The menace. [volume] (Aurora, Mo.) 1911-1920, 1916-02-26

kOmc has another vail coming. An 4
other "bigotn h calling attention 90
papist practices such a. shun publicity /
and thrive In the dark. The arch.odcndcr |
In this instance Is John Adams King. |
bury, an educator and social worker Of
national reputation. We neither know
nor care what Mr.. kiugsbury's church
Affiliations may L.; but be has proved
himself 20 b. tho right man In the right
place as a New York Commissioner VI
Charities.
To have the private charity CRAFTS OF
New York, city and state, ventilated, u
was necessary for Commissioner Kings.
bury 10 prefer charges against the State
Board OF CharitiesL Governor Whitman
authorized a real investigation Of tho
state s charities by a committee com.
posed Of Protestant, papisi, and Jewish
members.
OF course there was opposition from
the first. One Thomas NJ Muiry, presi.
dent Of the ST. Vincent dc Panl aggroga-
ton, banqueted officials in an attempt TO
substitute an individual Of his own choice
for the investigating committee. He
/ frankly Informed those whom he tried 10
influence that Rome didn't want Jews
and Protestants going through her sacred
slave pens and holy VI. o. g.. Styes.
When all this bluff and buster failed
20 dissuado divers officials from doing
their duty, the papist member Of the
committee. Brother Barnabas, refused TO
serve. But the investigation went for
ward, Just tho same; and New York
papers, OF recent date, are bristling with
such damaging details ~ are fit 10 print
The probe was impartially applied, and
| caught few non-Catholic institutions
that were found remiss in duty toward
| their charges; but numerous Roman
1 Catholic institutions were not only blam.
able for irregularities and unsanitary
conditions but were positively filthy and
run for the express purpose Of exploit
ing their unhappy inmates.
II This detestable grating upon destitute
children in the name Of religious charity
Is shown 20 be widespread, not only in
the city but throughout the state. Wit.
nesses were reluctant TO testify concern.
ing the practice Of keeping inmates be-
yond the time for which they were com.
mitted; but IL was brought out in tho
hearings that IL was not uncommon 10
keep good workers imprisoned long after
the term Of their commitment had eX'
pired. The revelations are such that tho
city of New York now refuses TO send
its destitute 10 some Of these places, and
there is a determined effort 30 make AL
; Of them clean up and conform 20 reason
able sanitary requirements.
The crusade and its revelations remind
one of Charles Dickens description OF
: such private schools many years ago il
I England. Only here il is not a mattei
D Of "half dozen scarccrows out at knee,
o and elbows" but hundreds Of boys an,
girls huddled together in filth that sur
passes the worst experiences Of Olive
S Twist.
l Mission of the Immaculate Virgin
One would naturally expect an institu
Q ton with such pretentious name, 80 sug
2 gestive Of purity, 20 be at least reason
Q ably clean; but the Investigators repOr
!, the presence in this Mission Of the I'm
n maculate Virgin, on Staten Island, Of
e \ thousand OF more boys, and more tha
G four hundred girls, pale and weak fror
4 lack of nutrition, many with vermin !
o their hair, and suffering from scalp dis
y eases, sore eyes, and eczema.
!; HideOus as this must be 20 all VIII
T possess any degree of human feeling
j: much else was told at the official hearin
Is which the newspapers of New York char
d aeterize as unprintable. When the il
n vestigators visited the 7efectory of hi
, holy joint, for so the papists euphonioui
ie " style the feeding places in the
+ sanctifed slave pens, they found n
le dining tables covered with ragged OF
:. cloth that was saturated with account
N lated filth.
4 The food service was shocking. Sou
r. was served in dirty pals by boys whoi
" hands seemed never 10 have been washe,
m Only half Of those at the table ha
u spoons, and the remainder had 10 Ia
Y. up their food like dogs. One need NJ
b. wonder that conversation was forbidds
a. at such a festive board where stril
o. silence was enforced. For breakfast the
in was usually bread and coffee; and Il
4. supper the bill Of fare varied TO the e
!, tent of bread and tea.
5, In the dormitories beds were the on
nj furniture. with linen both seant al
he dirty, and without pillows or any meal
l.. Of hanging the clothes Of such as ii
robed. Some rolled up their elothir
:: and used il in lieu Of pillows whi
,y others threw their garments on the foe
+: The whole place was infested with We
w min that seemed 10 be more numero
N. nj the time Of the latest investigate,
than they had been previously.
The lack Of toilet facilities was
great that but one tooth brush and o.