The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1927-04-01

Let the British Women's Trade
Union Delegation tell of what they
found to be the provision made for
dependent and delinquent children in
the Union of Socialist Soviet Repub-
lies.
~ RECEIVING STATIONS
These are institutions for waits who
require immediate aid. They remain
here until place is found for them in
a home. There are separate homes
for boys and for girls.
p OBSERVATION AND DISTRI.
BUTTON CENTRES. These are in
tended for the reception of abnormal
and hayward children. The attend
ants comprise doctors, teachers, psy-
biologists, who endeavor to ascer-
tain the psychological and other pc
culiarities of the child, in order, in
each case, to apply the most fitting
method Of treatment.
81 CHILDREN'S COMMISSIONS.
Consisting of teacher, as chairman.
representative of the authorities "a
worker-judge), and a doctor who de-
termines what special measure
should be taken for the education of
the hayward or abnormal child. This
commission investigates the condi-
tions under which the offense was
committed, and looks into the living,
school and working conditions of the
child, reporting on the results of the
measures applied in the case. This
court and its procedure was des-
cribed in preceding article of this
series. WIKI.
a. CHILDREN'S INSPECTORS.
They are to watch over the youths
in public places, and render them
protection and aid when needed.
(These are either field representa-
tives of the Children's Commissions
or Of the Friends of the Children"
and not infrequently both. WFK).
81 HOMES FOR ABNORMAL
CHILDREN. In the Russian Socialist
Federated Soviet Republics there are
155 schools for morally sub-normal,
so schools for feeble minded, 81
schools for the blind, and AZ for
deaf-mutes." AN interesting school
combining the two latter categories
visited in Samara bears the name of
our world-renown genius, Helen KEEL
Ter. WIKI.
Health of Homeless Children.
The capitalist press charges:
Practically all are confirmed alec
holics one third are drug
addicts, the government statistics
show. $3.50 are suffering from
repulsive diseases" The government
figures show no such thing, because
it is not so. Of course there are
many sick children among them, and
the whole treatment is based upon
the theory of removing all physical
ailments that might stand in the way
of their resuming a normal life as
quickly as possible.
In Moscow government figures do
show that 20.6ao of all children taken
in were i'll. Anaemia heads the list
with 7ao, then retarded development
4.56, mental detectives, 2.79s, drug
addicts and alcoholics $3.50, tubercu-
lar PC, syphillitic 0.29o, others 1.49s.
A physician on the commission told
me, upon consulting his personal re-
cords, that of 4591 children examined
under his direction, 112 had at one
time or another used cocaine, but
only II were to be considered pro-
nounced addicts, and only 20 alco-
holics.
Dope In America.
Even these minimum figures re-
fleet no pleasant picture. and many
are the special institutions in which
they are cared for Yet are dope
fiends and hop-heads unknown in
America? Certainly not. Let our
authority Fosdick, in his American
Police Systems" speak: "There is
scarcely city in the country. where
this insidious practice has not gained
foothold. 1t has recently been es-
timated that there are 100000 persons
addicted to the use of narcotic drugs
in the city of New York alone"
page $50, citing extensive author
ities). Sub-normality is universal
concommittant among such homeless
types, the percentage running 33qo
and $3.50 respectively in two large
series Of "repeaters" studied in the
Juvenile Detention Home in Chicago,
while in another detention home 500
were found to have inherited physical
defects, and '30@o were feeble minded.
As soon as child either comes
in off the streets, or else because IL
has gotten into trouble it is brought
in, 1t is cleaned up and examined
and treated physically. Every re-
source at the command Of modern
science is employed to win It for COLI