The Washington herald., 1922-06-29
EARNED Out" Children.

To the Editor. The washington herain'
1 would like to match cases with
Pansy E. Follen. She says she
boards four children-four out of
1850 wards Of the Board of Chill
dren's Guardians. and of course
she receives $50 or more each
month for boarding them; and she
treats them well.
submit to her a case of four
teen children boarded in a six
room house on G street southeast
The Board of Children's Guardians
placed in this home, nine babies.
whose ages range from FIVE or six
months to three years old, and
FIVE older children The nine
babies. with one of the older chill
dren. slept in one room; the
woman. her invalid mother and
sister, who works out. slept in
another room; her brother in an
other room: three older children.
one girl in her fourteenth year,
slept <on a duofold in the living
room. and another child on cot
in the dining room. The woman OF
the house doing the work of the
household. including the laundry
for all the children and caring
for the nine babies day and night,
and she received good pay-so
much per.
Think OF It, taking little babies
legally from their mothers arms
and care, so that mothers may no
longer have control. supervision or
authority over their Godgiven
babies, only because they are
poor. And they must submit to
gers. when half the money paid
or any child in the keeping of
its mother.
No, this is not story from
Russia. 1t Is enacted right here
in the Capital of the United States
every day and has been going on
for more than fifteen years.
Perhaps Pansy f. Follen does
not know that there is a humane
law in other places, where If a
man secures a divorce on the plea
that his wife is immoral. and IL
she is the mother of an infant, her
child can not be removed from
her care until 1t reaches a cer-
tain age.
In another child's boarding
house on Fifteenth street north
west. the wards of the Board of
Children's Guardians place there
receive severe whippings, and vile
language is used in speaking to
the children. Neighbors have re-
peatedly reported this state Of
affairs to the Board of Children's
Guardians for period covering
more than two years. but without
avail: and It may surprise Pansy
Z ia
no person. nor agency in the Dis
trict where case of cruelty to
children could be reported and 1t
would be acted on. IL any. one
knows ofs such an institution /
would be glad to know of IL. So.
the cruelties at Fifteenth street
northwest continue.
Even when children are taken
from parents because of immoral
surroundings that does not Justify
the practice of crovding them into
inferior homes without bathrooms
and sending them to inaccessible
back-woods districts. and 10. dis
tant States, where they are left
without supervision. What can be
the object In hiding children II
they are aGell treated and cared
for? know of mothers who are
pleading and begging in vain for
the return of their children Zone
resident of Maryland thinks the
taxpayers of that State should
have her care), and they are able
to support them. Circumstances
sometimes change in the course
Of year or two.
One mother was told her chill
dren would be returned last Aug
arfa vi inf
she is told It will be next August:
but how can she tell whether this
will come true? One of this moth
er's children, little girl of four
years. was threatened by the
woman boarding house keeper
with a butcher knife In the very
presence of the mother, the woman
showing her the knife saying IL
was to cut her tongue off II she
told tales: and the heart-broken
mother had to leave her baby In
that woman's care. What benefit
does a child derive from being
moved from house to house every
few weeks This has been the
policy of the Board OF Children's
Guardians for Is or 20 years.
Some children have been forced
into this migratory life for years.
Each move gives them new step
mother, besides IL fnterferes. with
their proper education What
about compulsory education in
such cases7
Why crowd from eighteen to
twenty-four children into one
small house when there are vacan-
cies In the Industrial Home School.
Children should be permanently
placed n the Industrial Home
School and Kent there until their