Mexico Missouri message., 1913-01-30
STUDIES A BIC PROBLEM
BUREAU OF SOCIAL HYGIENE is
EXPLAINED.
John D. Rockefeller, Jry Tells OF It's
Origin, Work and Plans for the
Investigation OF Vice
Conditions.

New York.-In order that the public
might better understand the Bureau
of social Hygiene, John ID. Rockefel'
Ter, Jr., Monday gave out a state
ment explaining the origin, work and
plans of that institution. The bureau,
he said, came into existence about
two years ago as n result of the work
of q special grand jury appointed to
investigate the white slave traffic in
New York city. This jury recon-
mended that a public commission be
appointed to study the social evil.
Mr.. Rockefeller was foreman OK
that grand jury and he thereafter
gave the subject deep thought and
conferred with large number OF lead
ing men and women. These confer
ences," says Mr.. Rockefeller. "devel-
oped the feeling that a public commits
sion would labor under q number OF
disadvantages, such as the fact that
II would he short lived that its work
would be done publicly; that at best
It could hardly do more than pre-
sent recommendations. SO the con-.
viction grew that in order to make
real and lasting Improvement In con-
ditions, a permanent organization
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,
but which would go on, generation
after generation, continuously making
warfare against the forces of evil. 1t
also appeared that n private organiza-
ton would have. among other advan-
tagos. a certain freedom from public
ity and from political bias, which n
publicly appointed commission could
not so easily avoid.
Therefore, as the initial step, In
the winter of 1911 the Bureau of So
cial Hygiene was formed. Its pres
eut members are Miss Katherine Benz
ont Davis, superintendent of the New
York state Rcformatory for Women
q. 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 members may be
added.
"One Of the first things undertaken
by the bureau was the establishment
at Bedford Hills, adjacant to the re.
formatory, of q laboratory OF social
hygiene under Miss Davis direction.
In this laboratory 1t is proposed 20
study from the physical, mental, social
and moral side each person committed
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
| labratory will be in a position to rec
ommend the treatment most likely to
reform the individual, or, II reforma.
| ton Is impossible to recommend per-
| manent custodial care. Furthermore,
reaching out beyond the individuals
| involved, it is believed that thus i'm
portant contributions may be made to
fuller knowledge of the conditions
ultimately responsible for vice. II
| this experiment is successful the prin.
ciple may prove applicable to all
| classes of criminals and the conditions
precedent to crime, and lead TO lines
or action not only less wasteful than
those at present followed"
That it's work might be done intelli-
| gently the bureau employed George j.
| 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 others in
various American cities, and it is the
hope OF the bureau that, based upon
| all of them, may be devised prac,
| teal plan for dealing with the social
| evil.
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 sentimen.
tai or historical; that It is not a spirit
| % criticism of public officials; but
that it is essentially n spirit of con
structiye suggestion and of deep sci
ontiic as well as humane interest in
4 great world problem"