The Mathews journal. (Mathews C.H. [Court House]) 1903-1937, 1911-06-01
WOULD PROTECT
MAYNARD GIRLS
MoND, vA-special.-

r l II NJ o n d, VA.-Special.-
over zoo girls between the ages OF
twelve and sixteen years unprotected,
roam the streets of Richmond nightly
until late ho1rs. the majority OF them
treQuenting the segregated sections OF
the city, where sCcnes OF debauchery
and acts of depraVIty and crime are
constantly enacted, and coming into,
contact with vicious men and women"
was the narrowing announcement
made TO the Virginia Child Welfare
Conference at tins mornings session
10y Or. Douglas Freeman in a discus
sion of the delinquent child in the
street.
He continued: Perhaps the great
est menace TO the young girls of our
| city today are the cheap five and ten
cent vaudeville and moving picture
theaters here. At these theaters not
only are the shows mostly of a low
grade and the performers oftea coarse
and vulgar. buJ tue Cd t.- ...a the
| jokes and language used are some
| times obscene and leWuis suggestive.
I4u>. IS reSaTvs the u.C,.pu .t--. res.
a board of censorship passes on most
| OF them, but many ,naJ aiv ,...4t get
| 10y and are shown here.
"One OF the greatest allies CT de-
| linquency among girls is not alone
| these moving picture ald Vaeap.
Vaudeville shows, but the opportunity
| they have when they do 80 10 any
!
what they find.
If you inquire. you will find, as
l did, that over 500 delinquent girls
| OF all ages go to these shows in COM
pany with other girls and when they
go IN and NheA Easy come out put.
| themselves into the hands or into the
| clutches OF the most q ayC.Cl tIpe of
man that can be found anywneIe-
those hangers-on in and around the.
| cheap theater are the greatest menace
| OF this day.
The police are keeping a watch on
| a score or more of such men and are
fairly itching to get I..~.r hands on.
| them, but have not yet had the oppor-
tunlts, these people Ie.-.~ h ,9-~s sed
| OF Il lOW-cunnirE which enables Them
| to eVade the Jaw
DR.. Freeman urged that a distinc-
ton should be made between delin-
quent and actually deficient children,
and this especially in the courts, where
| these children are continually dealt
| with and where, in the ma jority of
cases, the same treatment is applied
TO both. He said that nine-tenths Of
the delinquency among young girls.
was due to the lack Of proper amuSe-
ment at home or proper places Of
amusement elsewhere.
/ Following this Miss Constant Nc
Corkle, secretary of the Young Wo-
mans Christian Association, of this
| city, delivered Il very pra :tical al
dress in which she pointed out that
! the only solution TO the problem of
the delinquent girl of today was that
she be Afforded diversion and amuse-
ment in a proper manner, and that
places of recreation be established,
maintained and supervised by asso-
Citations of Christian people.
In order that the teachers of the
public schools be given an Opportu-
nifty to hear the address of Miss Laura
| Garrett, OF the American Purity AL
lance, of New York, on instruction
in Sex Hygiene" the first part of the
mornings program was exchanged for
the last part. DR.. r. *. Flanagan
presided in the absence Of j. Aston
Cabell and DR.. George Ross. Great
impetus was given to the movement
for greater cooperation in the work
of the various conferences for child
, welfare by the address of DR.. Allen
Freeman, of the State Health Depart
ment, on Coordination in Social
| Work"
A series of resolutions making rec
concentrations to the General Assem-
bly, of Virginia were presented by DR..
Barton Myers and adopted by unan-
imous vote.
The address of Miss Laura Garrett.
of the American Purity Alliance, of
New York, was a beautiful collection
of facts of nature-study replete with
pure and illustrative lessons which
a are taught children and which incul-
cate in them the Instructions in sex
hygiene in a fascinating and sublime
manner by teaching them to trace
the work of nature in plants and ami
mails.
The conference was adjourned at
about o'clock for luncheon.