The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1926-05-25
CHURCH, STATE
JOIN TO SOLVE
GREAT PROBLEM
Head of State Welfare De.
partment Praises Various
Church Institutions

Working hand in hand the church
and state are making progress solv-
ing the problem of the unfortunate
child. Miss Henrietta Lund. head of
the state welfare department., said to-
day following q survey of church in
stitutions charged with the care of
children.
Under the state law these are
licensed by and are under the super
vision Of the welfare department
! which lays down rules for their
guidance.
James Foley. our North Dakota
poet. once said. "A scratch on q grand
piano is an incident in a household.
but scratch on q child's soul may
be augmented into tragedy" said
Miss Lund. 1T is to protect unfor-
tstunatc children on their journey
Through childhood that the church and
state are engaged in a great work.
store children who arc defective. de-
q pendent and delinquent; children who
are abused. neglected, misunderstood.
unwanted and unknown"
Praise Given
Praising the various church insti-
buttons for the aid they have given
her department in its work. Miss
Lund pointed out that the purpose Of
both is to build character and help
Z unfortunate children to become good,
fsclf-supporting citizens.
unless we help build human lives,
spiritually, mentally and morally, we
are failing in our mission" she said.
''In our charitable activities we know
now what we did not fully under
stand in generations past. It is not
enough to hand out something in a
brown package to the poor. That is
only tiding them over into next weeks
misery, for behind the cold and the
hunger there is always something
lacking-one or more or perhaps all
of the elements that go to make up
a moral human life. 1t is our bust
ness to find out what is lacking and
then to help accordingly.
1T is not enough that we build
buildings of brick and mortar and
place in them little children whose
actual human needs We do not know.
Instead we believe that q small ex-
pcnditure of time and personal serv-
ice may save the child and the home
for each other. A new light has come
to us in this problem Of institutional
care for children. We no longer are
.'"CSISu WTtu VIC SSl0UliSUmeUL VI
institutions unless we utilize the
services Of those who have an under
standing and Judgment of child life
A Child's Birthright
eve are asking ourselves: Where
does this child come from? Can the
family ties be kept intact by a little
extra work with the family? II it is
question Of poverty we see IL a
mothers pension can be called into
use. We must bear in mind that the
natural birthrigh of every normal
child is a family ;h0mc.''
Churches, Miss Lund said. have
recognized this need Of children and
have developed splendid child placing
= services based on the idea that il is
far more worth while to build up a
home than to break up home
ff"Childrcn's institutions carry on q
valuabfes work hut only insofar Al
gThey are the clinics or the Laboratories
Or the receiving stations to study the
needs Of the child and to place him
as quickly as possible in good Chris
tian home"
Her department, Miss Lund said, is
the clearing house for the numerous
church. lodge and fraternal oryaniza-
tions engaged in child welfare work
\ and part Of her job is TO dcvelop a
uniform standard Of work among them
and to take advantage Of the aids
l which they offer.