•POOR RELIEF IN THE UNITED STATES 163 



in later years in society. It is a work place, a school of labor, 

 where daily practice m household duties prepares the child for 

 further duties." 



Family life nlone can teach the children aelf control, sul)- 

 mission to the conditions of practical life, and capacity for 

 independent action. From the standpoint of poor relief, we 

 mention also the advantage that family care is essentially 

 cheaper than that of the institution. If there is a reasonably 

 general agreement that family care is theoretically the best 

 form, this does not imply that institutions in a certain measure 

 may not be accepted, and least of all requires us to shut our 

 eyes to the dangers of inadequate family care. Institutions 

 are most of all necessary to the reception of children, to ol^sei've 

 them, and to select for them suitable homes. There are many 

 children who, on accoimt of their character, or on account of 

 their physical or psychical defects, are not adapted to home 

 life, or proper families cannot be foimd in which to place them. 

 By the extension of the group system in the larger institutions, 

 and by the erection of homes, the danger which attends insti- 

 tutional care is materially diminished. The dangers of inade- 

 quate family care are very thoroughly proved in the reports of 

 several authors; Hebberd especially goes into the subject 

 fully, and illustrates with many examples how unscrupulously 

 the placing of children is often conducted, how frequently the 

 foster parents regard the care of the children simply as a 

 source of income and exploit the labor power of the older chil- 

 dren in the most shameless manner. 



It is remarkable that Englishmen and Americans, who 

 are so sensitive about state paternalism in the field of rehef 

 are ready to demand state supervision, and discover in this the 

 best protection against abuses. 



Of essential importance for the entire development of 

 child-helping work in America, as in England, is the activity 

 of private societies Hke the children's aid societies. Such 

 societies exist in most of the large cities. 



Help is afforded according to the individual case in many 

 forms; indoor or outdoor relief, training for a calling, im- 

 proving the health by summer outings, etc. Principally, 

 however, the effort of the society is directed to removing chil- 



