Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1917-03-20

What the 1917 Legislature Did for the
 Children of inc State of Arkansas
Rv Julia Houston Probation Offices

| charities and corrections. The con- mission is to consist of five men and two women, to be paid only travelling expenses at times of meeting, not even per diem, and (too meagre) ap- propriation of $5,O00 for the biennial is allowed for salary of secretary and expenses. This commission IS to be purely investigatory with no pow CTS of management over institutions. It issgiven full legal authority to in- vestigate the conditions in every state, county, municipal and private penal and charitable institution and organi- zation in Arkansas; to publish it's findings and report them back to the governor and general assembly. The commission may appoint a sub-com- mittee of five persons i'll each county to assist in it's work.
 | At last we will learn the truth about the scandals in our state instl- tutions, and the alleged abuses in county and private institutions, when we have this body of responsible citi- zens-most of whom i've are assured ] by Governor Brough, who appoints the , commission) will be selected from the social workers of the state-going into the institutions all through the year, l learning real conditions and report l ing to the people what they find. The l. spasmodic. visits of legislative com mittees, whose coming is we'll adver- tised, can never get the results that can be obtained by such a commission, on the job every day in the year, visit ing frequently and studying every de- l tail of management. The antago-' nism that greets special "muckrak- 1 ing" committee appointed to investi gate Charges" would not greet tactful, cooperative citizen commits sion whose only interest was the good of the inmates, and who were especi- , ally informed and fitted to give eX- ] pert adivce to the management.
 1 Thirty-four states in 1913 were ln- vestigating in this, or equally effici- ent ways, all their institutions and it is the uniform experience of these states that such a commission is not only able to report the real facts, but, l through it's recommendations, to enor- mously raise the standards of all in- stiutions and organizations investi- gated.
 The Re- Organized Arkansas Chldren's ] Home Society.
 l It may be asked what this commis- sion will do for the children of Ark 1 ansas It will do much. When Rev. l o. P. Christian of Iowa recently took 1 charge of the re-organized State Chil- dren's Home society, formerly located at Morrilton, now in beautifully equipped new quarters in Little Rock, he found that although they had plac- ed about four hundred children in pri- vate homes in this state during the last few years there were no records to show where these children had been put and are now! A pile of letters, a few papers and a little book contain ing children's names, but no records of their whereabouts, are all he fonud. l These children are absolutely lost to l their parents, relatives and friends. Under the new commission such a dis graceful mis-handling of children could never occur.
 In connection might say, that the reorganization of this society is about as big gain to the states children as any legislative achievement. The new superintendent is nationally rec 1 ognized as an expert in child-caring and child-placing work, and the so- ciety, which now has the full support | Ol tIS SOCldl WOAhCA01 10 NOih6 CiAS most excellent and scientific work. This county is fortunate in having a district agent, Reverend White. to locate here permanently for receiving and placing children under the super. vision of the state superintendent, and other counties of the state will have similar district agents, so that the work will be broadly and thoroughly done. With such an organization working and with the commission in vestigating the numerous irresponsible organizations that traffic in children without supervision, keeping no rec ords, answerable to no authority, a better day for the helpless, orphaned and neglected children of Arkansas will have dawned.
 Compulsory Education and Other
 Measures.
 Our forward looking and progress i've state department of public instruc- tion passed it's great compulsory edu-
 cation bill which requires all children between the ages of seven and fifteen inclusive to attend school three-fourths