Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-07-13
j. PRENTICE MURPHY
On Superf1cIal Child .Carinq Work

MUCH of the chi!d-caring work now being
1V1 done in the United States is super
fetal in character. says J. Prentice Murphy.
executive secretary of the Childrcn's Bureau.
"We have in the United States" said
Mr.. Murphy, 'approximately 1000 organi-
cations engaged in some form of child caring
or child protecting work. including institu-
tions. shelters. maternity homes and child
placing or child protective societies. NO
one knows how great are the total expendi-
lures Of these organizations. but based upon
the returns from some of he larger states,
it is conservative to say that 1t runs into
hundreds of millions of dollars Il year.
"Thcy have in care at all times an average
of about 250.0 900 children who have been
removed from their homes for great variety
of causes, with i'll health and poverty as the
prcdominating ones. They also care for
number considerably in excess of the averaG"
of 300 900 in care throughout the whole
year: the total number is certainly 4uo,ooo
and 1t may go even as high as 0oo'ooo.
Good or Evil Quickly Done
"Thc length Of time which these children
ore in care varies from days to years. but
the essential thing to keep in mind Is that
inst as much good or evil may often be done
in short periods as in long ones. How far'
then, do these 1000 agencies. caring for TINS
vast annual army OF 5oo,ooo children, con
tribute to the total of human happiness and
TO the advancement of family and civil hap
Diness in their own communities!
"A wealthy and public spirited citizen
recently gave the largest >. l.. L. L. IN the
country a detention home costing, with Its
endowment, S4.0O0.000 to $3,OOO,OOO. yet
ot the risk of seeming impertinence and in
trusion | venture the opinion that the sum
total of accomplishment of the gift Will be
slight, for 1t substitutes brick and mortar
euuipmCnt for q service which can be pro-
yidcd only by animated living human beings
of great intelligence.
why spend $500 year on each Of 1900
half-orphan boys and ignore tn" health of
2OO 900 school children in the public schools.
including 1000 children with incipient
heart diseases, many OF which Will become
chroncf For these same children as adults
are going to orphan their children. why
give $40, coo to found an industrial training
school in n small city and neglect the ma
ternal death rate in whole State!
Taking Children From Home
I'VE are told that family life is the
highest and finest product of civilization
yet day by day in the operations of public
and private officials dealing with children,
this principle is ignored; children are re-
moved because Of poverty. We seem not
to realize as we might that even an ignorant
parent can bring rare and special abilities
TO the problem of his own children and that
mothers and fathers are the basic forces
through which the protective and cultural
things of civilization seek their expression.
"Socicty always has been prone to seek
substitutes for things which never could be
made to equal the original article. The
yalues Of parenthOOd are things which we
need to explore. If the millions and mil
lions now invested in plant and equipment
and the millions spent in annual mainte-
nance could be expended in training parents
for and keeping them at their jobs rs par
ents. the results achieved would he vast in
comparison with the really pucrilc attain
mcnts which hold for these agencies today
Through failure 10 study the needs and
possibilities of the children coming to them
the childrens agencies in the private field
ure caring for many children who. through
mental or physical handicaps, will never
weld n return commensurate with what II
costs to keep them. Therefore selection is
n process essential to the work of any Of.
fcctive agency. No organization can re-
ceive and keep all the children referred to
them for care and, II resources are to he
used to the best advantage, If quality of
service Is to count against quantity. we
must know something about those we help
The Foster Family
"Tbcsc many sets of standards tell of tbe
advantages that come to the child tbrou"b
foster families in contrast with institutions
but those who urge the value Of foster family
care constantly ignore It's application IN
terms of even average standards. I'M
dOubtedy great deal of what is chamc.
tcrized as foster family life Is poor, in.
different or bad. Child placing agencies
by the quality Of the work which they have
dOEa have justly earned the questionine. :,
thsC doubts, the indecisions. as to whether