Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1922-06-15

Famous Judge Shows Where Re-
sponsi5ility Lies
Child's Super-Parent, The State,
Must Aid.
BY JUDGE BEN B. LINDSEY

not a parent problem and there is
economic and industrial problem.
Therefore, the State cannot escape It's
responsibility for the child any more
than can the parent. This respon.
sibility I have sometimes called the
SUPER : PARENTHOOD OF THE
STATE. We find it exercised by the
State in the education of the child,
but it must be remembered that it
| is responsibility at first grudgingly
undertaken by the State and one fin
ally accepted after bitter oposition.
Free Schools were once ragged
schools and our magnificent public
school system was originally looked
upon with more or less scorn as being
only for the poverty stricken poor.
The state also assumes a very great
responsibility for tie morality of the
child through it's Children's Courts.
Here it no longer treats the child
as a criminal, but as one of its own
children to be "aided, helped, educated
and redeemed"
The next great step which the State
is going to take in. its responsibility
for the child is in seeing that no
child shall suffer just because of the
poverty, ignorance or certain other
faults of the natural parental least
where it can be reasonably prevented.
1t is a matter of representation to
the state itself to prevent the trag-
edies of childhood that come from
such causes. But consistent with this
idea is the one | have always equally
advocated, namely, that as a part of
this very duty and function Of the
state, is also it's responsibility-by
adequate legislation-to see to it that
in the first instance the parent should
be made to perform, or, in proper
cases, should be assisted to perform
these functions. Yet, if for any rea-
son this is not possible, then the
state must do it. And it must be
done where possible in the natural
home of the child-however humble
that home is.
Children underfed.
From a survey of one school in a
typical American city, it was discov-
cred that 80 per cent of the children in
that school had only one parent-gen-
orally the mother. This was due to
such cases, often unavoidable, as
death, insanity, separation, desertion,
etc. In that same school, half of the
children were underfed and sadly
| neglected as to health, largely be-
cause of such conditions as poverty
and unemployment, even where both
| parents were living. Thus, in spite
| of holding the parent to every pos
sible responsibility, it was impossible
to secure for one-half of the children
in that schools the justice | believe
them entitled to-.
Here is where the child's sfuper-par-
| ent-the State-must step in. 1t
must do what the natural parent
could not do, or that the state failed
| to make them do. The state must
provide, in such cases, the services
of doctors, food and health experts
including the food-and other where
withals for health It must be just
as free as education is free. Other
wise, of what use is education?
1t is we'll for us to remember that
when the very lift of the State is
imperilled by War, it has the right
to go into the homes and take the
child of 18 with or without the con
sent of the parent and send him tt
the battle fronts of the world, tt
lay down his life, if need be, fol
the state, and surely the child is
taught that it is a part of its duty
in such an emergency, to give III
his life if there be need for thu
State. Why should this teaching
not be reciprocal, so that when tn
child is imperiled it shall be clearl.
i the duty of the State to come t.
the rescue Of the child?