Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-05-05
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, mother would hesitate to bring her child
to place where the very name implied
that she was becoming an object OF
charity.
Take Free" Of Label.
After considerable difficulty much
travel and many conferences, we sue
| ceeded in, having that word taken out
Of the label. The children of the we'll
Eto-do and. the children of those too poor
to pay could enter side by side, with
out any implication whatever.
And then the two hospitals were con-
Solldated. Within five or six years the
hospital was expanded to about $50
beds, taking children suffering from
such things as tuberculosis of the spine
or hip, the consequences of infantile
paralysis and cardiac trouble.
Perhaps the most pathetic of all are
those cardiac cases. Crippled children
very often can engage Unsuitable sports
and gaines, but the little sufferers from
heart trouble must lie stretched out on
their beds all day. and day after day
and watch the others.
In the course of those years I saw
how much can be done for cases of in
tantlle paralysis when they are taken in
time and how much can be done BY
scientific skill and care even in cases
which have been neglected There ives.
for example the case of one young girl
OF IA for whom we broke the rule eX-
Guiding children over IL years of age
When she came to the hospital she
could not walk across the room: she
had to crawl on her hands and knees
A brilliant operation was performed
and, in few months, she was able to
get about very we'll with the help OF
crutches.
Opportunity Is Realized.
The more such cases We saw the
more We realized the. opportunity that
was opened before us, not only to help
the crippled child, but the child who
was In any way. whether physically or
mentally, badly adjusted to life.
In the course of these years l became
mayor of Detroit DR.. Hugo A. Freund
was then health commissioner. Al
though he lived only two blocks away
/ had never met him. But 1 was shortly
to know him under circumstances which
gave an intimate opportunity to judge
his quality. I came to conceive the
highest admiration for his scholarship
his scientific approach to every prob
Very soon We begin to discuss the
whole matter of private aid to child
welfare. And later on in our conferences
we called in, with others, w. j. Nor
ton, the secretary of Detroit's Com
munity Chest and man Of Nationwide
experience in social activities. And so
when the new foundation was formed
DIR. Freund became the president and
Mr.. Norton the secretary.
There are two controlling principles
in our approach to this foundation. One
is the principle of low overhead, the
other the principle of decentralization
Perhaps one might add that we are
not above "alleviation." There are some
very earnest persons who do not believe
in relief work" They say they believe
only in attacking fundamentals" With
all due regard to their sincerity, it is
hard to see how they can square them
! selves with neglecting palliativeS entire
ly while they concentrate on these So
called fundamentals"
Six Lines of Development.
Now the principle of low overhead is
very obvious one. 1t is quite easy tc
imagine settling up machinery for the
various lines of work We have in minc
which would be so complicated and sc
expensive that by the time they were
fpaid for there would not be any left tc
go to the children themselves.
That idea ties right into the second
principle-decentrali From my
Washington experience I have learned
the need for that. Private enterprises
like governmental activities, can become
bureaucratic. Their directors may see
the money pile up in the treasury with
out carrying out the intention for which
the funds were created.
There are six lines along which We
hope to see the ChildrenS Fund oil
Michigan develop. These are depart
ment of general medicine, department
of dietetics, the study of personality anc
behavior, recreation, education, re-
! search.
In each Of these departments, where
| there is an agency already existing, We
! shall seek to aid that agency on CO.
! operative basis, rather than to set w
a totally new one of our own. Suppose
we want a particular piece of informa'
/ ton. Instead of setting up our own IN
vestipation we can help an existing or
ganization to work at 1t.
We have already tried out the 1des
! in practice Take. for example, tn'
Merrill Palmer School," founded by
/ the beneficiaries of the late senator
Palmer of Michigan and his wire
| 1ncOuRn our CIilluISll D tAOSP.'o :,
provided fresh clinical materials, whllt
| the school lent it's experts to aid oui
own. Both of us benefited from the CO.
operation.
We can both help in the supervisor
and in the financing OF these Varlou:
lines of work.
Study Of Personality.
To me there is no aspect of the pro
posed work of the foundation more IN
teresting than that concerned with TIT
study of personality and behavior
When 1 was; police commissioner G
Detroit. in 1915 and 1917, nearly al
the jailbirds were men of from 3;
to 70 years of age. Since the war, !
IS the youth who is the criminal. l
is an appalling thought. What is TIT
reason for it?
Stand on the edge of any playground
I and you will notice that some OF thu
children are playing, while others arr
standing about looking on. Why?
became interested in that problem
shortly after I had helped to brint
the National Playground Association
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