Charlevoix county herald., 1918-07-19
SOCIAL SERVICE
DIRECTOR GIVES
POINTERS ON VICE
rRST erEP AGAINST ELIMiNA,
TON OF ORGANIZED VICE
SHOULD eEoIN IN HOME.
HEALTH BOARD READY TO ACT

Parents Are the Ones Who Must A.
sumo Responsibility for the ideals
and Morals Of their Children.
Lansing. Mich.-Miss Catherine o..
trander. director Of the social service
department for the state board Ut
health, believes that the first step in
the campaign against organized vice
and the elimination of venereal dis
eases, should begin In the home.
Miss Ostrander for several years
was connected with Hull House in
Chicago and had two years experience
as police woman In Dayton.
There are few very evident facts
that all women hesitate to acknow.
ledge. We all know them directly or
indirectly. however, and We are be-
coming yearly more ready to admit
them and assume our Just share CT
the responsibility in meeting them
and overcoming their long line OF
hideocs consequences" said Miss Ost
rander.
THE greatest of these age old
monsters is prostitution. II crept into
our social life SO long ago that no one
knows when or how. We do know
that today 1t exists in every country
and among all sorts and conditions Of
men and must be reckoned with. II
furnishes the world with more filthy
and hideous diseases than all other
sources combined. II gives us most
OF our blind and deformed children,
our feeble-minded mon and women
and our drunkards. 1t furnishes the
market where innocent girls and boys
are bought and sold to satisfy the
lusts OF mankind. 1t makes necessary
more asylums and institutions than
all other causes combined.
With prostitution goes every form
Of mental, physical and moral degen-
eracy, all Of which are taking tax
money out of the pockets of honest
citizens to support and maintain. The
prostitutes, Of which there are many
more men than women, are children
grown up. They have all had mothers
and fathers. They were all as inno-
cent as the children you see every day
on the streets OF your town. They are
the unfortunate ones who came under
the social conditions which we as
citizens allow to exist all about US and
they were too ignorant and too weak
to make the fight.
Someone asked me where the fight
against prostitution should begin. The
answer is, In your own home. Prepare
your own girl and boy to make the
fight. In spite of your devotion and
watchfulness, they will be subjected
to the same conditions and tempta-
tons as every other girl and boy. The
only protection any child has against
the temptations OF life is from within
himself. You parents are the ones
who must assume the responsibility
for the ideals and for the morale of
your children.
Our Debt to Society.
We, as individuals, are perhaps
more alive to our responsibility to-
wards society just now than at any
time for many years because Of con.
ditions surrounding the encampments
The boys In those encampments are our,
women who prey upon them and the
men who corrupt them are hurting
our own. 1t 10 no longer an imper-
sonal condition existing somewhere, 1t
10 here. 1t touches us directly. Our
sons are their victims and our daugh.
tiers the wives Of those victims. Their
blind or feebleminded children will be
our children and our grandchildren.
These are not pretty truths. There
are no soft words to describe these
things. They are the truth, however.
and they describe conditions very
close to our homes. What will you do
about 1t?
The State Board of Health has un-
dertaken to treat all cases Of venereal
diseases and so protect the helpless
disease apprehended at the canton
ments or at any other place In the
state, both men and women.
THE Social Service Department Of
the State Board OF Health has been
instituted to organize the rehabilita-
ton work which 10 necessary before
any considerable number of patients
can be returned TO society with de-
sire for a normal life. Many most eff.
Client organizations and individuals
throughout the state have already of
fered their cooperation In furthering
this work. Plans have been perfected
to have each patient given a mental
examination during hospital confine-
ment to help determine their final dis
position. Those who are pronounced
feeble minded will be placed In insti-
tutions for permanent detention.
Problem Belongs to All Glasses.
THE problem belongs to all classes
and therefore all classes must work to-