THE STATE AND THE FAMILY.
ITo Tu. EDITOR OP TRIO "BPIICTATOR.1 Olnystie says or implies in his letter to you in the last issue that the law is ample for dealing with cases of 'Wretched children such as were referred to in my recent letter in the Spectator. But can any law be said to be ample for dealing with a situation which expressly provides for its own evasion by the only parties who can enforce it P Poor Law Guardians can, under existing laws, do many things which they have equally the right not to do. Unfortunately, as is indeed notorious, they do, on grounds of economy generally, decline to keep or maintain children who can be got back to their weuta, "settlement" or to those parents themselves. The Children Act of last year is a step in advance in this flatter in one respect. Owing to Mr. Herbert Samuel's considerateness and foresight, we were able to get the Bill ainended while in Committee so as to make it compulsory Ott Magistrates and others to send such children, in given circumstances, to industrial schools instead of bandying them 'bout from one authority to another, and practically abandon- lug them to ruin. But I hope it may still be possible to make inany of their guardians contribute to their support, and in some cases I feel sure that we shall be able to hold out such a }lope of their restoration as will prove an inducement to better eenduct in their parents. An important consideration.—I am, Sir, ac:, W. BRAMwELL BOOTH, 2'he Salvation Army, International Headquarters, London, B.O.
Previous page
