The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-05-21
CHILD PROBLEMS
TOBECONS|DEREO
One-Fourth OF All Born in Rich
mond Die During First
Year.
ONE THOUSAND ARRESTED
Startling Figures for City and
State Present Questions to
Conference.

why is a Child Welfare Confer
ence?" This question has been asked
so often of late that ii seemed desir-
Those who are promoting the meeting
to be held this week have known tht
conditions all along. and have perhaps
taken too much for granted in refer
ence to the public's knowledge.
So when a reporter Tor The Times.
Dispatch. from the standpoint of an or
binary citizen. asked the above ques-
ton of Rev. j. r. Mustin. secretary OF
the State Board of Charities and Cor
Being the most obliging OF men, he
later wrote out a few facts by way
Of reply. which Will no doubt surprise
the public far more than DIR. Mastin
was. He says:
Why Is Hc
why is a Child Welfare Confer
ence?' We answer first: Last year
there We're 1.0i2 children under six
teen years old brought before the
courts in the city of Richmond. There
is no house OF detention provided for
these children. consequently they must
II ound guilty, be, under a strict con
struction OF the law. committed to Jail
In the negro reformatory there are l10
inmates, in the Laurel Industrial
School there are 200. in the Virginia
Home and Industrial School for Girls
there are Is; total. 395. In the same
proportion there would be about 1900
delinquent children at least in tho
cities of Virginia. not to speak OF
those brought before the courts in the
country districts. we provide for only
abont 400. What becomes of the 9TH
ers? we want this conference to CON
slider the question what can be done
with the other $500. and how to pro-
vent the increase of delinquency In
the State.
Second. There are at least 5000 dis
tinctiy feeble-minded people in the
State, leaving out the high grade i'm.
and ~friendless. TIL anumber OF phys.
lcally' and mentally defective children
In Virginia Is increasing. There is but
on@ institution for the care of feeble.
minded In Virginia. and this cares 70,
but about seventy. There Is not ir
'he State. except the a~lmshouses. al
institution that will care for the fee.
tie-minded free OF charge. What We
fhall do with our mentally defectiv,
Increase of feeble mindedness is
burning question for us.
one-Fourth Die First Yenr.
Third. There were reported las
year to the Board OF Health of tn,
city OF Richmond 2.7s4 births and SO;
deaths OF infants under ono year old
That is to say, that about rs per CEN
az the children born in the city o
OF Richmond last year died in infancy
The conference Will raise the question
What shall we do to prevent infan
mortality?'
Fourth. There are 2s.oe5 childrel
OF school ago in the city of Richmond
and 23.o56 enrolled in the public an,
private schools. and enrolment doe
not mean regular attendance. If thi
is 80. in Richmond, think OF smalle
places and rural districts that hav
not our modern school system. Com
pulsory! education enforced with goo
~trnancy ioficers is necessary to equi
a child for future usefulness. Moth
Ing Is being done for the laggards
our schools. These children try tn
temper and wear out the usefulness @