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THE PUBLIC FORUM
MR. CITIZEN Just a word with
you today, if you are not too busy.
Did you know that the health dep't
physicians during 1916 made 191,225
physical examinations of school' chil
dren. Of these, 101,237 were found
with defects of various kinds; and of
this number, 88,014 were advised to
seek medical treatment. This means
that a note was sent to the parents
apprising them of their children's
conditions and urging that they con
sult their family physicians.
Also did you know, Mr. Citizen,
that among the defects found there
were 11,793 children with defective
eyesight and that 2,191 were found
with other diseases of the eye, mak
ing a total of 13,984 children whose
eyes needed expert case and atten
tion. Eyesight is a most precious thing,
Mr. Citizen. It means everything to
man, woman or child who is able to
see perfectly.
Then, it may interest you, Mr. Citi
zen, to know that 21,690 children
were found with diseased glands;
31,643 were found with diseased ton
sils; 14,263 with adenoids, and 663
with defective hearing, caused by
diseased ears.
Now, Mr. Citizen, the pathetic
thing about this little story we want
to tell you today is that while the
health department has done its work,
we'll say intelligently and conscien
tiously, yet the parents of these chil
dren that were found suffering from
these ailments noted did not respond
to the advice and warning given to
have them corrected; in fact, the per
centage of corrections secured was
bo small as to amount almost to
nothing. All this is very discourag
ing, Mr. Citizen. What do you think
about it? Is there not some way
that you might help to get better re
sults? There certainly must be. And
here is the suggestion that is offered
for your best consideration.
. gome time ago the commissioner ,
of health, acting with Dr. A. A.
O'Neill, president of the Chicago
Medical society, appointed a commit
tee of medical experts to study this
whole question of the physical health
of school children and to devise ways
and means by which better co-operation
could be secured with the par-Cjf
ents of the children in a work that
means so much for the children's
physical health and well being. It
would seem, Mr. Citizen, that you
should get behind a movement of
this kind; that you should be deeply
interested in it and willing to help
the commissioner of health and the
medical profession of Chicago to
conserve in every way known to
modern medical science the health of
the school children of Chicago.
What will you do about it? Chi
cago Health Department.
CONCERNING OFFICE EM
PLOYES. "One of the Thousand
State Street Girls'' suggests that
department store employes be organ
ized. Not only should these people
be organized, but also the 101 other
different groups of unorganized
workers, among them the 50,000 of
fice employes In Chicago. Almost
every day we hear or read of the dif
ferent labor unions janitors,' street
car men, garment workers, mine
workers, and many others too nu
merous to mention but very little or
nothing is said about organizing the
office employes. -
Are the working conditions of of
fice employes so satisfactory that it
is unnecessary for them to organize
and demand something better, and
are their wages (pardon me, sal-
aries) enough to keep them well
above the starvation line? In my
opinion they are not like other work
ers, they are emploited by the ruling
class.
The office workers in Chicago re
ceive on the average a lower wage
than any other group -of workers in
the city, with the exception of the
garment workers, the department
Virrw'i ir'r'ar1i"rilwi li
