The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1913-05-10

| hume operating room. DR.. Cam pDell
mas served without any remuneration
whatever, and is entitled to our hearty
thanks. The salary of the house physi-
clan DR.. Dillon, is inadequate for the
time he gives every day to his visits.
| The railroads have continued their
past generosity in the matter of trans
portatlon for our workers and children,
| without which the work could not well
be carried on, and the officials should
be properly thanked or made benefac-
TOT members of the society. ....
| The superintendent has been made
a Juvenile court officer in most Of the
counties of the state, and this great
| ~ assists in making the home we'll
| known among county commissioners
and other authorities. The question of
remuneration for cases placed with us
by juvenile courts has not been settled
| in all the counties yet, but there is
! little fear Of any disposition to force
, children on us without meeting the
expense item. All seem willing to meet
our charges for temporary care, but
some judges have not yet had occasion
: to give us cases for permanent care.
They do not all realize that oversight
or a child for a term of years means
considerable expense for hotel bills,
livery hire and other incidentals after
leaving the home, where the child may
nave to remain for a number of
months All we ask is enough to cover
the average cost for cases sent us by
the courts and providing for future
supervision. These cases will all be
determined as they arise.
Tho Broadening View.
The work for homeless or otherwise
| dependent children is undergoing q
gradual change all over the country
and methods that were considered per-
lection decade or two ago are now
out OF date, and a broader view of the
chllds right to a father and mother
ana home is gaining ground. The
White House conference called by
theodore Roosevelt just before the ex-
| plratlon OF his term as president to
consider the great problems that con-
front workers with and for children,
settled for years to come the principle
that for every normal homeless child
In our great country outside the larg-
! est cities there should be found a good
family home, rather than to congre-
gate them in asylums for a term of
years. The same great representative
pody or the best experts with children
IN the United States and Canada, in
Guiding every great child saving work,
Protestant Catholic and Jewish, by a
carefully considered set Of resolutions.
| IN which all concurred unanimously,
ernment the conviction that wherever
by any possibility worthy but poor
parents could be assisted to keep their
FAMILIES together-rather than to break
them up by giving them away to
strangers-it should be done-at ex-
pense of the public by taxation. if nee
essary or by public charity, if it can
De bestowed without destroying the
| hner Sensibilities Of the recpients The
| recent n uto Toe
have taken initiatory steps in provid-
ing pension for widows with children,
or Tor wives whose husbands have
failed to provide for their families and
deserted them. This is movement
that is bound to come in all states.
Why should humane people allow a
worthy mother with a family to sup
port, slave and starve to keep their
souls and bodies together, until the
poorhouse stares them in the face. and
they are heart-broken for fear of hav-
ing to see the little flock separated and
given out to strangers for adoption or
otherwise? Yes. that word "otherwise'
| is full of meaning; for it too often is
the case that older children are wanted
only for the work they can do. Only
| py the greatest care can this be avoid
ed, for applicants themselves scarcely
realize what it means to expect a grow
| ing young child to do druggery that they
would dislike to perform themselves;
and many applicants would make a
boy of Is do the work of a hired man.
without realizing that growing boys
need plenty of time for play as we'll
as work.
In states not far enough advanced
| or not heavily populated, the moth
er's tax will not come up for some
years, though there is an awakening
sense of justice to children, even in
| our younger western states, as is evil
| denced by the fact that nearly all the
western states now have a Juvenile
! court law. The probation system is
| the next great step in the work for
| Juvenile criminals-or boys and girls
who through mischief and not wicked
| ness have placed themselves on the
road that looks toward the reforma-
tory. North Dakota will fall into line
in this matter before long; in fact,
several of the district judges who sit
| in juvenile cases have already begun
to place juvenile offenders under
probation system, which, though not
organized as yet, will tend to pave the
way for the paid probation officer and
his volunteer assistants. The friendly
help of a probation officer of high per-
| sonal character, who is not in uni
form, can accomplish much III getting
hold Of Wayward boys and girls. The
big brother" or big sister" who Will
interest himself or herself in boys and
girls and try to help them, will keep
them from going into by-paths Of
danger. Every one interested in the
welfare of young offenders should
work for the day when our legislatures
will provide paid workers to help just
such cases.
Believing thoroughly that no child
| should be taken legally or otherwise
from worthy parent, / feel that the
! North Dakota Children's Home society
should be in the forefront in aiding
every worthy mother to keep her lit
tie family together, so far as our funds
and accommodations will permit. Be-
cause ! believe this, / have tried in all
the ways 1 could to help such cases by
temporary relief in time of distress,
using my best judgment as to what
cases are worthy, and exercising
! christian charity in helping them over
the rough places along the road. In a
| considerable number of cases mothers
have felt when they brought their
children to our Office that they could
not possibly keep the wolf from the
door any longer, and must ask us to
place them in family homes. Could
YOU see as I do the heart breaks and
the hot tears that fall on the cheeks.
of their wondering and innocent chill
dren, you would certainly feel that no
better work could be done than to help
such mothers temporarily, until they
could make some arrangement for
their care where they would not lose