Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-02-21
SUNSHINE" NURSERY
Is TOLD TO CLEAN UP:
CITY CONTROL URGED
Director Krusen Finds Refuge
for Children "Poorly Kept"
Directs Better Sanitation
in Conduct of Place
FAVORS THOROUGH PROBE

| Director Eruscn, of the Department Of
| Health and Charities, through the division
| of housing and sanitation, today issued
| orders for a general clean up" at the
home of the Philadelphia Sunshine Day
! Nursery Association, at 647 North llth
| street. Director Krusen has no direct
| control of day nurseries other than re-
| garding their sanitary condition, but in
issuing the cleanup instructions he made
| it evident that he would resort to court
| action to close the place IL no improve
/ ment Is made.
In discussing conditions at the "Sun-
shine Home" the Director said: II have
! had the nursery investigated and from re-
| ports from our inspectors learn that 1t Is
very poorly kept at least from II sanitary
standpoint.
CITYS POWER LIMITED.
",The Department or Health should have
control of day nurseries and bill should
be introduced in the next Legislature Civ
ing us such control. AS it is all 1
can do is to improve the sanitary arrange
mcnts for the small number of children in
the place. IT seems to be n queer sort Of
institution at best. | called up one MAJ
whose name appears on the list of direc-
tors and he assured me that he knew moth
ing about the Sunshine Nursery. Others
whose names are listed as directors appear
to be in the same situation. Conditions at
the nursery seem TO warrant an tNilduSllNt
investigation. but my power is limited. |
mean to do everything possible, however,
to make IL easier for the children. | have
on my desk u full report of the place, and
il shows that conditions at the nursery
are anything but what they should be,
The Sunshine Day Nursery is operated
by Mrs. Lillian Clark who is said to en-
tertain an average of a dozen children
in rooms reported to be squalid and filthy.
The place is supported in part by the
sale of a booklet entitled Sunshine" The
cost of the booklet is 10 cents and the
assertion is made that 10000 copies are
sold i'm this and other cities each year.
This alone gives an income of $4,000 The
nursery Is owned by Mrs Clark, and was
investigated on complaints made to Di-
rector Krusen by the Society to Protect
Children from Cruelty, the Society for
Organizing Charity and the Philadelphia
Association of Day Nurseries.
MATRON DEFENDS HOME.
Mrs Clark explained today that these
booklets We're her sole means of income
and that from their sale she got only half;
a nickel of each booklets proceeds goes
to the sales agent, she said She declared
that she would welcome an investigation
of the nursery and the business methods
employed in running it,
The nursery was clean and comfortable,
though it needed overhauing, Mrs. Clark
said, and, although she planned to have
this done, a hanging case of grip for the
last two months has kept her from max
ing the start.
There were 10 children there this morn
ing, and they seemed happy and well
cared for. The nursery is in the heart of
the Tenderoin, and the mothers of the
children there cared for are unusually
poor.
Mrs. Clark answered the attack that the
directors of the nursery were not bona
tde thus:
when | began some years ago, I OBJ
tanned the moral support of these direct
ors. / do all the work and there is moth
ing for them to do; | simply wanted the
use of their names This they granted at
the time, and | have kept carrying their
names along. They were satisfied then
and l have never conferred with them
since. They understood at the time that
/ was asking only for their names, not
their time, and have never bothered since
to get in touch with them"
Mrs. Clark charged that jealousy on the
part of the organized charities was re-
sponsible for the attack She will sue for
libel, she said.