The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-11-17
THE TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
INFORMATION BUREAU
BY FREDERIC }. HAsKIN, Director.
Washington, d. c.
STATE CARE FOR CHILDREN.

the guardianship of the state recently
when the French and Italian govern
ments passed laws adopting them. No
longer will the children of France and
Italy be permitted to die from lack
of food; no longer will they be worked
beyond their strength, and no longer
will they be exploited by thrifty rela-
tives. The state stands ready to pro-
tect them.
These laws are a part of a notable
change in the attitude of governments
toward the individual which IS being
enforced by the war. Heretofore
laws have been designed primarily for
the protection of property The pro-
lection of human life has been sec
ondary matter; many persons have
been allowed to starve or grow up
under-nourished and over-worked,
while others have suffered just as
much from oFer-eating and under
work. Now we suddenly find all of
the embattled governments putting
into effect measures which are de-
signed to insure that everyone gets at
least enough of the earth's products
to keep him decently and efficiently
alive. All of the food control and
civilian pension measures are of this
nature. Now France and Italy are
making the state responsible for the
welfare of orphans. 1t is only a short
step from this to insuring the well
have died on the battlefield, whatever
other causes they may have served,
have at least brought to civilization
new sense of the value of human life,
by the simple method of creating a
human shortage.
Children Must Be Protected.
France passed its war orphan bill
ostensibly as a debt to its soldiers who
had fallen on the field of battle, but
the fact that the French birth rate is
SO far below the death rate actually
inspired the measure. Frances hope
for the future is now entirely wrapt
up in the younger generation. The
children must be protected as never
before.
Italy. too. feels this keenly. The
wars of the Balkans made grea+ in
roads on the Italian population, and
the present war has taken even
greater tolls. The necessity of con-
serving every human life for the
future of the country is clearly recog-
nized. In this respect the Italian law
goes step farther than the French
law, in that it provides for the state
adoption of all orphans. whether vic
TINS of the war or not 1t also pro-
vides for the adoption of all feeble
minded persons up to any age.
With these exceptions, the laws of
both nations are very much alike.
The French law passed the chamber
of deputies last July, after stormy de-
bates In which, curiouS1y enough, one
of the greatest issues was religion.
The Protestants appeared to be afraid
that the Catholics would obtain the.
majority of memberships on the guar
dianship board. This dispute was
finally settled aWicably. but the law,
as it passed, was admitted to contain
many practical defects. Concerning
this, NJ. Leon Berard, rapporteur of
the deputies, said:
THE measure is extremely urgent,
and if it is necessary to revise our
work sooner or later it will not be a
matter of scandal or surprise, because
all the legislative assemblies of the
world will be doing the same, for the
very simple reason that they are going
to legislate on subjects ever newer and
more complex"
From Hair Ribbon to Education.
The guarding of one million French
children is a complex problem in
itself. To figure out the needs of each
child, from education to hair-ribbons,
is task that should test the execu-
tive ability of any government, to say
nothing of government at war. But
the chamber of deputies appears to
have been equal to it. In the first
place, national commission, under
the direction of the minister of pub
lie instruction, was established. The
duties of this commission are to dis
tribute the funds of guardianship; to
investigate and report on all measures
affecting the wards, and to determine
the eligibility of private institutions
for children. It's membership includes
ninety-nine members, selected from
teachers associations. public assist
ance societies, agricultural trades
business and workmen's trade associa-
tons, cooperative and mutual aid
societies and phflanthropic aSSocia-
tons caring for war orphans.
Private charity has accomplished
marvellous things in France during the
war. On it has fallen the care of most
of the war orphans, both French and
Belgian. With thousands of homeless
children on it's hands, the nation
would have been sadly handicapped
had not philanthropic men and wo-
men stepped in and taken care of
them. Children's colonies were found
ed and put under the supervision of
widows or disabled soldiers; children S
vocational schools were established,
and many were boarded out at farms
Soup kitchens and day nurseries were
opened everywhere. And still there
were HUNDREDS of children who were
never reached, who died from lack of
food. and who were shamelessly ex-
poited by their relatives, who spent
their pensions and exhibited them in
public as an aid. to begging.
In order to keep the assistance of
private charity. and at the same time
to coordinate the efforts of its vari-
Gus institutions, the chamber of depu-
ties further provided for provincial
commissions to be chosen from the
same sources as the national commits
sion and to be under it's direction
These state or provincial commissions
will have the control of the child.
They are to decide where the child
shall live, where he shall go to school,
what his recreation shall be; in short.
they will decide his DESTINY
Every Child a Personality.
The government urges, however,
that every child shall be treated as
an individual a personality. Natur-
ally. there will be orphans from every
walk of life. Many will be sons and
daughters of artists, business men, col
lege professors. army officers and en-
gineers; others will be children of
| mechanics, tradesmen and farmers.
Hence, the duty Of the commission is