The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-04-18
POOR CHILDREN
 HAVE ADVANTAGE Dr. Elliott Says Rich Chil- dren Are Unfortunate NO RESPONSIBILITIES Responsibilities Placed Upon Poor Children Fits Them for Life
 and Enables Them to Gain
 Priceless Experience
NO RESPONSIBILITIES

New York, April 17.-(Special. )-"Ihe children of the poor have the best chance to become good citizens.
 "The learning to be obtained in books is tremendously over-estinated.
 "The children of wealthy parents are deprived of many advantages
 pr. John L. Elliott, noted settlement worker, gave utterance today to the above. Continuing. he said;
 What advantage have poor children that rich children do not have?
 '-The disadvantage under which rich child labors is that all responsibility is lifted from his shoulders.
 ''The child of rich parents makes me think of very short man walking be- tween two tall men who are carrying q log. One of the tall men is the home, the other is the school. Between them they support the weight The child walks be- meath, escaping everything. Why, in the rich home it is grandmother, walk more quietly, little Johnnie is studying his arithmetic All weight, all responsibility, all sense of cooperation is taken from the child, but with children of poor parents it is different. While they are still young they are sent out into the streets to gather wood and bits of coal. When they are a little older the wages they may earn contribuate to the common good Of the family. At no time do they think of themselves as the individual about whom everything must center.
  operation. He does not think of his par ents as Gods, and judge them as such. He thinks of them as two human beings bearing tremendous responsibilities. His point of view fits him better to become a better citizen than does the early train ing of a rich child.
 But are not the poor children apt to become unmerciful individuals in their necessarily greater strife for success ?' Was suggested.
 There you touch upon the great menace of America" Dr. Elliott ad- plitted. The whole spirit of this coun> try under present conditions is mania for individuals. No community passion no thought of the greatest good to the greatest number no thought of CO., operation.
 I ceed; how make money for myself how win individual fame. Everybody in America is either working like fiend so they may spend more upon them selves or working like fiend so they may sit down and spend a little la ter on. There is never a thought of work ing for others, or for what is far more important, working for the high est good of the democracy
 'I1pfOrtunatelv the idea of surname individuality is being inculated into our children, particularly of rich parents.
 We have to initiate our children into proper attitude toward life in three ways. First through the home, second through the school and third through their life work or bus.ness We must start by teaching them cooperation in the homes. by making them understand the home Is the unit to be preserved. not themselves. Again, the child must be initiated into the community inter- est, the class interest in the school. Most important of all, when he enters into his life work he must be prepared to regard 1t in its relation to the entire social fabric and not as purely per sonal entrprise. This can not be done from without, the initiation into the spirit of thing must come from within. The child must be taught to think first and then to act. He must not be a blind follower.
 ITO this end, to the development of cooperative idea, do not know of any thing more inspiring to a child than studying the lives and deeds of really great people"