The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1913-02-11
THE BUREAU OF
SOCIAL HYGIENE
John D. Rockefeller, Jr.,
Writes Of Its Purposes.
EXPERTS PREPARING REPORT

Millionaire Announces George J. Knee
land, Special Vice Investigator, and
Abraham Flexner, Medical Examiner,
Will Soon Disclose Facts on Vice and
Possible Solution of Evil.
After two years of earnest, intelli-
gent effort the bureau of social hy-
giene in New York city will soon have
some startling reports and probable
solution to offer on the white slave
traffic.
John D. Rockefeller, Jr., foreman of
the special grand jury appointed to in
vestigate the hideous traffic two years
ago, is a member of the permanent
bureau which was formed at that
time. He has been a big factor per-
sonally and financially in advancing
the work of the bureau.
Mr.. Rockefeller has issued the fol-
lowing interesting statement as to the
origin, work and plans of the organ
ization:
The bureau of social hygiene came
into existence about two years ago as
a result Of the work of the special
grand jury appointed to investigate
the white slave traffic in New York
city, which served during the first half
of the year 1910. One of the recon-
mendations made by it in the present
ment handed up at the termination Of
its labors was that a public commits
sion be appointed to study the social
evil. The foreman of that body sub
sequently gave careful consideration
to the character of the work which
might properly be done by such
commission and the limitations under
which it would operate. In this con-
nection separate personal conferences
We're held with over a hundred lead
ing men and women in the city, among
whom were lawyers, physicians, busi-
ness men, bank presidents, presidents
of commercial organizations, clergy
men, settlement workers, social work
ers, labor leaders and reformers.
Favor Permanent Body.
These conferences developed the feel
labor under a number of disadvan-
tages, such as the fact that it would
be short lived; that its work would be
done publicly; that at best it could
hardly do more than present recon-
mendations. The conviction also grew
that the main reason why more per-
manent results had not been obtained
NV N nj Nrhi iph
had dealt with the subject of the So
cial evil during the past ten or fifteen
| years was that most of them were
temporary. While active, they mate
rally improved the situation, but as
their efforts were relaxed there came
the inevitable return to much the
same conditions as before. The forces
of evil are never greatly alarmed at
the organization of investigating or re-
form bodies, for they know that they
are generally composed of busy people
who cannot turn aside from their own
affairs for any length of time to carry
on reforms and that sooner or later
their efforts will cease, and the patient
denizens of the underworld and their
exploiters can then reappear and con-
tinue the traffic as formerly.
So the conviction grew that in Or
der to make a real and lasting i'm
provement in conditions a permanent
organization should be created the
continuance of which would not be de-
pendent upon temporary wave of re-
form nor upon the life of any man 81
group of men, but which would go on,
generation after generation. continu-
Ously making warfare against the
forces of evil. 1t also appeared that
a private organization would have,
among other advantages, a certain
freedom from publicity and from po-
litical bias which a publicly appointed
commission could not so easily avoid.
Found Bureau In 1911.
Therefore as the initial step in the
winter of 1911 the bureau of social hy-
giene was formed. Its present mem
bers are Miss Katharine Bement Da-
Wis, superintendent of the New York
state refOrmatory for women at Bed
ford Hills, New York; Paul NJ. War
burg of the firm of Kuhn, Loeb & Co.;
Starr ]. Murphy of the New York bar
and John d. Rockefeller, Jr. AS the
work develops new members may be
ndded.
One of the first things undertaken by
the bureau was the establishment al
Bedford Hills, adjacent to the reforma
tory, of laboratory of social hygiene
under Miss Davis direction. In this
laboratory it is proposed to study from
the physical, mental, social and mora
side each person committed to the re