Milford chronicle., 1920-12-10
STATE CONFERENCE
OF CHILD WELFARE
FIRST CONFERENCE OF CHILD WELFARE
UNDER AUSPICES OF THE STATE RE-
CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION.
DETAILS.OF The WORK DONE
ADDRESSES SHOWING The IMPORTANCE
OF CARING FOR HEALTH, ESPECI-
ALLY OF CHILDREN.

The first conference of Child Wei
fare under the auspices of the State
Reconstruction Commission convened
at Dover last Friday afternoon, in the
Dover Opera House. Mrs. William H.
Laird, chairman of the commission
called the session to order and eX-
tended greetings TO the delegates. She
introduced Secretary of State Everett
G. johnson as chairman of the meet
ing. Mrs. Laird said in part: 1T is my
happy privilege and pleasure to well
come each one of you to this cOnyen-
tion, realizing, at the same time, a
comfortable feeling of security in
knowing that we are bound together
in a common bond of interest, that of
children. We have left the hurry and
worry of our labors to confer on this
greatest of our State problems-the
child. We have been considering child
problems from all angles and have
come to this conference impressed by
certain facts discovered in these stu
dies. Like Moses of old, we have come
TO this hit. Sinai to consider questions
and methods of procedure connected
with our work. We can see our var
ious fields of activity spreading out
below us and can better define their
boundaries. We may find out where
they overlap, if they should, and dis
cover means to cOrelate or join to-
gether in a closer union all the de-
partments of child welfare. A few
days ago a brilliant architect in Will
mington told me he had been doing
jury duty of late. His conclusions
drawn from his experience were these,
That it is useless to try to reform the
criminal, but that all ones energies
should be given to preventing crime
and criminals; that one should cor
rect conditions which make criminals.
His viewpoint of the hopelessness of
criminal reform is an unnecessarily
gloomy one. The statistics of those
who have gone out from prisons where
principles laid down by Mott Osborne
and Dean Dircheway have been prac-
ticed show a remarkable percentage
of reform. But the conclusions of my
friend were correct in that he felt the
way to cure crime was to prevent
criminals from developing. We all
know the axiom that water cannot
rise higher than its surface We may
apply pressure at the source and wa
ter will rise in jerks and spurts, Dut
only for time. Our object in meet
ing together is to find methods 10
raise our work to higher level, and
in order to do this we must look 10
Ine souTU55 Co ssfe,.nS springs Sc nr hn"er= 1
bid you welcome, trusting that we can
ali gain the inspiration which all OF
MS need in this broad and most inter-
esting work of training up the bodies
and minds and souls of the children
to our care. 1t occurs 10
the Reconstruction Commission that
this first Child Welfare Convention
should be presided over by the man |
who has long had the vision for child
welfare and little by little has put /
stones in the foundation of the slow
ly rising bulwark of protection for
the children of the State. The commits
sion. therefore, requested the Hon.
Everett c. johnson to honor the con-
yention by presiding at this first meet
ing. Consequently, take great pleas
ure in presenting Mr.. Johnson as
chairman"
Movement Praised
Secretary johnson paid tribute to
he work of the Child Welfare Com
nISSlOU anu 6AVACDcC0 tAAS NNNAN~ |
his convention would prove red
etter day in the State for the ad-
of the Child Welfare Move
nent. He predicted that education ana
,hild Welfare will be among the
bief subjects of consideration at the
oming Legislature. He then intro
need Mr.. owen r. Lovejoy, general :
ecretary of the National Child La
or Committee, terming him the Chill
ren,s Statesman" Mr.. Lovejoy's sub
'ct was sFoundations for Good clti-
.nship." =
Nj. Loyejoy declared that the gen !
al public did not appreciate she : !,
W. statesmanship-the child. Inc =
Of the child is one OF tne ?
ain things in governmental analrs. Z
q "a. trouble Is that such things nave y y
m en- relegated to the kindergarten 4
4 tbe school. The duty OF clvihza.
q. he rafd. is the conservation OF .
child life. This is truly the Cnii- e'