Evening star., 1914-12-22
ChiIdren's Bureau Annual Re-
port Urges Necessity of Such
Institution Here.
MISS LATHROP DISCUSSES
Z INFANT WELFARE WORK
Declares There Is Imperative Need
of Ascertaining Standard of
American Family Life.

Declaring that there is neeu IN the
District of Columbia for an institution
adequately equipped for the humane
care of the mentally deficient, MISS
Julia c. Lathrop. chief of the children
bureau of the Department OF LABOR
in her second annual report, made puo-
lie today, declares that an lnvestsa-
tion is now being made TO determine
the extent of eeble-mindedness among
the children of the District
"At the request of civic orsanlza-
ton of the District of Columbia. Whlch
includes in its membership representa-
tiyes of various institutions and ofhclai
bodies engaged in child welfare, the
children's bureau has undertaken 10
prepare a report on the known 1eeple-
minded children in the DISTRICT says
Miss Lathrop.
.rThere are no institutions IN inc
pistrict for the care of such children
and they are boarded in institutions III
nearby states, in the GoNernneht ~ no. .
pital for the Insane, or Ii prlNI1it!s !!
Families: they are found IN the puplic
scbnols to some extent, also. and in
District institutions Tor norman cu1l
dren In the preparation OF this LepT, ~ :
the public school authorities OF llls
6istric1 have offered the services or
tbeir snecialists 1t is believed that
tbere exists in the District a large
number of such children and young
persons who are unproIec.en .aiS ;s
msnace to themselves and to the
public ,..;o, IF feeble- mind
edness to dependency on the one naiio
nd to delinquency on the other, IL IS
,iShl,, desir-a bic that the District of Co
mmbia should be adequately equlppea .or
-be humane care of the various classes
sT the mentally deficient rms rep1re he
should give a basis ior essima!ins I'm 'iie
The report tells much Of the WORK OF
+ha hurean during the year, with lts
Iin,ted force and appropriations, toward
the 11pIift of the young American. w
rnerous investigations during the yea
ra discussed at some length. the prin-
SinaI of which was the birth registration
and infant mortality
Standard of Life.
Discussine the study of infant welfare
Miss I,athrop says that it has pointed out
the imperative need of ascertalnlng Il
standard of life for the American famhy'
1.-The reading of the first study. says
Miss Lathrop, will show coincidence
of underpaid fathers. overworked ano
ignorant mothers, and those hazaroS 10
the Ii of offspring winch lnoi'lTua, Tbts
PARENTS cannot avoid or control. rms ;
ncints toward the imperative neeo OF
ascertaining a standard OF lie 1or the
American family. In the last ana 9Sis,
OF course, the study of infant mortahtS
involves finding how far the essentials
e,,ch a standard may be secured by COM
rnunities, how far they rest upon better
conditions Of work and pay, ana no"
far they depend upon the individual rec
titude of fathers and mothers IoWaiu
the ascertainment of this standard IL is
hoped that the bureaus continued stud
les into infant mortality may contribute
through furnishing data in the course
q few years that will give reasonan!e G
circumstances surrounding American
born infants.
Infant Welfare Work.
Work for infant welfare is coming
TO be regarded as more than phlian-
thropy or an expression of good will.
1t is a profoundly important public con-
cern which tests the public spirit and
the democracy of a community. There
is, perhaps, no better sign of the mod
ernness of a city's administration than
the proportion of it's income which is
assigned to the protection of infancy
and childhood, though it is fair to re-
mind ourselves that Il large amount OF
invaluable volunteer work is going on
in many cities whose budgets show no
item for this purpose. But whether by
public or private effort the community
increasingly accepts its share of re-
sponsibility for the healthfulness OF
individual dwelling places and their
fitness for the rearing of Children
Birth registration, child labor, moth
ers pensions, juvenile courts-an are
discussed at length in the report, and
cover principally Investigations of laws
by the bureau.
"Recreation,' says the report, lis now