The Republican journal., 1920-11-04

1t was one OF those pleasant, warm
Sunday afternoons OF which We have
had SO many this fall. The bench IN
the Boston Public Garden looked an
attractive place in which to read the
little booklet Was She From Your
Home TOWN." prepared by DR.. Foster
S. Kellogg, chief of the medical staff
of the Florence Crittenton League OF
Compa ssion whose Boston office is in
fremont Temple and written to bring
sharply to the attention of friends of
that work the great need of home
and hospital in the suburbs of Boston
to which might be sent for treatment
girls brought to the attention OF the
work through the patrol women in the
employ of this Society and directed by
the United States Interdepartmental
Social Hygiene Board
Anna was a country school teacher
ION s)od family and very intell'
gent. AS she became pregnant she
was found to 5e infected with yenereal
disease. she was referred to sood
maternity home and rejected on ac-
count OF the disease. She was no
more responsible for the disease than
for her pregnancy. The Home would
have been willing to look after her
on account of the pregnancy but be-
cause of the disease she Was told that
she must go to State Institution.
This sounded to her SO much like 60
ing to Jail that she took some corIo-
slve tablets,-and died in the hospital.
With gasp of horror that society
is still leaving unsOIved the greaJ
problem of the unmarried mother IL
fiicted with Venereal disease, d prob
lem which, accolulng 10 the Depart
ment of Medical Social Work at the
Boston City Hospital, offers d rich
field for experimental work on the
~ of private charities" and adds
that of the girls they have treated in
year at least three quarters were
worthy of constructive enort IN their
behalf the present writer looked up
from the accoun, Anna sa>. end,-
t find another anna and the girl who
had undoubtedly led her along the
primrose path, sitting on bench
diagonally across the way. Anna"
was still young and prelty, still the
kind Of girl who could a5ily get d
good job IN any enc OF half d dozen
different lines OF industry. But tle
gin ny her side, Who was unduubtedl.J
influencing her [ epiy, even in the
way she should spend this pleasant
Sunday afternoon, had the face OF
degenerate.
The girls loitered together on the
bench for some t. e, then, signallcd
to some sailors, who were standing
at the exit of the Garden near the cor
ner CT Charles Street. A few minutes
later they joined the sailors and,
hanging Gu the mems arms strolled off,
two by two, toward the Soldiers Mon
ument on the Common.
In some form or other" the booklet
continued, this ing is going on
among US all the time. Viii. We
give huge sums to other countries,
willie the Red Cross and Y. M. c. A.
collect millions for many good causes,
while our horses, cats and d. are
generously endowed for care and COM
tort, and have perfectly equipped
hospitals, ambulances and good doc
tors, very little is done for girls like
Anna. If kitten is up tree and
can't get down, or pigeon with a
broken wing hangs to a city window
ledge, the fire department rescues it
amid the cheers Ct the populace If
dog is run over by an automobile
he is rushed to a perfectly equipped
hospital and operated on with every
care for his life and comfort. All these
things may be worthy enough, but
how much more, by comparison, we
should do for that unfortunate human
being, frequently as ignorant and usu-
ally at least as innocent as the run
over dog, who needs such care as the
proposed Home could give her.
IF your pet dog dies and you wish
him to die comfortably, that's the end
OF the matter, though it makes a hole
in your heart. But if your son consorts
with prostitute who has venereai