The Washington times., 1915-06-10

ors necessary for the maintenance or
that efficiency.
For instance. take the average
case Of the child who is sent out in
the country. The duty of the visitor
Is to see that the child Is properly
placed and cared for. mind you, not
from the standpoint of humanity. but
from the standpoint OF dispatch and
expense, The child will ultimately
be a burden to the state II 1t is al.
lowed 10 become crippled. feeble
minded. produce Ill or lllegttimate
children. or become a criminal.
But for our country cases we can
only have children visited once In
a year. We have but one visitor to
500 children. remember. and the city
cases are visited once a month.
THE children, with inclinations al
ready formed have been led into the
Juvenile Court through causes que
to some form of mental or physical
incompetence on the part or the
parent. They are turned over to Us
after due investigation of their con-
dition.
Then, with only a half way start in
- life after all, through the force of
circumstances over which they as
yet have no control. they are put
into homes INTO WHICH THEY
HAVE NOT BEEN BORN. as to
which they may be about as well
fitted as a kitten for an aquatic ex-
istence.
Individual Attention.
when one visitor has more child
dren than 1t Is wise for her to try
and place, the child ceases TO re-
ceive individual attention. In the
case of the child placed in the
country home he Is given the best
home that can be obtained, but
whether or not he Is receiving JUS
tice in that home cannot be known.
In our present circumstances, for
year. In that time boy can go
to Jail several times, can remain
out of school for year. can con-
tract tuberculosis. and skin diseases,
and girl Of fourteen or fifteen can
do all of that and in addition bear
child into the world which has no
more chance than she had.
In the mere sake of human de-
cency and for the sake of saving
actual money. country children
should be visited three times In
year
I'm the fall it should be known
positively whether or not he is in
school. In the winter he should have
warm clothing, and in the spring he
should remain the proper length OF
time in school and be properly cloth
ed for the summer. In all times
should he be examined for disease.
There Is no greater argument for
the necessity of giving Washington
some kind of government which Will
take this stigma of begging Congress
away than these dependent children.
The vast percentage of failures are
human proofs of the fact that we
have no one person upon whom to
lay the blame. no one person upon
whom can rest the responsibility OF
appropriating moneys sufficient for
La
though voteless citizens of the United
States.
When asked about the volunteer
worker Mr.. Solly admitted that
while excellent work was done by
that class. that after all, the depend
able service of trained employc is
what was needed in his department.
lust the same as trained workers
were needed in other departments
of the government
The Idea that any one can do
this work is entirely wrong, he
said. MANY can help in different
ways but unpaid work Is sporadic,
and Tor the treatment of the child
rem of men and women who have
not strongly defined tendencies for
good, vascillating or changing serv-
ice il not what Is desired.
"AIl influences should be positive.
"The services of the trained nurse
are twice as valuable as the scrv-
ices Of a mother. A mother Is
swamped by the the care of one
child. and blinded to the wants OF
others. while the trained nurse or
the trained worker sees only the
tific handling, that she can afford
that delinquent class,
I'VE hunt the mothers, and the
home, and take care of the physical
we'll being of the child If this
sounds a trifle cold. you must re-
member that we are guardians. and
that our efforts are directed entire
" to the alienation of the distress
of the greatest possible number, The
sympathy comes not in supplying a