Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1913-02-05
TO. STUDY PROBLEM. EN-.
BUREAU OF SOCIAL, HYGIENE rs u
EXPLAINED BY JOHN D..
IG3 ROCKEFELLER, JR. izS
WAS FOUNDED TWO YEARS AGO.
Son Of Retired OIL Magnate Describes
the Origin, Work and Proposed
Plans for the Investigation Of Vice
Conditions. @G $3.50 a,

Conditions. a
B New York, Jan. 27.-In order that
the public might better understand
the Bureau of Social Hygiene, John
D. Rockefeller, Jr., on Monday gave
out a statement explaining the origin,
work and plans Of that institutions.
The bureau, he said, came into exist
ence about two years ago as result
Of the work Of a special grand jury
appointed to investigate the white
slave traffic in New York city. This
jury recommended that a public COM
mission be appointed to study the
social evil
Mr.. Rockefeller was foreman OF
that grand jury and he thereafter
gave the subject deep thought and
conferred with a large number OF lead
ing men and women. These confer
ences," says Mr.. Rockefeller, "devel-
oped the feeling that a public commits mis-
sion would labor under a number OF
disadvantages, such as the fact that;
it would be short lived: that its work.
would be done publicly; that at best
1t could hardly do more than pre-
sent recommendations. So the con-
viction grew that in. order to make 9,
real and lasting improvement in con-
ditions, permanent organization
should be created, the continuation of
which would not be dependent upon q
temporary wave of reform, nor upon
the life OF any man or group Of men.
but which would 60 on, generation.
after generation, continuously making
warfare against the forces Of evil. It
also appeared that a private organize
ton would have, among other advan-,
tages, a certain freedom from public
ity and from political bias, which a
publicly appointed commission could
not SO easily avoid: s5iE q,
Therefore, as the initial step. in
the winter of 1911 the Bureauzof So
cial Hygiene was formed. Its pres
ent members are Miss Katharine Benz.
ent Davis, superintendent Of the New!
York state Reformatory for Women
at Bedford Hills, N. Y; Paul NJ. War
burg, Of the firm Of Kuhn. Loeb &
Co.. Starr J. Murphy, Of the New
York bar, and John D. Rockefeller
Jr. AS the work develops new mem-
bers may be added. Fl fg
e zone OF the first things undertaken
by the bureau was the establishment;
at Bedford Hills, adjacent to the re-
formatory, Of a laboratory OF social
hygiene, under Miss Davis direction
In this laboratory it is proposed to
study from the physical, mental, So
cial and moral side each person COM
mitted to the reformatory. This study
will be carried on by experts and each.
case will be kept under observation,
for from three weeks to three months,
as may be required. When the dag
nosis Is completed, 1t Is hoped that
the laboratory will be in position to-
recommend the treatment most likely
to reform the individual, or. If re-,
formation is Impossible, to recon-;
mend permanent custodial care. Fur.
thermore, reaching out beyond the tin-
dividuals involved. It is believed that
thus important contributions may be-
made to a fuller knowledge OF the
conditions ultimately responsible for
vice. II this experiment is successful
the principle may prove applicable to-
all classes Of criminals and the condi-
lions precedent to crime, and lead to-
lines Of action not only more scien-
tiflc and humane but also less waste
full than those at present followed. ~" Z.
That its work might be done intelli-;
gently the bureau employed George il.
Kneeland to make a comprehensive
survey OF vice conditions in New
York, and Abraham Flexner to study
the social evil in Europe, and their
reports are, now being prepared
These studies will be followed by oth-3
ers In various American cities, and
1t Is the hope Of the bureau that
based upon all Of them, may be de-
vised practical plan for dealing
with the social evil. B. !; 'Ei j.5
In conclusion Mr.. Rockefeller's
statement says: 1T cannot be too
strongly emphasized that the spirit!
which dominates. the work Of the bu..
reau is not sensational or sentiment
tai or hysterical; that 1t is not a spir-
It Of criticism Of public officials; but
that it is, essentially a spirit of COM
structive suggestion and OF deep sell
entiflc as well as humane interest in
a great world problem" s5s