Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 2.djvu/708

692 THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY hotbeds of disease and immorality poor dwellings are; and even the most selfish taxpayer cannot fail to see the force of the argument that the mere possession of a better dwelling will save a large number of persons from ever falling in need of public aid or public relief, and thus reduce very materially the expenses of public charities.

As in America, so also in Germany, relief organizations have given special attention to caring for children. Whenever it becomes necessary to interfere, or to take charge of a child, they aim to secure to it good, healthy surroundings, good bringing up, and thorough instruction; such children enjoy the protection and care of the respective charities even after entering the business world, while they are already earning their own livelihood. But here again we meet with the very same mischief already mentioned above in connection with the support of forsaken women. In an extraordinarily large number of cases the care of children by the public relief is welcomed by faithless parents as a very convenient way in which to receive aid themselves. This is especially true in the cases of the illegitimate offspring of workwomen and servant girls, who are hindered by their child, in returning to work. One favorite trick is to place a child in another and strange family on promise of payment for its keeping; the promise is not kept, and the strange foster parents are forced to appeal to charity. It is, of course, impossible completely to abolish the nuisance; it may be checked to some degree by dealing severely with the parents and, under circumstances, by legally prosecuting them. Here (in Germany), as well as in other highly civilized countries, the principle of anonymity has been entirely abrogated; foundlings, i. e., children who are found entirely helpless, and whose parentage is really unknown, are comparatively very rare. Whenever a child is received into a charitable institution its personal relations are fully established. It is attempted, wherever possible, to leave the child in its natural surroundings—to return it to its parents, or to its mother. Only when domestic relations and domestic environment prove such as would expose the child to