Evening star., 1937-11-16
Stenders of Your Money
Plight of Unprotected Children Here Is
Described.
TDeltth OF series.


~ IGHT here in Washington little
- children are leading lives that
to the average mother who
sees her children of to school
each morning and tucks them safely
into bed each evening, must seem
incredible.
Miss Mildred Terrett, director of
the Juvenile Protective Association,
1912 Eleventh street NV, has known
hundreds of these unprotected chill
dren during her nine years with the
welfare agency and has helped them
to get the secure home life that most
of us take for granted. The stories
she tells of her young charges are
like fantastic melodramas, with the
sad difference that they are true and
are about children We pass by un-
noticingly on the street every day.
For example, there is Jimmie, the
8-year-old ex-hobo. Miss Terrett's
blue eyes light with pleasure when
she tells you about Jimmie, for his
tale has a happy ending. Only son
of sickly and complaining widow,
Jimmie found the shabby little room
they shared rather boring home
and began when he was only S to
lead the life of vagabond.
At first he simply stayed out on
the streets playing a little later than
the other children. Then, as he
learned the fine art of begging money
for food and the comforts of sleeping
curled up in the seats of cars which
the owners had forgotten to lock
when they parked for the night. his
real home became the streets. Often
his mother would not see him for
two and three weeks at time. He
became adept at dodging truant Off
GERS, but was an ardent pupil in the
dives of the underworld.
Jimmy Sent to Farm.
When the despairing mother asked
the Juvenile Protective Association to
put him away" Jimmie was sent
to family on nearby farm. The
family, like all the foster parents Sc
lected by the Juvenile Protective As
sociation, had agreed to take one or
two children into their home on
cost basis because they liked children.
Partly because the country offered
problems that the little city urchin
didn't know how to cope with and
partly because this normal. happy,
healthy home offered the boy security
and affection. Jimmie didn't run away.
He stayed there for more than a year,
Ul,j1o hn Inv
citation helped the mother regain her
health and make good home for him.
Each week his mother visited him
and gradually won back his affection.
Jimmie and his mother are together
again now and he no longer roams
the streets at night.
Miss Terrett, whose knowledge of
children and their troubles has been
gained by special study at the Pennsyl-
vania School Of Social Work as we'll
as by the practical experience OF years
Of working with them, has learned
that when children have the right
parents, but the wrong environment,
it is rather simple matter to straight
en- out their behavior, but when the
trouble is with the parents, it is a
more difficult matter.
Sometimes, because they are so
worried about their poverty or be-
cause they are sick. parents will not
give children the affection and at
tention they crave" said Miss Ter
rett, and the children have temper
tantrums. play truant or resort to
other devices to get attention. BY
placing them in normal home for
time, they overcome their bad habits
and, if the situation in their own
homes is changed, they continue to
behave well when they return On the
other hand, when parents treat chill
dren badly because they don't under
stand them it is almost impossible to
right the wrong"
Recalls Depressing Case.
Such cases are the only really de-
pressing part of her work. according
to Miss Terrett She recalls, for ex-
ample, the adopted boy whose parents
kept him locked in a bare room. like
Gagged animal or maniac, because
he was troublesome Placed in fos-
ter home for a time, the boy gradu-
ally developed normally and naturally,
but when he returned to his real
home the parents resumed their harsh
treatment so the child had to be taken
away from them, permanently this
time, and placed in the custody of
the State
Miss Terrett is a firm believer IN
the motto There is no place like
home" when it applies to children, and
she has persuaded many parents who
thought they wanted to put their