The Washington herald., 1911-01-22

investigators. Photographs and statistics
of all kinds were collected which will
prove of great value.
While the exhibit deals frankly and
fearlessly with child conditions as they
are its purpose is optimistic. For along
with the bad it has shown the good, and
in each case has indicated either ways
of encouraging and spreading good in
fluences or of remedying existing evil
conditions.
Especially interesting are the exhibits
gathered by the committees on streets,
recreation. and amusements. There are
photographs showing the extremes to
which children are forced to resort in
order to play at all: street accidents are
graphically illustra ted d typical candy
shop is shown and the kind of candy
children buy and its effect upon them
illustrated.
The statistics gathered by these COM
mittees are no less interesting, and in
some cases tragic. They reveal the fact
that many children of poor families be-
gin the day without breakfast. and were
it not for the free luncheon provided
by the city, they would be compelled to
forego a meal at noon. In one school
alone there were 400 children who had
no one at home to get lunch for them at
noon. Hundreds of others are compelled
to work after school hours, and many
of these have not an adequate amount of
rest
Among the questions sent to the public
schools to be answered by the children
were the following:
L What do you do when you go home
from school?
.. How long do you have for play?
3. How long do you have to study your
lessons?
4. Do you belong to any library?
& How many books have you read this
term?
6, What newspapers do you read in your
homo
Z. What time do you get up in the
morning?
8. What time do you go to bed at night?
Here are the facts as shown in the re-
plies Of seven little girls from one class
Only ono of them was over ten years Six
OF them worked at tying feathers. that
Is, making willow plumes, after school,
One. a twelve-year old, sewed buttons and
made buttonholes on babies dresses, re-
ceiring five cents dozen for the work.
As for play, three Of the seven calmly
say that they have no time to play, one
has an hour. two have half an hour. and
one says after have finished one feath-
q I can play on the street.
-Four have half an hour for study. two
have an hour. and one has lone minute"
Not one OF the seven belongs to a library;
one hasn't read any hook at ALL The
others have read one or two. Only one
roads a newspaper. Two are in bed from
3 to 6. one from 10 to $50, one from to
6:30. one from II to 6. one from 10 to s,
and one from to $50. Not one OF them
has therefore an adequate amount Of
rest
The small amount of play room that
New York children have is shown by a
ono N 1ir-s1 h@ NsA~ HaH~ H.
tricts. In DIG OF these districts. having
nine miles Of streets. a population of
5000, and q school registration Of nearly
5000, there Is only one vacant lot In
striking contrast to this. there are 119
saloons. Is candy shops. and a large
number Of moving picture shows.
These candy shops play an important
part In the life of the child. One Of the |
worst features of some Of them Is being |
Fought by law, that is the back room |
where girls and boys have been in the |
habit Of meeting. But many Of them still |
depend for their existence on the sale |
of unwholesome candy and Of equally |
unwholesome dime novels and picture /
postcards. The child crowded OFF the |
street and forced to substitute standing |
around for good healthy play finds the
candy shop an alluring place in which to !
DO that standing around. As one Of the
child welfare investigators put 1t, ITS
1oilypops against baseba1ls.''
Another resource Of the city child Is
the moving picture shows These have
been made the subject Of a careful In
vestigation In connection with the COM
ing exhibit Probably more than half |
these Aim shows are dependent on the pa-
tronage Of children.
The COMMITTEES on churches has revealed |
the astonishing fact that Of the one /
million school children In Greater New
nj Anvw Anh~> II
1end any Kind Of . Sunday school-Prot. /
eetAut. Catholic, or jewish.
An interesttng exhibit II supplied b. I
ne committee ON homes. There u & /
a. 1llha6 q . rotnn .cnGk i