East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1913-01-27

political bias, which a publicly ap-
pointed commission could not so cas-
lily avoid.
Therefore, as the initial step, in the
winter of 1911 the Bureau of Social
Hygiene was formed. It's present
members are Miss Katherine Bement
Davis, superintendent of the New
York State Reformatory for Women
at Bedford Hills New York; Paul
M. Warburg, of the firm OF Kuhn
Loeb & Company Starr ]. Murphy of
the New York Bar; and John ID
Rockefeller, Jr. AS the work devel-
ops new members may be added
One of the first things undertaken
by the bureau was the establishment
at Bedford Hills, adjacent to the Re
formatOry of Social Hygiene, under
Miss Davis direction. In this labor
atory, it is proposed to study from
the physical mental, social and NOR
al side each person committed to the
reformatory. This study will be car
ried on by experts and each case will
be kept under observation for from,
three weeks to three months, as may
be required When the diagnosis is
completed, it is hoped that the labor
atory will be in position to recon-
mend the treatment most likely to re-
form the Individual or, If reformation
is impossible, to recommend perma-
nent 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 condi-
tions ultimately responsible for vice.
II this experiment is successful, the
principle may prove applicable to all
classes of criminals and the condi-
tions precedent to crime, and lead
to lines of action not only more SCI
entific and humane but also less
wasteful than those at present fol-
lowed.
In entering upon its labors, the bu-
reau regarded it of fundamental i'm
portance to make a careful study OF
the social evil in this country and in
Europe, feeling that this problem, like
any other great and difficult one.
can be intelligently approached only
by means of thorough and complete
knowledge of all the factors involved.
as well as all the methods and exper-
fences of other cities and countries in
dealing with it. Arrangements were
made, therefore, in the early part OF
last winter to secure the services OF
George ]. Kneeland, who had direct
ed the Chicago Vice Commission in
vestigation. Since that time Mr.. Knee
land, with corps of assistants, has
been making a thorough and COM
prehensive survey of the conditions OF
vice in New YORK City. This survey
has covered not only houses of pros
titution, Raines Law hotels, disorder
ly saloons. cafes and restaurants,
massage parlors and other places
where vicious people congregate, but
also the personal histories of some
two thousand prostitutes; and study
of all the case records for one year
of great majority of the hospitals
and dispensaries in New York city
with a view to ascertainin the prevail
ence of venereal diseases and their
relation to all other diseases Mr..
Kneeland's report is now in progress
of preparation and will be published
within the next two months.
At the same time. the bureau was
fortunate in securing the services OF
Abraham Flexner, whose report on
the medical schools in this country
and in Europe are so we'll known, to
study the social evil and the various
methods of dealing with it in the
leading cities of Europe. Mr.. Flex-
ner spent the greater part of year
abroad, making a searching and ex-
haustive inquiry into the subject
and is now working on his report
which Will be ready for publication
this winter
These studies are to be followed by
others, in those cities in the United
States where different conditions ex-
list or where special methods of deal
ing with the social evil have been in
troduced, the object being to become
familiar with all phases of the SUBJ
ject and all methods of handling it
which have been tried in this coun-
try and in Europe.
Based upon all of these studies,
which will probably be published by
December of this year, it is the hope
of the bureau that there may be de-
vised a practical plan for dealing with
the social evil in New York cityIa
plan which public opinion can be
brought to support.
In conclusion, it cannot be too
strongly emphasized that the spirit
which dominates the work of the
bureau is not sensational or senti-
mental or hysterical; that it is not a
spirit of criticism Of public officials;
but that it is essentially spirit of
constructive suggestion and of deep
scientific as we'll as humane interest
in a great world problem.