The Madisonian. (Richmond, Ky.) 1913-1914, 1913-01-29
TO STUDY PROBLEM
BUREAU OF SOCIAL HYGIENE IS
EXPLAINED BY JOHN D.
ROCKEFELLER. JR.
WAS FOUNDED TWO YEARS AGO
Son Of Retired OIL Magnate Describes
the Origin, Work and Proposed
Plans for the Investigation Of Vice
Conditions.

Plans for the investigation of Vice
Conditions.
New York, Jan. 27.-In order that
the public might better understand
the Bureau of Social Hygiene, John
d. Rockefeller. Jr., on Monday gave
out 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 special grand jury ap-
pointed to investigate the white slave
traffic in New York city. This jury
recommended that a public commits
sion be appointed to study the social
evil.
Mr.. Rockefeller was foreman of
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 public commits
sion would labor under a number of
disadvantages, such as the fact that
1t would be short lived; that its work
would be done publicly; that at best
| 1t could hardly do more than pre-
sent recommendations. So the con-
viction grew that in order to make a
real and lasting improvement in con-
| dftions, 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 private organiZa-
ton would have. among other advan'
tages, certain freedom from public
ity and from political bias, which q
1 publicly appointed commission could
not SO easily avoid.
Therefore, as the initial step, II
the winter of 1911 the Bureau OF So
cial Hygiene was formed It's pres
ent members are Miss Katharine Benz
ent Davis, superintendent OF the New
York state Reformatory for Womer
at Bedford Hills. N. Y; Paul M. 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 b,
added.
"One OF the first things undertaken
by the bureau was the establishment
at Bedford Hills. adjacent to the re
formatory, Of laboratory OF socia
hygiene, under Miss Davis direction
" In this laboratory it Is proposed t,
study from the physical. mental. socia
and moral side each person committe,
to the reformatory. This study vii
be carried on by experts and eacl
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 tn
laboratory will be in position to rec
ommend the treatment most likely +
reform the individual. or, IL reforme
ton is impossible, to recommend pei
manent custodial care Furthermore
reaching out beyond the individual
! involved, it is believed that thus IN
: portant contributions may be made t
fuller knowledge of the condition
; ultimately responsible for vice.
this experiment Is successful the pril
ciple may prove applicable to a
classes of criminals and the condition
. . precedent to crime, and lead to line
of action not only more scientific an
humane but also less wasteful tina
those at present followed"
That it's work might be done INTEL
gently the bureau employed George
y Kneeland to make a COMPREHENSIVE
survey of vice conditions in Ne
York, and Abraham Flexner to stud
the social evil in Europe. and the
: reports are now being prepared. Thes
studies will be followed by others
various American cities, and it is IL
hope OF the bureau that, based upc
all of them. may be devised pra
tical plan for dealing with the soci
evil.
, In conclusion Mr.. Rockefeller
q statement says: 1T cannot be t.
u strongly emphasized that the spir
+ which dominates the work OF the b
a reau is not sensational or sentime
tai or hysterical; that It is not spil
8 of criticism of public officials: b
u that It is essentially spirit OF CO
q structive suggestion and of deep 81
g entific as well as humane interest
le q great world problem"
I 4