The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1913-01-30
sluOi2S A 6HiAl faUgLEM
BUREAU OF SOCIAL HYGIENE IS
EXPLAINED.
John D. Rockefeller, Jr, Tells Of Its
Origin, Work and Plans for the In
vestigation Of Vice Conditions.


New York, Jan. 27.-In order that
the public might better understand
the Bureau of Social Hygiene. John
ID. Rockefeller, Jr., today gave out a
statement explaining the origin, work
and plans OF that institution. The
bureau, he said, came into existence
! about two years ago as /. result of the
work of a special grand jury appoint
ed to investigate the white slave traf-
fc in New York City. This jury rec
commended that a public commission
be appointed to study the social evil.
Gave Subject Thought.
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
sion would labor under a number of
disadvantages, such as the fact that
il would be short lived: that its work
would be done publicly; that at best
| II could hardly do more than present
cO INC NObNlNliOb
grew that in order to make a real
and lasting improvement in condi-
tons, a permanent organization should
be created, the continuation of which
would not be dependent upon a en-
porary wave of reform, nor upon the
life of any man or group of men, but
which would go on, generation after
generation, continuously making war
fare against the forces of evil. 1t
also appeared that a private o~rganiza-
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.
Therefore, as the initial step, in
the winter of 1911 the Bureau of So
cial Hygiene was formed. Its pres
ent members are Miss Katherine Benz
ent Davis. superintendent of the New
York State Reformatory for Women
at Bedford Hills, N. Y; Paul M. War
burg, of the firm of Kuhn, Loeb & Co.;
Starr j. Murphy, of the New York
bar, and John ID. Rockefeller, Jr. AS
the work develops new members may
be added.
Bedford Hills Established.
"One 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, u..der Miss Davis direction.
In this laboratory it is proposed to
study from the physical, mental, so
cial and moral side each person CON-
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, ii is hoped that
the laboratory will be in position to
recommend the treatment most likely
to reform the individual, or, If refor-
nation is impossible, to recommend
permanent custodial care. Further
more, reaching out beyond the indi-
viduals involved, it is believed that
thus important contributions may be
made to a fuller knowledge of the
conditions ultimately responsible for
vice. IL this experiment is successful
the principle may prove applicable to
ali classes of criminals and the con-
ditions precedent to crime, and lead
to lines of action not only more scien-
tific and humane but also less waste
full than those at present followed"
Employ Mr.. kneeIand.
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 a prac-
tical 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 senti.nen-
|, tai or hysterical; that II is not a spirit
!, of criticism of public officials; but
that 1t is essentially a spirit of con
!, ~structive suggestion and of deep sci
entiic as well as humane interest in
a great world problem"
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