The Durham recorder. [volume] (Durham, N.C.) 1879-19??, 1911-09-15
The Best Way 10 Eliminate Feeble.
Minded Children
DR.. HASTINGS HART IN CITY
Talks Interestingly Of His Life Work
and Of the Home For Feeble Mind
ed Children at Kinston, Giving
Sound Advice For Its Conduet-Or-
phanages Being Abolished.

An interesting visitor to Durham
today is DIR. Hastings H. Hart, direc-
tor OF the child study department of
the Russell Sage foundation. He
came in this morning from Kinston,
where he met with the board Of d.
rectors OF the home for feeble-mind-
ed children that is to be establishe ed
by the state at Kinston. Mr.. Hart
spoke very interestingly about the
work in which he has been engaged
for 2S years.
Il certainly hope North Carolina
won't go about the care of feeble
minded children backwards as many
other states have done. Most of the
states attempt to take care of the
young children who show signs of
feeble midedness and who give prom
Use of being cured This Is a grave
mistake. The way TO care for the
feeble-minded children OF the state is
to begin with the feeble-minded girls
between the ages of 13 and 25 years
who are likely to become mothers.
Close observation and study has
brought out the fact that practically
all of the feeple-minded children
come from feeble-minded mothers.
Take care of the girls and 1t will be
only short time before you will have
no feeble-minded children.
There are something like 1000 fee
ble-minded children in North Caro-
lima. Any attempt to care for this
number by the state would be impos-
sible. or this number at least 500 are
girls who viii BECOME mothers. With
the facilities that are being provided
at Kinston. practically all of these
600 girls can be cared for. II this is
done, IL will be only few years until
there will be practically no feeble
minded children in North Carolina.
North Carolina is the pioneer
southern state In the work that is
about to be undertaken. Kentucky Ii
the only other southern state that has
ever made any attempt to establish q
home such as is being established Al
Kinston. II shows a progressive spir.
II on the part Of your people that Il
very gratifying.
Abandoning Orphans Home.
Il am very much surprised thai
children are being cared for so exten.
siyely In orphan homes in the south
In the north. orphan homes are beinl
rapidly abandoned. and practically al
OF the orphan children are being car.
ed. for by the placing-out system
that is by finding homes for the chill.
dren as Is being done by the North
Carolina children's Home Society. In
Indiana. 25 orphan homes have re.
Gently been abandoned and a mum.
Der have also been abandoned recent.
ly in Massachusetts,. Caring for chill.
dren In orphan homes Is too expen.
sive. In the south where the people
are much more hospitable than the
people OF the north and west. the plac.
ing out OF children should be very
successful A small home like thi
one that is being built In Durham
will do the work OF a very large or.
phan asylum at only a small fraction
OF the expense.
Mr.. Hart was very favorably i'm.
pressed with the plans for the con.
struction OF the home here and espe.
clally pleased with the idea Of max.
ing the building fire-proof.
Tonight. Mr.. Hart goes to Ashevill,
where he will address the chIld's
Welfare Association.