Lawrence democrat. (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) 1884-1925, 1913-02-12
STUDIES BIG PROBLEM
BUREAU " SOCIAL HYGIENE Is
EXPLAINED.
John D. Rockefeller. Jr, Tells Of It,
0ngm, Work and Plans for the
Investigation Of Vice
Conditions.

New York, Jan. a5.-ln order that
the public might better understand
the Bureau OF Social Hygiene, John
D. Rockefeller, Ir., 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 0i the
work of a special grand jury ap
pointed 10 investigate the white slave
traffic in New York city. This jury
recommended that public commits.
siou be appointed 10 study the social
evil.
Mr. Rockefeller was foreman Of that
grand jury aud be thereafter gave the
subject deep thought and conferred with
large number oi leading men and
women. These conferences" says Mr..
Rockefeller, developed the feeling that
public commission would labor under
number OF disadvantages, such a. the
fact that it would be short lived; that
its work would be done publicly; that at
best il could hardly DO more than pre-.
sent recommendations So the convic-
ton grew that in order to make a real
and lasting improvement in conditions a
| permanent organization should be ere
ated, the continuation of which would
not be dependent upon temporary wave
Of reform, nor upon the life of any man
or group OF mon, but which woulG 90
on, generation after generation, contiu.
uously making warfare against the
forces OF evil. It also appeared that a
| private organization would have, among
other advantages, a certain freedom from
/ publicity 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 Social
Hygiene was formed. Its present mem
bers are Miss Katharine Bement Davis,
superintendent OF the New York State
Reformatory for Women at Bedford
Hills, n. Y; Paul N. Warburg, OF the
firm OF Kuhn, Loeb 4 Co.; Starr j. Muir.
ply, OF the New York bar, and John d.
Rockefeller, Jr. As the work develops
new members may be added.
One OF che first things undertaken by
the bureau was the establishment at
Bedford Hills, adjacent to the retorma'
tory, OF laboratory OF social hygiene,
under Miss Davis direction. In this
laboratory it is proposed to study from
the physical, mental, social and moral
side each person committed to the re-
formatory 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 diagnosis is completed, it i.
hoped that the laboratory will be in q
position TO recommend the treatment
most likely to reform the individual, or
If reformation IL impossible, to recon-
mend permanent custOdial care. Further
mare, reaching out beyond the individ
nails involved, it is believed that thus i'm
portant contributions may be made TO d;
, fuller knowledge of the conditions ulti
, mately responsible Tor vice. II this eX
pertinent is successful the principal ma!
, prove applicable to all classes of Grim
mails and the conditions precedent t,
crime, and lead to lines OF action 10
only more scientific and humane but ais
less wastcful than those at present TO-
lowed"
That its work might be done intell
gently the bureau employed George J
Kneeland 20 make comprehensive SUI
yey of vice conditions in New York, an
Abraham FlcXner to study the socia
evil in Europe, and their reports ar
now being prepared. These studies wi
= be followed by Others in various Amer
can cities, and it is the hope OF the bl
l reau that, based upon all of them, ma
8 be devised a practical plan for dealin
with the social evil.
4 In conclusion Mr.. Rockcieller's stat
ment says: 1T cannot be too strongl
emphasized that the spirit which dom
+ mates the work of the bureau is not SCI
; satioRal or sentimental or hystericdI
that it il not a spirit of criticism of pul
+ lie odiciols; but that it is essentially
:, spirit OF constructive suggestion and ,
deep semitic as we'll as humane intere,
. in great world problem"