American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1913-01-30
STUDIES BIG PROBLEM
BUREAU OF SOCIAL HYGIENE "a
EXPLAINED.
John D. Rockefeller, Jr., Tells Of Its
Origin, Work and Plans for the
investigation OF Vice
Conditions.

New York, Jan. Pin 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, anne into existence
about two years ago as a result of the
work of a special grand jury ap-
pointed to investigate the white slave
traffic in New York City. This jury
recon- nended that a public eomis-
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 a large number of lead
ing men and women. These confer
ences," says Mr.. Rockefeller, "devel-
oped the feeling thai a public commits
sion would labor under a number of
disadvantages, such as the fact that
1t would be short lived; that it's 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-
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 go on, generation
after generation, continuously making
against the forces of evil. 1t
also appeared that a private organiza-'
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. It's pres
ent members are Miss Katharine 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 d. Rockefeller, Jr. AS the
work develops new members may be
added.
One of the first things undertaken
by the bureau was the establishment
at Bedford Hills, adjacent to the re-
of a laboratory of social
hygiene, unG~r Miss Davis direction.
In this laboratory it is proposed to
study from the physical, mental, social
and moral side each person committed
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,
may be required. When the dag
1osis is completed, it is hoped hat the
laboratory will be in position to rec
)mmend the treatment most likely to
'eform the Individual, or, if reforma-
ion is impossible, to recommend per-
nanent custodial care. Furthermore,
'eaching out beyond the individuals
involved, it is believed that thus i'm
contributions may be maze to
fuller knowledge of the conditions
responsible for vice. II
his experiment is successful the prin-
iple may prove applicable to all
lasses of criminals and the conditions
'recedent to crime, and lead to lines
f action not only more scientific ana
but also less wasteful than
hose at present followed"
That it's work might be done intelli.
emily the bureau employed George J.
to make a comprehensive
urvey of vice conditions in New
'ork, and Abraham F1exner to study
he social evil in Europe, and their
are 10Y being prepared. These
tudies will be followed by others in
arious American cities, and it is the
ope Of the bureau that, based upon
II Of them, may be devised a prac-
cal plan for dealing with the social
vii.
In conclusion Mr.. Rockefeller's
tatement says: 1T cannot be too
emphasized that the spirit
'hich dominates the work of the bu.
is not sensational or sentiment
Il or historical; that it is not a spirit
T criticism of public officials; but
lat it is essentially a spirit of con.
suggestion and of deep sci.
attic as well as humane interest in
great world problem"