Evening journal., 1920-12-15

ID NNAAf lMNN llNA NJ INl Nfill NuiiiNo-
II ful or possible. that In order TO |
II protect the child on the farm from |
n excessive hours OF labor and 10 in |
sure regular school attendance, the |
school attendance law be changed |
/ su that 10 Will require iS0 days for I,
II children under "a, and 100 days for |
III children between the ages OF Al |
and &c. until they shall have |
reached the eighth grade.
bond was required by the state for
the purpose Of preventing these de-
pendent children from becoming
public charges, has resulted In the
llaclng cut Of many mentally dcfcc-
tive children In the county"
Need of Further Legislation.
The report declares that in April,
1871, law regulating the impOria-
ton OF dependent children was passed
requiring that all agencies give bond
for $1,000 and secure the consent of
the State Board OF Education. before
placing in the State. The supcrVis-
ion of these children was placed in
The hands Of the State Commissioner
OF Education. there being no State
Board OF Charities existant at that
time. In spite Of these precautions,
10 is added, cases OF cruelty and neg
lcct were constantly coming up.
Causes are cited as follows
"B. L., a small boy, Of about 20
years Of age thought TO be feeble
minded, had been placed for some
time with a farmer in the state by
an outside agency. Neighbors com
planned OF the cruel treatment given
the child by the foster father. The
child was finally removed 10 the So
ciety for the Prevention Of Cruelty TO
Children OF Delaware, and the foster
father taken before a Justice OF Tie
Peace and ilned The child was found
10 be covered with scables and was
placed in a hospital for treatment. lie
was finally returned to The society
from whence ne came and by them
was turned back TO the Overscers OF
the Poor This happened In July, 1919
I'm December, 1919. A. r., a boy
who had been In Delaware for some
years and who had been pronounced
mental defective by a responsible
alienist, was referred 10 the office Of
The Chlldren's Bureau OF Delaware, as
. being cruelty treated. Upon investi-
CATION the Children's Bureau dlscOv-
cred this statement 10 be true and re-
moved the child, after communicating
with the visitor from the society The
| child himself begged 10 be removed,
| was cowed and very much afraid lie
/ was returned TO society from whEh
] he came which turned him over Ia
the mother, there being no room fot
him in the institution for the feeble
minded in his own State"
These cases, coupled with years OF
cOmmiseratIOn for the alleged suffer.
ing and neglect OF the bound child
In the state, led some Of the promi-
! nent citizens 20 lay plans for z spe-
/ cial study OF these children who had
been placed in the State by outside
| agencies. This study was undertaken
under the direction OF the State Board
I OF Education and Chlldren's Bureau
OF Delaware. Work was begun
/ March T. last.
LaNity Among Agencies.
10 has been found that OF eleven
outside agencies, now operating In
Delaware, only six make any attempt
20 do a thorough invest gatiOn before
receiving a child. The remaining five
do attempt 90 make a study OF the
family situation, going into the mat
I ter with care and eXhaustlng all re-
sources. and do have thorough phys
] ical examination Of the child made
/ before receiving him. The report here
| continues
The old-fashioned surrender Is used.
! This means That parent or guardian,
( who for some one OF various reasons,
finds him OF herself IN a dinlcult po-
sition regarding the care Of a child
applies In person to the society and
Is allowed to sign a paper before a
notary public, surrendering all claim
TO the child and promising not 30 at
tempt 90 see 10 or disturb 10 until II
l.. 90 ~.
TO many complications, many TRACE
dies and hearlaches. Several cases
are cited.
Some Bitter Examples
In one OF these cases a boy Is now
on farm In Delaware lie Is a bright
attractive. frail-loOkng child M
I probably gets enough 10 eat and &
place 90 stay and is not unkindl,
treated But he is Just ~ years %
age. Is doing a farm hands work, rid
lng plOw, drag-harr0Wlng and corr
culiiVatlng. His school is cut OF
spring and fail, that he may assis
) with the work. lie loves his fathe
/ and wishes that he might gO back @
, him or hear from him, and who q
there Go say he should nOt2
= Again Edwin. a peculiar, sad lhtll
3 boy Of foreign birth, Just 70 years ole
when placed had a father who de
serted, resulting in the child beinl
! surrendered by the mother. who Z
apparently a hard-wOrking. rathe
I well-educaied woman. He is place.
with a farmer in Delaware. Tn
farmer has a small son near the sam
age. Edwin feels that much differ
p ence Is shown between the treatmcn
Of him and the son. He grieyes to <
I back TO his mother and becomes des
. nOndent He is kept home from schoO
b TO work. his attendance the past yea
4 being just Sc days. when 10 shOul
2 have been iS0 Edwin was examine
2 by Or. l.. q. Weldon, public Hcalt
Service who reported his neurOti
I and very unhappy In his present cir
- cumstances. 1T does seem unneces
: sary," says the report. "that a chill
] OF this age and type should be place
}, away from his mother when h
$ might be at home with her and hi
. labor contributing 90 the support 9
the family. II need be-, instead OF buy
D ing for him an uncongenial home
= Still another case Is that OF J0hI
r "a cunning little dark-haired hO!
o Just 40 years Of age, who Is a mem
= Der Of a family group which cor
sisted OF the father, one brother an
two sisters. the mother having diet
John IS placed with tenant farmr
II down State-a man OF mediocre In
n telligence and little education, VIII
admits be whips the child with
n strap and leaves him home alOn
nights while the family go into
N neighboring town for the movies
He shows unabashed the child's seal
where great patches OF hair haS
III fallen ont dine m fmuaffyo 20, MI i.