The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-08-04
Here and there a lusty trout
And here and there a grayling.'
fare in a way heretofore undreamed

fare in a way heretofore undreamed
of in each county"
The county superintendent of
public welfare has the opportunity to
be n of the most useful officials in
the county" says the state bulletin al
ready referred to. There are certain
spacific things that he must do every
where. After these are done there
are all of ways in which he
may be useful to the community, and
his success and usefulness will de-
pend upon his W skill, energy. iniita-
tive. and capacity for leadership.
Every community has its W peculiar
problems. and with the advice of the
county board of charities and public
welfare. the county superintendent
must study ways n means Of SOW
ing hem. His duties are:
II act as probation officer to the
county juvenile court, If there be but
one court in the country, and IL more.
to be the chief probation officer. In
this capacity he must be In touch with
all the neglected. dependent, or de-
lnquent children, n under the direc-
ton of the court investigate their sur
roundings and seek means Of protest.
ing them in their w homes or on
probation. or Of getting them into
suitable homes or institutions.
Acts as Chief Attendance Oficer.
lie acts as chief school attendance
once of the county, and to him will
be reported by the school officials all
children in their respective districts
VINO are not attending school as pro-
vided by law. In all these relations
ne Is the next friend of the child and
must work always in his bchalf. He
must md out why parents are not
sending their children to school and
seek to remedy the cause.
AS probation officer and as school
attendance officer looking out for
neglected and truant children he will
come In contact with the homes of
such children. Many OF these homes.
and no doubt mos Of them, are homes
OF poverty, neglect, or shiftlessness.
n often objects Of charity. He must
know when charitable help is needed
and hen 1t should be withheld. and
other means used.
He should know OF the blind. tha
deaf, the cripple. and the sick chill
dren OF the county, and see that proper
care and attention is given them. and
II they are subjects for institutional
care or training that they be sent To
the proper places.
He will study the subject of recrea-
ton and amusement and seek to intro
duce wholesome agencies and 10 SIM
press bad ones and to keep out the
vicious. He will the estab-
lishment of Fairgrounds and games
and aid the officials in the enforce
ment of the laws against vice and bad
conditions generally.
To Make Better and eleanor
Co m M unfty.
He will co-operate with the
churches the schools. and all other
agencies and persons who are seek
ing to make a better and cleaner
community. During the six months
when the schools are in operation the
enforcement OF the attendance laws
VIII consume much OF his time. for
this must be done with tact and dis
erection and with a few OF helping
parents to see the error of not doing
their best to keep the children in
The poor. the sick. the ar
hicted will always be with us. and It
VIII be lis duty to understand how far
thesc causes go toward truancy at
school. and to seek TO remedy