The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-05-22
SAVE THE

A Commonwealth in the making
Virginia is still in her growing pains)
must look ever to the future. And as
the greatness of a people depends not
upon the riches which Nature has
ehowered, but upon the worth and use
fuiness OF the individual citizen. the
preparation of children for tile duties
of to morrow must be the paramount
obligation.
When one thinks OF the homes Of
Virginia. he fears hut little for the
future. But what about those reared
under conditions which must inevita-
bly, make criminals? What about those
so-called homes where the raw ma
terial lives out of which is to he made
the finished product of inmates of pen
itentiaries and ~almshouses and insane
asyiums M houses OF i'll fame?
During the year 1910. here in the
City OF Richmond, in the centre for
Christian Influences and in an atmos-
phere of morality and decency. one
thousand and forty-two children were
ehSA oClSa tlc IOuI ~. 70 answer LOT
more or less serious offences. The rig
ures are appalling Dr.. J.T. Mastin,
of the State Boa.d of Charities ana
Corrections. estimates that In the cities
OF the State alone. leaving out Of
tenders in the towns and country dis
%tricts, 5000 children are made to an
swer for !nfractIons OF the la". every
year.
For the entire state. only -four hun
.dred of these delinquent children are
cared for, this being the total attend
ance at the Laurel Industrial School.
the negro reformatory and the Virginia
Home and Industrial School for Girls.
1t appears that moral delinquency is
on the increase among the young.
DR., L. G. Levy. the City Health Of
fcer, has reported that OF every four
children born in Richmond. one dies
within the first year. This horrible
slaughter Of the innocents must have
It's causes. Or. Walter H Page, editor
of the Worlds Work. said in an ad-
dress here last >ovember that The
beasts in the forest raise Il larger per
cen'age Of their young than do the
of these United states.
Twenty thousand children in vir-
ginia are. in destitute circumstances.
with less than four thousand cared
for by public and %phiianthropic agen-
cies. The rest are doomed to grow
up under at least unfavorable and
probably depraved surroundings. Three
hundred children In the State are phys
scally deformed and crippled. and need
surgical treatment.
We have Just drawn a distinction
between public" and ''philanthropic'
agencies. The latter are doing a splen-
did work. But the formers activities
need not be placed at all upon a
humanitarian basis. The ~ituatlo NAV
well be h.apdlcd from a Viewpoint Of
common. sense and business acumen
Every time a child Is saved from i'm.
moral and vicious surroundings. ana
placed under proper Influences. Inc
Commonwealth is saved so much in
- ooilhEs ana cents. II saves the
money which WOULD be spent in after
years In paying the expenses OF cour,
trials and the maintenance Of prisoners
in the penitentiaries. and OF insane
people in asylums, and Of hopeless pau
pers in almshouses. and makes Of po-
t%ential criminals producing and self
respecting members of soc!etv. nddinr
every day 10 The sum total OF the puh-
lie wealth.
Therefore The child welfare Con.
ference, which begins its sessions to.
night The subject is worthy the Nus,
thought Of the times, am Of lie a.
tcntion and sympathy OF tie public NJ
large as Well as Of the distlnguished
men who are to take part in the de-.
liberations OF this conference
!, .N'H#t Nr