousand times over than let him break the
Sabbath day by working for it, and be-
cause they found organizations which be-
lieved in giving to whatsoever asks and
whatever he asks and leaving it to the good
| Lord in heaven to see to 1t that 1t does
him good the committee has continued us
| efforts and broadened the scope OF its en-
deavor. As fundamental principles for an
effective scheme of municipal charities the
committee has insisted upon efficiency
nonduplication and cooperation. In order
to make effective its principles-and this
should obtain in every city-the committee
STIMULATES as far as is practicable that or
Ranizations comply with the following re-
ouirements before endorsement Is granted:
a. The organization shall fill need not
already well filled by existing organiza-
n ton. and not capable of being thus filled.
e. The need shall be relatively great
i enough to warrant the equipment and sup
port of separate institution.
"3 The organization shall agree to CO.
operate with other charitable institutions
in promoting efficiency and economy of
administration in the charities of the city
as whole and in preventing duplication OF
effort.
~ The administrative committee of the
organization shall meet at least quarterly.
"5 All funds shall be collected according
to a method approved by the committee on
benevolent associations.
IS. The accounts of the organization shall
be regularly audited and copy of the an
nual report shall be filed with the commit
tee on benevolent associations.
az The operations of the organization
and its accounts shall always be open to
the investigation OF accredited representa-
tlves of the committee on benevolent asso-
Citations" t..H
Address of Miss LathrOp.
The lack of scientific information about
the extent of dependency due to danger
Gus trades was pointed out by Miss Julia
c. Lathrop of Hull House, Chicago, in an
address on institutional Records and In
dustrlal Causes OF Dependency"
THE progress Of invention and the
cheapening of methods of production"
said Miss Lathrop, give a by-product Of
new trade dangers, mysterious as yet, but
unquestionable. The subject is one upon
which the work must be done by the
medical profession and other scientists
Only as general facts are established, as
to occupatonal risks, can we expect that
case records in institutions will be kept
as to register industrial injury. These
great institution should themselves be
centers of study and research and II is
a shortsighted people which has by
meager appropriations and political inter-
ference hindered the free development of
a vigorous, scientific spirit which would
not only express itself In clear case rec
ords, but would lead in securing the pre-
surance which will inevitably follow such
knowledge. The public is honest and gen.
erous and eager to be just as well as
generous. Today America is hating in the
matter of dignfied provision against tho
vicissitudes of industrial and professional
life. only because It is not given aseertained