New-York tribune., 1919-01-18
Child Saluage
To the Editor of The Tribune.

To the Editor of The Tribune.
g IR: A number of men and women who
~ are especially interested in the prob
lem of human salvage believe that the
time has come when the State of New
York should take over the care training
and education of all children within its
limits whose environment is such that thew
cannot receive the moral and physical
training that would fit them to become
good and useful citizens
But before asking the Legislature -
enact a law giving the state such au-
thorlty they believe that organization
should be formed to enlighten and stimu
late public opinion on the question
throughout the state, and gather and CO.
ordinate such facts and views as will he
helpful in drafting bill for legislative
enactment
The men and women of state are
its greatest and most valuable asset and
the children of day are to be the men
and women of tomorrow, into whose keen
ing will be intrusted its future welfare
and destiny Therefore, when state.
whether through ignorance or indifference.
or a too scrupulous regard for the as
sumed rights of vicious, degraded or
CRIMINAL parents or guardians, permits any
considerable number of its children to
grow up in an atmosphere of ignorance.
vice or crime, it is endangering not mere
ly its present welfare, but its very ex-
istence in the future Yet until very re-
Gently many otherwise intelligent and pro
gfesslve people failed to realize this. and
vastly more care has been given to the
proper breeding and upkeep of hogs and
cattle than to the nurture and training of
children
1t viii perhaps be said that action IN
the matter by the state is needless. mas
much the problem of child salvage is
being satisfactorily solved by the large
number of charitable societies established
IN the interest of neglected children. But
the answer to that is that while these So
cieties undoubtedly do much good in GER
tain directions, they do not and cannot
solve the child salvage problem, for the
following reasons
First, being private and voluntary or
CARNATIONS, they represent more or less
individual ideas and idiosyncracies. be-
sides which many of them are conducted
on sectarian basis
Second they do not cover the whole
territory of the state, md even in the ter
ritory they do cover they iail to reach
and train many children who most sorelv
need care and training Either they
haven't the means to 90 so, or they are
without the legal power
Third, the support and management of
all voluntary societies for child training
rest on the shoulders of a comparativel.-
small number of citizens. This not only
relieves the other citizens of the state of
their duty and responsibility in the matter,
but it tends to foster in their minds the
idea that the saving of children is not
their problem at all, but that of the vol
untary societies.
Fourth, the work that these voluntary
organizations do in the interest of
neglected children is done in the ame Of
charity, whereas it should be done simply
as an act of justice, for which nobody
should take any special credit. The state
owes to every child within its borders the
opportunity to obtain an education and
such industrial and moral training as will
mt 1t for useful citizenship And it can
not evade that obligation by reason of the
fact that some of it's citizens individually
are training some of its children as A
work Of charity.
For many years l have been deeply i'm
pressed with the paramount Importance of
this question of child training. | be-
lieve that discussion of the movement
have suggested will lead to results of
great practical value, and l hope that many
who read this will write to me giving
their views on the subject, whether favor
able or unfavorable
JAMES B. WATSON.
Director and Chaplain of the Strangers,
Welfare Fellowship, 81 East Forty
second Street
New York, Jan. H. 1919