The day book. [volume], November 01, 1913, LAST EDITION, Image 2

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

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

                
1 years old, whether she Is really dead or is still struggling against life's un
fairness, she is the victim of a chain of misfortunes not equalled except in
the pages of novels.
At the age of four she was deserted by her mother because of poverty,
and both the mother and father left the child as her only inheritance, an
impulsive, ardent, affection-craving nature.
The woman who adopted the baby did all that she could as a foster
mother. She sent the girL to school, taught her instrumental as well as
vocal music and "dressed her as well as any girl of her age." But her foster
mother could not understand, nor direct, nor make allowance for the girl's
nature. Like many women, sne be
lieved goodness was a matter of in-
tellect and not of temptation.
Elizabeth grew to be a beautiful
girl. Her eyes, large, dark blue and
dreamy, were an index to the depths
of love in her being. She craved
companionship and demonstration.
When she was sixteen she worked
as maid in the home of a minister's
family. According to the story Eliz
abeth told Miss Lawrence, the fam
ily went away for a vacation and she
was afraid to tell her "mother" about
it, so she went home for a little visit.
While she was at home she stayed
out late one night and was scolded.
The next day she disappeared and
was not heard of "for a week. Then
she had been taken in custody by the
Juvenile Court, charged with delin
quency. A ward of the Juvenile Court! To
many girls that strikes a chill of ter-r4E.-Ulb,mens,that
liberty, 'is jgone.
Itf means aJconstant,sucveQlance,'ana
surveillance is,a bad thing for the girl
who has made a mistake and wants
to forget. She knows the probation
officers remember the thing she
wants to blot out the memory of.
The Juvenile Court has a right to
say that it is a better custodian of a
girl than her mother or her foster
mother. That is the substance of the
juvenile law, which enables the court
and its auxUliary societies to gain
possession of a girl and do with her
as they will.
Miss Marie Lawrence, who seems
to have taken the most active part
in the juvenile work of looking after
Elizabeth, says that what happened
to the girl should not be blamed on
the Juvenile Protective League, since,
in the wealthy Oak Park district,
eight school girls have been found
who had had sexual relations with
boys. It is comforting to know that
the juvenile officers recognize that
poverty has not a corner on immor
ality. Elizabeth was placed in the home
of Mrs. Orville T. Bright, who Is vice
president of the National Congress of
Mothers. According to Miss Law
rence, Mrs. Bright paid the girl $4 a
week for her duties as maid and per
mitted her to attend school.
The following is a portion of a let
ter Elizabeth wrote' to her foster
mother after she had been placed in
the home of Mrs. Bright:
"Dear Mother I received your let
ter and my clothes. Words cannot
express how I appreciate your kind-
LnesnrsendinitenT..r t-?y;. 4 ;
f V'Mtftr.deSr; Jeno&Wyiftave
done wrong, but I hope all will be
forgiven. Company does a lot for a
girl, but mother, just because I wast-
ed a year in my life don't think I will
throw the rest of my life away. It
may be made for some good yet.
"I any going to high schol now, but
I have to work awfujly hard. I get
up every morning at '5 o'clocki scrub
the kitchen, clean the icebox and
sweep the porches and scrub them
twice a week. I do all jrhis before
I get breakfast. After breakfast I
wash all my dishes, sweep the dining
room and then to school. After
school I have some things to clean
every day and get dinner far six, sev
en and eight every-night. After my
-,
SUrfSW&Jittfe.k.