The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1915-11-03

law creating the Children's Bureau
which was promptly signed by the
president. This law states that the
Children's Bureau shall investigate
and report upon Ill matters pertaining
to the welfare OF children and child
life. It is given no powers Of admin
istration or execution. It's usefulness
entirely depends upon the theory that,
II the facts can be discovered and
their relation to child welfare shown,
the intelligence and conscience OF the
American people can be trusted to
make such changes in law and Gus
tom as may appear necessary" said
Mas julia c. Lathrop, chief OF the
Children's Bureau at Washington, at
the charity conference last night.
ITO investigate and report upon all
facts pertaining to the welfare Of chill
dren Is vast undertaking. To carry
out this order the bureau was given
staff of fifteen people and an appro-
priation of about SIS. 900; its first
work could therefore be merely ex-
ploratory. A large correspondence be-
gan as soon AZ the Bureau was es-
tablished and It was plain that there
we're certain things which the Ameri-
can people thought the Bureau ought
to study ana report upon.
Many letters came from individual
fathers and mothers asking informa-
ton about the care OF children and ac-
cordtngly one OF the first pieces Of
work undertaken was the preparation
Of series Of pamphlets on the care Of
children. Thus far two numbers In
this series have been issued, the first
upon Prenatal Care and the second en-
titled Infant Care which deals with
the baby up to tho age Of two years.
The bureau occasionally now receives
Z communication saying, Our baby is
doing very we'll by your pamphlets
thus far, but 1t will soon be two years
old and 1t Ia time you got out another
pamphlet 1t is the plan Of this
series to embody Information regard
ing the care and growth OF children,
both physical and social through the
period OF development. This is In It.
self an ambitious program and will re-
quire some years to carry out. These
studies undertake to embody the re-
suits Of careful research of the best
material on the various topics con-
sidered, they are not offered as orig
1nal contributions nor as final express
ions, but only as statements OF the ac-
cepted authorities from time to time.
Letters Flood Office.
In this connection / want to say
that the letters that come to the office.
the demands for popular bulletins On
the care OF children, the interest and
goodwill of the mothers who make the
infant mortality inquiry possible are
proof enough that mothers are eager
to go to endless pains in order to give
the best possible care to their chill
dren, and that il they fair through
ignorance or through poverty or
through bad civic conditions the fault
does not lie in them. s*.-. ..-u.
THE infant mortality inquiry de-
ponds on our ability to learn the
names and birthdays Of the babies
whose welfare should be studied 1t
is humiliating that this is possible only
in q comparatively small area of the
United States. A good system Of
vital statistics-the orderly record Of
the births and deaths and marriages
of our people-seems SO reasonable
and fundamental q piece OF public
business that it is disconcerting to
find the neglect We have thus far &C.
corded it. 1t Is said that no other CIV
ilized nation in the world has quite so
discreditable q record.
Those who urged the creation of
the Children's Bureau realized the val
iue of vital statistics. They knew, for
instance. that birth registration is
real safeguard to the lives and rights
I1f children.
Recognizing the importance of
birth registration the General FEEDER
alton Of Women's Clubs asked the Blu
reau to take up the subject and the
bulletin on birth registration was the
Bureaus first pamphlet. Public inter
est in the subject is growing fast.
In the three years since the pamphlet
first appeared it has come through
three editions, each one showing an