Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1911-03-29

tive talk. at a meeting of the Federation OF
WOmen's Clubs at Richland Center Few
days ago. Miss Judd is working with the
Civic Committee and Business Men
League in an effort to organize Junior
Civic League among high school students
Her paper inspired much enthusiasm and a
committee was at once, appointed to work
with her in an effort to carry out her plans.
The paper has been furnished to The Herald
for publication by Mrs. Ada L. James, one of
the foremost women in the state in civic and
equal suffrage work Lancaster has OppOr-
tuniteS and needs along the lines discussed,
to which it is believed Miss Judd's PROPOSE
ton might with value be appl1ed-EDlTOR
HERALD
Some one has said, Next to the
preservation Of life and property to
citizens, city owes to it's children,
care and provision for their best
development +" He should have gone
farther saying. First above all in a
city comes the provision and care for
the children of that city
Our social development has passed
through many stages. In mans first
history, government consisted in the
strength one individual could WELD
. over another, regardless of justice or
of moral law. From that time. we
have passed SUCCESSFULLY through the
stages first of the recognition of equal
privileges of protection under the law
to men and second the partial guaran-
tee to women, of justice under the
law. The last great period into which
we are hesitatingly entering, is that in
which children are considered as fac
tors in community, municipal, state
and national life. The rights of in
dividuaIs or Of classes have always
been granted by the strong to the weak
sometimes forced from an unwilling
power by the very threats of the un-
protected classes, and sometimes
given through the good graces of a
powerful class or of an individual who
saw Justice as the undeniable right of
every citizen of the nation.
Children. being the weakest, most
unorganized, most dependent factors
in our commonwealth, are the last to
receive the rightful heritage under
the laws of their land, which is the
right to demand Of US careful,
thorough preparation for citizenship,
provision and guarantee for play
grounds. the right to demand that
their interests be represented in the
laws which operate to develop or to
deaden their possibilities for future
manhood and womanhood, in the
highest sense.
Because Of their present dependent
status, giving them no power to force
direct recognition from us, and be-
cause of their coming responsibilities
as law makers and law administrators,
we who have the power to see con-
ditions as they are and the ability to
remedy the evil if we will, must be
their champions and secure to them
their privileges as citizens.
One step has been taken towards
this saving of the child and like all
first steps it was a radical one. It
interpreted the child's privileges as
meaning the child's absolute liberties
and removed the restrictions which
should be an actual part of his privi-
leges, thus sacrificing the parent to
the child. 1t aggravated the impor
lance of the child's individual self
and minimized The Importance of his
service to his community. Inasmuch
as the movement carried these faults
it was deficient in good. but in all
that it has done to awaken our con-
sciences, it has worked a success.
Today all over this country, communi-
tiles are awake to the needs of the
child. They are demanding child
labor laws, hunting homes for home
less children, changing the study
courses In the schools, establishing
Fairgrounds, providing play super
visors. organizing civic leagues and
finding municipal work for the boys
and girls. Today it is hard 10 find
a community which has not made some
effort to secure the rights of govern
ment to children and hundreds of
towns stand out as splendid examples
of the good, which maybe accomplish
ed. Nor is it the city or the large
town where this work is most needed
1t is in the country town or village
that we are training the young people,
II we are training them at all. The
town is the unit of government.
Through its interests and its manage
ment we learn the fundamental prin
ciples of patriotism, of civic purity
and of national service-if we learn
them at all. Yet it is the little towns
the most fertile fields of all for civic
growth which are most neglecting
their children. We malign the child
for his inferioIity, bis Incidence, his