Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1919-05-07
OUR CHILDREN
Address at Guilford by
DR.. c.. E. Hall
Before Child Welfare Association on
Our Duties to and Care Of the Chill.
dren Of Maine-Resume Of the Old
and Newly Enacted Laws

-
E. Hall of Augusta, the head of the
division of Mothers Aid and Chill
dren's Guardians of the State Board
Of Charities and Corrections, in an
address here today before the Gull
ford Child Welfare Association de-
ciared that although Maine is as good
4 state as any in which to be born,
as it is healthful in climate, excels
in pure air, is we'll governed, inhab-
tied by good people who are quite
faithful, in church attendance, is not
over-populated and has a good school
system, yet nevertheless child well
fare is somewhat hampered by the
long distances to schoolhouses, by the
harsh winters which keep young chill
dren away from Sunday school and
even from dc,' ~-'~~' and which pre-
disposes them to adenoids, which is
not attended to promptly lead to deaf
ness, by the lack Of physicians and
dentists in many communities and by
,hc Intellectual work OF certain tru-
ant officers.
NO curfew law is enforced in some
communities and very young chill
dren are allowed to peddle papers on
city streets late into the night" said
Miss Hall.
Special classes for backward and
defective children are not provided
in the public schools, nor is there
proper recognition of the need of
manual training and vocational guild
ance. The high schools adhere too
| closely to college preparatory courses,
and give too little instruction in do
| nestle science, and none in relation
to the care of infants, though every
pupil, boy or girl, is a prospective
parent.
I'VE have not reached that stage
! in Maine. wherein we labor actively
and comprehensively to wipe out all
| influences that pervert and destroy
the virtue. health and promise of our
| children, but at least we can say,
without boasting, that we have re-
Gently passed from the first to the
second stage of child welfare.
1.-The legislature Of 1917 passed a
measure of far-reaching Importance.
known as the Mothers Aid law. 1t
applies to widowed and deserted
mothers who are left to bring up de-
pendent children.
But the legislature Of. 1919 has
also to its credit new and very
important piece of legislation with
regard to child welfare. This meas
ure states that the State Board of
! Mothers Aid shall constitute a State
Board of Childrens Guardians, and
the municipal boards of mothers aid
shall likewise become municipal
| boards of children's guardians. These
boards are given very important jur-
isdiction over abused and neglected
children. authority which formerly
resided in the county agents for the
protection of children, and also spe-
cial authority with regard to depend
ent children. Thus with a local board
! in each town and an active state
board with trained agents, there is
no reason why much cannot be ac-
complished for child welfare in this
Stale in the coming months.
! The chief handicap is that the State
appropriation for this purpose is large
enough only for the immediate work of
taking from their homes and boarding
elsewhere children who are neglected
and abused. Real preventive work. TIC
educate and build up homes which are
now failing or on the point of failing i'll
their duties to their children will re-
quire a greater staff of workers and
much larger funds for educational prop
| uganda than are now available. But
there is no doubt but that every dollar
| wisely spent on preventive work will
save two dollars later. by making de-
cent and self-supporting many citizens
who under the present social conditions
are liable to spend their last days as
public dependents.
''The State Board of Charities thus
exercises the triple function of super
vision of all public and semi-public in
situations. the administration of moth
ers' aid and. beginning July 4. 1919. the
regulation and administration of work
for dependent, neglected and abused
children, who will become thereafter
wards of the State
"This board is your agent. supported
by your tax money. 1t is essential that
you get out of it the maximum of work
for child welfare in the State The State
board is ready and anxious to cooperate
with each local board for the general
uplift of social conditions and for the
| rescue of all children whose futures
are menaced by present neglect and
abuse. 1t is your part in this noble
work to bring to the State boards at
tention conditions in your communities
which need to be remedied. all matters
! which are wrong and harmful to the
! children in your midst, and which the
law gives us power to rectify. 1t is
your further duty to see to it that
those who become members of your To-
cal Board Of Children's Guardians shall
be persons who are wise and public
spirited and of sufficient leisure and
ability, courage and steadfastness to
spare no pains to see that every child
has the opportunity to grow into a hap
py. healthy, well-nourished, decent cit
izen If the home community does not
interest itself in local child welfare
no amount of talking or laboring from
outside can bring about ideal condi-
tions. In conclusion. we must all work
together for the betterment Of child
welfare and the consequent improve