That Last Waif; or, Social QuarantineFletcher, Horace
History
That Last Waif; or, Social Quarantine
Fletcher, Horace
Child welfare
The movement would aim to arraign people under the head of _quarantinists_,
by approval, or under the head of _neglectists_, by inference of
indifference.
By pledging one one-hundredth of one's income, _at least_, the
contribution would in no wise be a revelation of the amount of one's
income, while _all_ subscriptions would be equalized according to the
means of each; little children not being debarred from helping their
less fortunate fellows who are come from the same Source of Life, but
who have been less lucky in their introduction into the world.
* * * * *
The aim should be to locate the cases of worst need first, and work
back towards the avenues and boulevards. By this means the work would
begin at the base of neglect; and it is proven by experience that much
of the intermediate indifference corrects itself, as a result of a
good example being set on the social terrace next below.
There is only one stratum of abject depravity and hopelessness, and
that is a very thin stratum, with only detached specimens visible.
Begin with that, and the strata above it, in which there must be some
admixture of self-respect, if you excite it by example, will begin to
do for themselves what you wish to do for them.
It is the same relative to conditions of cleanliness. Dirt does not
originate in the avenues or in the boulevards, but it blows there, or
is dragged there from the slums, through the intermediate sections,
making cleanliness helpless, and hopeless to each quarter except by
beginning to clean the deepest slums first.[8]
[8] I was walking in a country lane in England with Julian
Ralph, the American author, after having received, and just
read, a batch of mail. In thoughtless absorption I crumpled
an envelope in my hand and was on the point of throwing it
away, when Ralph caught me by the arm and shouted: "Great
goodness, man! Don't do that! You'll spoil England."
The force of the suggestion was such that since that time I
never think of throwing anything broadcast, but put waste
paper, or whatever else I may accumulate, away, often in my
pocket, till I can place it in a proper receptacle or in the
fire.
The other day, at Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, while on the
water, as a result of Ralph's suggestion, I found myself
refraining from throwing waste in the water; it was so pure
and clear. Why not start children with such a suggestion
instead of those begotten of sheer _carelessness_?--[THE
AUTHOR.]
Moral and physical carelessness beget and stimulate each other. You
cannot correct one without favorably affecting the other. Social
Quarantine embodies both Moral and Sanitary Quarantine.
* * * * *
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account