The day book. [volume], February 15, 1913, 2, Image 14

About The day book. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1911-1917

Image provided by: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library, Urbana, IL

                
vi-
location.
There has just been installed in
the American Museum of Natural
History in New York the largest
machine of that kind in the world.
It is known as a seismograph and
was presented to the New York
Academy of Sciences. It is capa
ble of detecting earthquakes as
far away as Australia.
SHALL WE BUILD MORE ASYLUMS, OR STOP BREEDING
EPILEPTIC, IDIOTIC AND INSANE CHILDREN?
By Henry NeiL "Father of the
Mothers' Pension System."
I have spent the last four
months going from city to city in
vestigating the cause of the enor
mous increase in institutions in
Henry Neil.
this and other states for the care
of feeble minded, epileptic and in
sane children. I have been ask
ing the question everywhere,
"Why are so many defective chil
dren born?" And I have seldom
Jieard the correct answer.
I will tell you why, and then
ask you what you are going to do
about it.
A mother and six children are
brought into the Juvenile court.
They are destitute. They are
poorly clothed. There is no food
and fuel in their house, and the
rent is overdue.
The judge is face to face with
an enormous problem. It is not
a case of temporary relief. The
children are very young and must
be provided for over a period of
years. Organized charity is help
less. The judge scratches his
head.
He knows that the father of
these children is an habitual
drunkard. At best the wife does
not want him about. At worst
she needs fearfully the few dol
lars a month he may contribute
to the family.
Two roads lie open before the
judge, who hates to take either of
them. He can order the mother
to kiss her children good-bye for
ever and put them into an asy
lum. Or, he can reprimand the
drunken father, order him to sup
port his family, and send the wife
and mother back to live with him.
t Forget for a minute what
would happen in the way of pain
and badly reared children if the
little ones were sent to an asylum. .
Think only of the woman driven
for the sake of her children to live
with an habitually drunken man.
One out of every three children