The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1916-11-20
AS Well as Caring for Depend
emf Children and Making
Childhood Easier.


4----------------
Methods for the correction OF un-
fit parentaEe, for the nurture OF chill
dren unable to help themselves aud
for the prevention OF injurious occu-
patton and environment IN chtldhoodg
to the end that society at large may
be improved were Interestingly dis
cussed In the annual address OF
President Enoch Howard VickerB,
dean OF the department Of economies
and sociology In West Virginia Uni
versLty. at the opening session OF the.
annual West Virginia Conference Of.
Charities and Correction this after
noon in the Masonic temple.
Prot VIcker's address was as fol-
lows:
1t was my privilege ut the drst
state conference, one year ago at
Wheeling. concretely TO indicate some
or the social problems OF our state
and to suggest some methods and
some hrst steps for effective Crap
pling with them. Many excellent pa.
pers read at that first conference and
Others to be presented at this second
conference describe for you tho nc
tual nature and magnitude OF some
OF these problems, also existing agen-
cies concerned with their solution, as
we'll as methods pursued and results
achieved both in West Virginia and
elsewhere. 1t seems appropriate for
me now to emphasize the fact that
most OF these problems issue from g
few fundamental causes, that the ul-
Innate aim OF all effective charities
and correction must be to discover
and remove these causes. In this
view, prevention supplants one, con-
structlye philanthropy takes the
place Of mere alms-giving. While We
must be sensitive to actual suffering
and active to relieve IT. we must real
lie that such action is often merely.
temporary and palliative.
Special u feature
because OF these truths, the gener-5
al committee and the executive cons
mittea have made the problems Of
child welfare special feature of this.
conf ference. IN the solution of child
problems, they see the ultimate solu-.
tion OF many OF our most serious sos
cial problems. Defective, dependent,
vicious, criminal, unsocia1 adults are
Inevitable products OF abnormal child
life Indo1ence, lack of Initiative,
want OF self-respect. as well as posi-
lively vicious characteristic, are abb
normal In both child. and adult. The
crucial question, therefore. concerns
the causes of abnormality In chill.
dren.
Although views conflict at many
points and although much remains
obscure. abunda evidence has es-
.tablished that there are three funda-
mental causes or abnormnltt y In chill
sdren: namely, a. Defective heredi.
ty. Q. Deficient nurture and train
ing. 81. Injurious occupation and
environments. Brief consid Grafton Of
these causes SEVERAL may point sig
nifcant practical conclusions.
Detective Heredity.
i. Defective hered1ty is obvious
when the deficiency OF a child is due.
to parental disease or defect which
Is known to be transmtssib Die. UnzsI
questioned examples are certain yene-
real diseases and feeb1e-min dedness.
IN both cases, the taint is tran smtt-
ted In. the form Of various Detects,
Gently proved Though no instance
IS known where two eb1e=mfnded
parents gave birth toe normal child:
yet the marriage OF such persons is |
still a common occurrence in Ameri=
can communities. Now that theJl
cause is known the birth Of every
such child-victim As a social crime
The faint itself OF such parents
.deadens their sense Of responstb lily
towards both their own progeny and
the community The only possible
corrective is action by the society,"
action which Is fully justified by the
need of protection both for the limo
cent chi1d=ylc tim and for the commu-I
nifty itself.
Views differ as to the expedient5I
laI#
Several statements legally authorize
sexual steril izat1o lon a remedy liable
to consequences scarcely less gravel
than the evil itself. All agree asFto
the effectiveness of segregatIon tun-I
der human restraint, but estate to
accept it on account of the heavy
costs involved. Yet the pecuntarysI
costs Of this prevent tive would prob
ably be immed iately no greater u1t
mately much less: than present costs
to the communit y5 OF caring for del
the consequently detective and de
adu1 IN the ever increasing
variety and number Of institute
for these classes In az dition, evaryl
community actually bears heaEys
burden In the direct damage andadsssl
ION erected by these classes.
Treatment of the kind suggestedssi
must OF course, be applied only To- II
persons tainted with transmit ssib1efl /
# Dencient Nurture.
z. Deficient nurture concernsl
food, sanitation. recreationsa and eduz /
cation. That ehcfenctea und Ter each
OF these heads imp airl the physical,
mental and moral quail ityso Of the child
As established truth The consas
iQ1snces ct best are weakness IacIl
6eont1nnsd on page 80