The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1915-01-08
HEART IS KEY TO
WELFARE OF CHILD,
SAYS able JUR|SI.
Americans Have Passion For
Legislation, EquaIed Only BY
Neglect Of Laws Passed
LEGISLATURE SHOULD 4
ASSIST IN THE WORK
Judge Whitney .of Juvenile Court
Draws Word Pictures On
Real Problems


Judge William L, whitney's paper
on 1tThe Scope Of Child Welfare, q
read before the Woman s Board in the
Central Union Church parish house,
Monday afternoon, created such inter-
est that, by special request of some
who heard it, the paper is printed in
The Advertiser today in full. ~ (,
The paper goes right TO the heart of
things generally in regard to "child
welfare. While believing that the
welfare of Hopolulus dependent and
deficient children should receive more
than passing attention and assistance
from the legislature, Judge whitney is
Of the opinion that individual care and
attention, little words Of kindness and
actiops coming direct from the heart
will 60 a long way TO keep children
from the path Of waywardness, if not
eventual crime ..-' T..
Jurfst Adores Dancing iE' -
He believes in teaching children the
art Of dancing. The little ones have
have been dancing for the past 5000
years, If not more, and they will keep
dancing TO- the end of time, he says.
IL they do not learn the art in good
company they win do so in the midst
Of pernicious environments. a@
rive may not all agree in dancing"
said. Judge Whitney. "Some think it
is an agency Of the devil. Personally,
adore ~, I.f ..,. "-- tnas "
He draws a few word pictures that
are worthwhile studious thought. For
ten years he has given hours of the day
and night to tho study and correction
Of hayward children. His slogan Isl:
% Put the heart in your work when you
aim for the welfare of the child"
''We Americans have a passion for
legislation equaled only by our neglect
Of the laws we pass,' said Judge
Whitney. His paper is as follows:
THE phrase child welfare has been
for some years and is now one of the
pet phrases with which to conjure.
Along about three months before the
opening of any session of state, terri
torial or federal legislature we begin
to hear Of 'child welfare bills and
child welfare programs until it
would appear that the welfare of the
child depended exclusively upon putting
through this or that legislature some
bill eoneocted by some wen meaning
person and having to do with the
hours a child should stay in school or
work in cannery. We Americans
have q passion for legislation equaled
only by our neglect Of the laws we
pass. And child welfare is, in my
humble opinion, 50 very much more
than. legislation that this part Of my
very short talk will be the shortest.
Measures Under Discussion q
"There are now Under discussion
certain bills which we intend to pre-
sent to the coming session of our own
legislature for its very earnest consid.
Grafton. One has to do with the es.
tablishment of a detention home. Now,
of asking for and of making new in
situations there is no end, and legisla
lures are justly neary' of any such
proposal. We are not asking for any
great institution for this purpose, but
we do ask for some place, other than
the Jail and the industrial schools,
where boys and girls may be placed
pending the investigation and deter
'mination Of their cases, either in the
Juvenile court or out Of it. This is
needed in both delinquent and de-
pendent cases, but especially in the
latter.
Home, the Ideal Place
"The ideal place for child is in
home, and this l say without the
slightest disparagement of the institu-
tions we have in our midst, institu-
tions under whose hospitable roofs
have been harbored hundreds Of chill
dren who wonld otherwise have found
a home in the gutter institutions whose
big hearted women have developed in
TO virtuous manhood and womanhood
many boy and girl whose early feet
would have, otherwise, been led to soul
and body ruin. But, all things being
equal ! imagine that any thinking per-
son will admit that child is more
naturally brought up in home than
in even a good institution. But the
finding of suitable home is a much
more difficult aud tedious work than
finding a like institution. While we
are endeavoring to find such home
we need some place to keep the child.
For this we are asking, and believe
that II is q Child Welfare bill,
Assistance For dependents laF Fiag5r
eve are asking for assistance for
the maintenance of our dependent chill.
dren. Last year there were commit.
ted, as dependents, to the girls indus
trial school four girls. During the same
period no boys were committed to the
industrial school for boys, as depend,
euts. The girls do not belong in the
girls industrial schiol, but it is ap,
parent that to build an institution,
equip IL, furnish it with matron and
assistants and provide the necessary
paraphenalia, as well as, subsistence
would be far more expensive. than to
send these same four young women to
the Young Hotel with carte blanche at
the cafe. But each year from twelve
to twenty are sent to private institu.
tiOns and there maintained at the cost
of charity. We have, we believe,
reached the point where the Territory
should at least bear part of the ex-
Pense of their upkeep, and hear II In a
manner most economical to tho taxpay-
or and best for the child, namely; in