The Washington herald., 1922-07-26
MOTHERS DISCLOSE
CONDITIONS FOUND.
in BOARDS HOMES.
Committee Declares Girls
Were Beaten With
Brushes.
LETTER IS QUOTED
One Inmate Pleads to Be Al
lowed to Go Home to
Her Father.

Making public their second "ex-
hibit" describing conditions upon
which the Congress of Mothers
based its recommendations for
sweeping changes in charity admin
istration. the mothers special in
vestigating committee yesterday de-
scribed one OF the placement homes
used by the Board of Children's
Guardians.
| The home is situated in a North
west suburb. according to the COM
mittee. Names and addresses will
not be printed. as the mothers
| committee Is said to believe that
unnecessary.
According TO the committee the
home in question is kept spotlessly
clean. Eight girls were placed in
this location at the same time.
They were ''mothered." 1t is alleged.
by a woman who beat them with
brushes. ridiculed their dependent
position and swore at them.
Letter Is Quoted.
The following extracts are quoted
from letter said to have been re-
ceived by the mothers committee
from one of the inmates of this
home"
Dear Friend: am leaving
you will be able to help me.
have been under the board for
three years and want to get
away: II they say anything about
my running away that does not
matter. That has been three years
ago and i have been right good
since that; please do something as
soon as possible. They have been
changing me around for the last
| two or three months and / am hav-
| ing an awful time. so / hope you
can get me away. My father has
asked them to let me but they will
not and when I have a chance l
will tell you all about it.
"P. S. Ever since l have been
| under the board they have made
my life sorrowful. ] have not had
! bit of pleasure since they took
| me away from my father. I want
to go home and I shall not be
happy at all: they have treated me
awfully mean and l can't stand
mistreatment.'
Another letter received from a
girl at the same home is partly
quoted Language and conditions
described by the child in many in
stances are unprintable:
Girl Describes Conditions.
Dear Papa: l am going to tell
you the kind of home l was in. One
morning / was upstairs and / saw
Mr. in his underclothes hol-
lowing at the girls and said to an
other girl that he was not sup
posed to do that. He heard me and
said 1t was a shame a man
could not do what he pleased in his
own home. There Is a
girl out here with a disease that
Mrs. says she got from her
mother. One day went down to
the District building and came
home with a girl that had sores
all over her and both of them go
to the clinic. (Here the
letter describes the treatment Of
another girl.) Then Margaret was
crying because Mrs. - throwed
1t up to her what she did before
she came there, then told the
girls l had never heard my own
father say any remarks like 1 heard
since l had come there"
District officials. 1t was learned
yesterday have received reply
from the Guardians setting forth
the grounds upon which 1t Is
thought an adjustment of the In
dustrial Home School controversy
can be effected. The reply of the
Trustees has not been received.
However. the Commissioners are
said to be hopeful that a satisfac-
tory settlement will be effected.