The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-07-25
"HELP PEOPLE TO HELP THEMSELVES"
KEYNOTE OF PROBATION MOVEMENT

Thrift, as a means of doing away
with unnecessary dispensing of chart
ty in Wayne county, will be taught
the people of the county who have
been asking for charitable aid In the
past, under the plan proposed by
Judge Bond, of Wayne Circuit court.
Judge w A. Bond has issued an ap-
peal to the citizens Of the county
to act as voluntary probation officers,
for those children who have become
public charges, either through the ina
bility of their parents to care for
them properly or through their par
ents' shiftlessness.
Under the scheme proposed by the
Judge, as children are brought into
Juvenile court, some person will be
asked to become voluntary probation
officer and look after them with a
view toward teaching parents how to
properly provide for their families
without seeking aid of the county.
"Charity" Not Needed
According to the Judge there are few
instances in Wayne county other than
cases where the family has been
stricken with illness, where charity
or public aid is really necessary, If
persons who seek the aid of county
institutions are only taught how pro
perly to manage their finances. Num-
-erous instances have arisen where par
ents have neglected their children, or
have not been able properly to pro-
vide for them, only because one or
both of the parents have been poor
managers.
at is my intention" Judge Bond
said. mot so much for these volun-
tary probation officers, or big broth
crs' as they have been termed. to
give financial assistance for the poor,
as to teach these people how to live
properly and comfortably on the in
come they have. I have known in
stances where men who have earned
high wages during the summer
months, while engaged in some Occu-
patton such as building. which can
only be pursued in the summer, who
become objects of public charity as
socn as winter comes on.
These people need to be taught
ony how to manage their affairs and to
look forN ard to the winter months;
there have been instances in Juvenile
court where men have lived entirely
beyond their means while they were
working during the summer, and they
did not give am thought whatsoever
TO the coming winter.
Must Learn to Save
These people must be taught how
to save during the times when they
are earning wages. and to retrench
for the time when their incomes have
been cut off. 1t is not a question of
depriving themselves of any neCessi-
ties at any time, but rather to teach
these people, who have so long been
a burden on the county, how to live
without Injuries during times that are
prosperous in order 10 have the ne
CesSitits of life when their work is not
PLENTIFUL"
Usually the class Of people that ask
for charity are more or less shiftless,
according to the judge, and in order
properly to care for their children,
some compulsion for saving must be
placed upon them. The judge declar-
ed he thought it advisable, in the case
of necessity, even to go so far as to
take the earnings OF family, and
handle their finances for them. until
such a time as they might be able
properly to care for it themselves.
Only the other day, a man came in
TO juvenile court for ncgleCting his
children, and upon examination
found he had made as high as $40 q
week. This would have been more
than enough to keep his family in
comfort but there were not even
enough beds in their home for the
children, who had to sleep on the
floor That man could not tell where
his weekly earnings were spent, and
had made no apparent effort to stop
the leak.
Bio Brothers Asked"
1T is such families as these, where
the children might be properly cared
,or. if the parents knew how to save,