Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1922-05-20
THE TRAFFIC IN BABIES


|
New York, May 2o.--Children used
| TO be sold into slavery. Unth recent
lly tho Chinese were accustomed TO
preventing an overabundsnce OF re-
males by abandoning \ certain pro-
portion OF girl babies American wo-
men always SILVER daintily over these
foreign eccentricities. yet in this coun-
TRY today thousands OF children are |
lbeinR disposed OF as though they were |
Puppies or kittens.
/ A six-months' investigation. re-
Gently made by the New York State
Charities Aid Association. revealed the
appalling fact that. In addition 10 the
large number OF infants annually
abandoned In New York City, n baby 4
; la day js given away through adver-
tisements In the daily newspapers.
Several specially significant facts
lernerge as q result OF this investigs-
ton" says the associations report.
First, 1t is clear that large numbers
OF unmarried mothers are surrender
= ling their babies to strangers about
whose morals. personality, financial
! standing ana standards OF living they
know nothing. Second, that married
9 couples are surrenderinK legitimate
y children without adequate reason and
0 In tho same hapbazard method. Third
4 that children OF unknown history and
{ family traits. who are possibly feeble
r minded, psychopathio CIR tainted with
hereditary disease, are being foistel
!, upon ignorant but in many cases we'll
X meaning foster parents. Fourth. that
n such indiscriminats giving away OF
r children not only works great hard
Q ships upon individual children and in
I ldividuaI foster parents, but also has
, the effect OF disorediting conscientious
! and intelligent home finding done by
n competent child-plscing agencies. In
aI fairness 10 the babies and 10 per-
- sons honestly seeking 10 adopt chill
ldren. legislation should be enacted 10
: end this indlscriminate exchange o.
=, infants"
The attention OF the sssociation was
: first drawn 10 the matter through III
appeal made to 70 by = desperate
- young mother. who had been unable
successfully TO dispose OF her child
through the advertising method. The
girl--she was scarcely more than a
child herself--de scribed her tremen-
y dous difficulties in attempting 10 care
for the child how eventually she
" had advertised for someone 10 adopt
@ &c: how - had finally been placed
es and then returned. After that. she n
n, n, vertised several times. always with the
TO same result. Each time she though
We che had seen tho last Of the infant
W. II was returned to her. usually be
20 cause Il cried"
MI One OF the associations worker
was Immediately put 20 work on tn
a., cnse He clipped baby advertisements
80 followed them up and made some as
-, tonishing discoveries He found tina
-, in most cases the parents cared it'll
u for the moral and financial characte
en o. tho individual willing to adopt thei
W offspring. on the other hand. no foun
"u that the persons willing 10 adopt sue
es children exhibited surprisingly it'll
interest in tho chlld's heredity o
ed previous environment.
p In one case tho state Charities Al
ire Association was called upon by an ~
zee lcentric bachelor who wanted to adopt
ia little girl: The usual list Of interrogs
an tons revealed the fact that he had r
n. settled establishment and no pro~pe'
nv of ever having one. that he was vi
.be married and that ne lived in aimo
see complete isolation, without commun
,ee cation with relatives or friends. The!
the circumstances, together with the mar
I. peculiar personality, led the Associ
ont ton to refuse MS application Son
30 time later. he called again. trump
,n, antly displaying the photograph OF
49, little girl he had secured for adopts
t,r Through an advertisement Two yea
CO. later the papers announced that {
nov child had been taken from him on {
20 ground Of improper guardianship.
In another instance. a little VIII!
fol- boy was found living in the home OF
one lcolored couple, who had secured h
VI. Through an advertisement. They h
avs, given him the best OF care and we
two devoted 20 him. but the city autho
Ind, ties interviewed, believing that the ch
ear would be better off in the hands
ear. foster parents Of his own race.
the The Associations report goes on
3 say that the mother of a baby who
,an, not wanted needs help-hot heip
,,ch get rid of the baby quickly and east
but help in working out a plan VIII
will preserve or re-esta blish so far
U ~ possible the self-respect Of everyo
W. concerned. The mother needs to
80. ,,,, protected against herself. She n
ne think that by giving away her bs
'ueu she can put him out OF her life. Il
she can forget that she had ever bs
the a mother. but this is not true.
ton Presumably what has been going
. e. in New York has been going on
that over the country, and the children "
last are placed through newspaper adv
tisements are only a small part
ex- those who without any legal proced'
%" are passed along from one individ
I IT TO another, on and on without any
.Ob tempt 10 protect the interest Of
,osa child or the foster family, or 10 k
Ius+ any record of the child's identity.
The 1his eVh mas houFlshed especls
VIII during the past few years since
demand for children for adoption
become so great-greater than
iiuS' supply, in fact. AS in all cases of sc
city there has been a rise in value,
anu that babies can now often be dispo
NcS' of at a considerable profit TO their 2
'tuie ents.
that A ve,ara+;or ago a vvornan ,
be- looked az ssxance who had the terr
ity to take into her heart and he
make an unknown child. Many argume
:. D. were advanced against such cou
en- one favorite contention being tina
Jugs, was flying in the face of Provides
They that had the Lord intended you TO n
owls. a child one would have been S
aims. Many a woman carried an ach
The mothers heart because she would