Smyrna times., 1913-01-29
ROCKEFELLER TRYING TO
REDEEM THE WHITE SLAVES
EXPERT STUDY OF PROBLEM
IN HOPE THE OF REFORM

George Nneeiand. Who directed chi
cage wee inquiry. ana Abraham
Flexrer. Meoicai Examiner. Prepar
Ing seLorts-soeiai Hygiene oreani-
zaticns Fight on Social Evil.
Among the foremost meu Of The
country who nave given serious and
critical consideration OF the social EVIL
with view toward its humane and
scientific abatement is John D. Rookie
feller, Jr.. OF New York
Ever since he sat as foreman OF the
grand jury in New York about two
years ago Mr.. Rockefeller has been
keenly interested in discovering a SEN
sible plan for curtailing the white slave
traffic He was largely instrumental.
both financially and personally. in the
organization of the bureau Of social
hygiene, started with the deep and
earnest purpose of thoroughly investi-
eating the present conditions of the
social evil and OF eradicating them so
far as possible.
Mr.. Rockefeller now makes public
the following interesting and import
ant statement as to the origin. work
and plans Of the bureau:
THE bureau of social hygiene came
into existence about two years ago as
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 recommen
datiOns made by it in the presentment
handed up at the termination of its
labors was that a public commission be
appointed to study the social evil. The
foreman of that body subsequently
gave careful consideration of the char.
acter of the work which might proper.
ly be done by such a commission and
the limitations under which it would
operate.
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
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 &C
on, generation after generation. con
tinuously making warfare against the
forces of evil.
"One of the first things undertaken
by the bureau was the establishment
at Bedford Ellis, adjacent to the re
fOrmatory, of a laboratory of social
hygiene under Miss Davis direction IU
this laboratory it is proposed to study
from the physical, mental. social and
moral side each person committed T.
the reformatory.
Arrangements were made, there
fore. in the early part of last winter
to secure the services of George J
Kneeland, who had directed the Chi
cago vice commission investigation
Since that time Mr. Kneland. with =
corps of assistants, has been makins
thorough and comprehensive survey
of the conditions of vice in New Yorl
city.
AT the same time the bureau wa
fortunate in securing the services O
Abraham Flexner. whose reports q
the medical schools in this country anC
in Europe are so well known. to stud
the social evil and the various meth
DDS of dealing with it in the lesdinl
cities of Europe.
Based upon all of these studies
which will probably be published b
December Of this ye1 it is the hop
of the bureau that there may be de
vised a practical plan for dealing wit
the social evil in New York city. plai
which public opinion can be brough
to support"