Evening star., 1923-01-29
HUMAN INTEREST
f. STORIES UNFOLDED
Juvenile Protective Associa-
tion Claims Daily Contact
. With Tragedies of Life.
OUTLINE OF ITS WORK
Organization Makes Plea for Help
in the Task of Child
Saving.

In rooms on the fourth floor of
the Juvenile Court building in this
city daily stories of high human in
1erest are unfolding, but the desire
of those in charge of this modest
Headquarters place, unlike that of
many writers, is to prevent, the
stories from having a tragic ending.
The rooms are the headquarters of
the Juvenile Protective Association.
Most persons know little apparently
about the work of this, the youngest
of Washington'S beneficent organiza-
tions. Necessarily the nature of the
work prevents that kind of publicity
which is presumed to be the most
telling that which deals with trag
edies of life with the names of the
actors included The human material
with which the association deals is
supplied by childhood, and it is easy
enough to understand why appeal
stories with the name attached of
child who may need saving" cannot
bo made public. Publicity in such a
case would act against the good of
the childs future.
Oft-Repeatcd Query Answered.
Time after time the question is
asked. what is the Juvenile Pro-
tectiye ASSocation?" When the
question ie answered the askers take
interest. The effort of the Washing
ton Juvenile Protective Association
In brief is to prevent delinquency.
40 pug II another way and little
more fully, the work consists in di-
rected endeavor to prevent children
who show signs of waywardness from
reaching that stage when necessarily
they must appear in court as Offend
ers against the law.
The Juvenile Protective Associa-
tion needs help in it's work of child
saving. 1t has to offeT a field of work
in which the appeal to human dra-
matte interest always is high. The
volunteers who have entered the
work of being big brothers." or big
sisters" to children in need Of guild
ance quickly seem to discover that,
while Pope said: THE proper study
of mankind is man." it also may be
written that the most appealing
study of mankind is childhood
The association takes aInder its
supervision children who are reported
10 it as being in danger of becom-
ing delinquents. Reports come from
parents, from schools, from churches
and from bencticent organizations of
dlferent kinds Immediately the as
SOclatIon begins Il course of looking
after the child OF whom the report is
MADE. The effort is to stay the course
OF delinquency, to- bring the child
,hin Iach to normal living and pormal
lire and useful citizenship
Chicago Example Cited.
1t may be interesting to know that
one of the greatest works of this kind
and one which has proved most suc
cessful was started by the Woman's
Club of Chicago. The story of the
establishment of the juvenile court in
Chicago was prepared by well
known writer. The dedication of the
story is significant: ITO the Mothers
of the World" 1t is really the
mothers Of Washington who suffer
most through the deIinGuency of
children. Mothers frequently appeal
TO the Juvenile Protective Associa-
ton for the protection and guidance
Of their children. 1t always is given
willingly.
The president of the Juvenile Pro-
tcctive Association is Louis A Simon;
the first and second vice presidents
are Mrs. Willard D. Bigelow and Mrs.
George w. Cook; the secretary is
Charles p. Light; the executive sec
retary is Mrs. Edna K. Bushee, and
the field worker. Miss Dorothy III.
Allen. There is a board Of directors,
on which is representated the best
of Washington man and woman cit,
izenship.
Volunteer Workers Needed.
brothers and sisters are needed, and,
of course, pecuniary help also. AS
has been said Washington seemingly
does not know much of the work of
this association. OF necessity some
of its direct personally active work
must be kept from the field of spe-
cific publicity, because childhood
must be guarded in reputation as in
all else.
The work of the organization ex-
tends into other fields than those of
the immediate environment of the
children; what the mothers are do
ing in industry, opportunities for
proper recreation, child labor. and
other matters which may have
direct relation to delinquency are
brought under study
In brief, the officers Of the Juven-
lie Protective Associations request
TO the people of the District is Help
us to help the children"
Supervisory Work Detailed.
During the year ending last Sep
tember, the association had under it's
supervision III children With sup
port that was not altogether ade-
quate, but with the hearty help or
volunteers, the protectors of child
hood succeeded in making such ad-
/ justments in these cases that only
per cent of the children under su-
pervision found their way into court.
Officers of the organization say that
looking at the matter from an eco