The Washington herald., 1911-01-30
Child Welfare in the District.


The care OF the child is the founda
ton OF national strength This fact,
so indisputahle and 50 important. makes
the child-wclfarc movement IN the Dis
trict of Columbia. now especially promi
rent because ci the curfew agitation.
matter for scriou, discussion. Most
praiscwor,hy are the efforts cf the men
and women Wh" are dcvoting them
Selves to the task OF improving the en-
rironment Of the children here. The
fact IS that IN Washington, As in other
cities. We have been spending enormous
sums for rciormatories and hospitals.
never realizing that this great expense
might he curtaled If proper attention
be given to the mind and health OF the
children There never was 4 truer say
ing than that the child is father OF the
lnan.
Humanity, thrust into the artih
cial and Cramped environment OF con,
Gc>ted districts. says a recent writer.
''haa dcterioratcd mentally, morally.
and physically 50 rapidly and in
such increasing numbers that it is
simp! appalling to think what the con-
ditions viii he in two more gen.
eration> ii some radical and wide
spread Improvement l. not made" Great
Britain PAID the penalty OF juvenile
I,,,, he
Boer uar The standards Of height.
weight. and strength had to be reduced
in order to I'll the ranks. and i de
vitallzcd army was the result. We
shall not, it is sincerely 10 be hoped. be
called upon to furnish soldiers fer an
other war. At the same time, the na
ton has been 50 cngrossed with its own
development and 80 >creneIy optimistic
a. 10 It's future that it has failed TO
realize the Importance OF LAYING the
foundation for a population OF sturdy.
cIcar-thInkiug men and women. The
idea uf race salvation seemed distant
and alt~u,tic. 1t wa, only when the
awakening came. and the necessity OF
caring Tor the children impressed itself
upon d icw far>cc,rg minds that the
present nlol cn'cnt took definite shape
Il Is happrL, true that Washington
docs not present III >upcrIatlvc degree
the dcnorabic condition, which exist IN
larger CIt.c~. None tho ic,>. there i,
room for activity here. The establish
ncnt II the juN emile Court va a long
sep IN ,i'c right direction. and the play
ground~ are splendid helps toward ply
seal training and rcCrcatton. The child
labor law h4~ been bcnehcill. and vet
hs,ond all these lc- tho imperative
necessity at improving the environment
ci tho children in undesirable homcs In
approaching thI~ phase IT the subject.
however. 4 dciicatc problem presents
itscif How j., this amci"ration 10 be
accomplished We cannon agree alto
GcthcT with those who wouli put upon
the municipal authorities the burden Of
caring i2r the child The police power
OF the government /, most cllStic. but
1t Was never intended to invade the
home and super>edc parental duty The
children Of the present generation are
not to he made good citizen, by mere
regulation The work which is to be
done must he ~pontaneous and sympa-
thetiC. and not dependent upon the
heavy arm If the law There must be.
first of all, I definite public sentiment
as TO the necessity OF caring for the
child. and then must follow a great
educational movement which will grad
ually rcvolutionize conditions. To those
whose enthusiasm brooks no delay, this
may seem a slow and atisfactory
method OF reaching the desired end, but
it would seem TO be , the safest and
surest way. Nothing is to be gained by
drastic measures, and certainly it must
be realized that very large proportion
Of people who are heartily in sympathy
with the movement are averse to the
regulation of the family by the munich
pality.
This fact ought not to discourage the
men and women who believe that the
future of the nation rests upon the
children of to-day. They have begun
great work. and their labor is certain
to be productive of great good. Ex-
perience will demonstrate the least OBJ
jectionable and most effective methods
of securing the desired result