Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1913-01-30
4 BIC PROBLEM
BUREAU or SOCIAL HYGIENE is
EXPLAINED.
John D. Rockefeller, Jr, Tells o. in
Origin, Work and Plans for the
Investigation Of Vice
Conditions.

New York-.In order that the pupiio
might better understand the bureau
of Social Hygiene, John D. Rockefei-
Ter. Jr.. Monday gave out a state
ment explaining the origin, work ana
plans of that institution. The bureau,
he said, came into existence about
two years ago as a result of h work
of a special grand jury appointed 70
investigate the white slave trafnc IN
New York City. This jury recon-
mended that a public commission be
appointed to study the social evil.
AIR Rockefeller was foreman OF
that grand jury and he thereafter
gave the subject deep thought and
conferred with a large number OF eao
ing men and women. These confer
ences," says Mr.. Rockefeller, "devel-
oped the feeling that a public commls-
| sion would labor under a NUMBER OIL
| disadyantages, such as the fact that
| it would be short lived; that It's WORK
would be done publicly; that at pest
# could hardly do more h pre-
sent recommendations. So the con
yictfon grew that in order to make a
raal and lasting improvement in con-
ditions, a permanent organlzatlon
should be created, the continuation OF
which would not be dependent upon a
temporary wave of reform, nor upon
the life of any man or group OF men
hut which would go on, generation
after generation, continuously maxine
warfare. against the forces OF evil. u
also appeared that a private organiza'
ton would have, among other aavan
tages. a certain freedom from pubic
ity and from political bias, Wnlcn :
publicly appointed commission couie
not so easily avoid.
therefore, as the initial step, II
the winterlof 1911 the Bureau OF so
cial Hygiene was formed. It's pres
ent members are Miss Katherine BEN
ont Davis, superintendent of the NeV
York state Reformatory for Womel
az Bedford Hills, N. y; Paul M. War
burg. of the firm of Kuhn, Loeb q co.
starr j. Murphy, of the New York bal
and John D. Rockefeller, Jr. AS Tn
work develops new members may 3
' added.
zone of the first things undertake
nv the bureau was the establishmer
: at Bedford Hills, adjacant to the r.
formatory, of a laboratory OF socif
hygiene. under Miss Davis direction
In this laboratory it is proposed I
= study from the physical, mental, soci'
a and moral side each person committe
e to the reformatory. This study vi
t be carried on by experts and eac
case will be kept under Observable
h for from three weeks to three month
as may be required. When the dla
nosis is completed, it is hoped that t.
y labratory will be in a position to re
ommend the treatment most likely
te reform the individual, or, if reform
ton is impossible, to recommend p'
manent custodial care. Furthermol
e, reaching out beyond the individus
m involved, it is believed that thus
7. portant contributions may be made
81 a fuller knowledge of the conditio
n ultimately responsible for vice.
this experiment is successful the pr
ciple may prove applicable to
N classes of criminals and the conditio
precedent to crime, and lead to lir
~ of action not only less wasteful tn
those al present followed"
That its work might be done int
gently the bureau employed George
Kneeland to make a comprehens
- survey of vice conditions in n
York, and Abraham Flexner to stt
the social evil in Europe, n tn
reports are now being prepared. Tn
studies will be followed by others
!, various American cities, and 1t Is
hope Of the bureau that, based VI
."s all Of them, may be devised a pl
teal plan for dealing with the SO
u, evil.
In conclusion Mr.. Rockefell
statement says: ut cannot be
-, strongly emphasized that the 81
:. which dominates the work Of the
e is not sensational or sentin
% tai or hysterical; that 1t is not a 81
oe criticism Of public Officials;
that it is essentially a spirit Of
). structive suggestion and of deep
entifc as well as humane interes
Nf -.1ok ,Y,or1I proh1ln -