A dependent or neglected child is a child who needs food, clothing, shelter, kindly treatment; in short, a home, whose only offense is that it is not living in proper surroundings and tinder conditions calculated to give it a fair chance. The delinquent child is that child, who either from neglect or heredity, has committed an offense against the law, a child who is incorrigible, who steals, who breaks into buildings, destroys property, or in any way commits an offense, is upon being found guilty adjudged by the juvenile court a delinquent child.

This work with children has presented to the board not only its greatest opportunity, but also its greatest problem. The field of work with dependent children had, before the board’s establishment, been scarcely touched in this state. It is for the state now to extend its help to those not hitherto reached—these children located perhaps away from the larger centers, in the smaller towns, and back on the hills. Vermont is recognizing its obligation to its dependent child.

The board has recently been making a survey of dependent children of our state. The overseers of the poor of 212 cities and towns have reported that they now have 956, who are wholly or in part being maintained by the poor department of the several cities and towns. It must not be assumed that this includes all the dependent and neglected children in our state. There are hundreds who are not being maintained in whole or in part by our poor departments, who are greatly in need of a change in environment, supervision and care under conditions, other than that in which they now live. Many of the most perplexing problems arise in homes which never have received public charity.

The following is a brief summary of the child care work of the board during its first year:

Children placed in temporary or permanent homes 61 Children sent to State Industrial School at Vergennes 25 Homes investigated involving children 279 Children in homes investigated 1,395 Children committed to Board of Charities and Probation 32 Sent to State School for Feeble‐Minded 8

Survey made of all poor in all cities and towns in Vermont: Children sent to hospitals 21 Defective, dependent child cases investigated 65 Dependent boys sent to Vail School 2 Poorhouses inspected 68 Children placed on probation 5 Children removed from three homes where parents were infected with venereal disease 5 ‘Baby Farms” found and investigated 2 Orphanage involving 60 children investigated

During the last few months many additional cases of defective children have been investigated and treated.

Vermont has made no financial provision for the maintenance of dependent and neglected children, neither has it made any provision for the surgical treatment of defective, dependent children; and while no funds were available by law for this work, it was apparent to the board and the governor that there was a large number of cases where there were physical defects requiring surgical or hospital treatment and care. The governor sent letters to a number of philanthropically disposed citizens of the state, calling attention to the situation and the need of funds. There was contributed, as a result of these letters, over twenty‐five hundred dollars, which has been set apart as the “Governor’s Special Fund” for use in such medical and surgical cases as are thought proper. This fund is held by, and expended under the direction of a special committee appointed by the governor.

It is the hope and firm belief of this board that ultimately it will be possible for the board to have a thorough mental and physical examination made of every child committed to its care. Our present appropriation will not permit of our doing this work, ret it is essential, if we are to do all that modern scientific social work has shown possible for child welfare.

Public charity which seeks merely to relieve is self‐perpetuating, and the evil grows and increases by itself alone; for there can be no justifiable charity that is not preventive in quality, and that has not the elimination of causes for its ultimate object.

At the last conference I expressed to you the belief that Vermont would never satisfactorily solve the dependent child question until we had, by suitable legislation, provided for the care of the feeble‐minded female of child‐bearing age. When Vermont has taken under her care and supervision these feebleminded, our effort is preventive in so far as it guards the community against the depredations of its defectives and forestalls their propagation of children, of whom we are told that 80 per cent, are certain to be feeble‐minded. In so far as we fail to follow the hill folk into their native hovels, and stop the taint of feeble‐mindedness from propagating, we fail in our charity. Nay, more, by our sympathetic relief, we foster the evil. And when the state of Vermont allows that shanty full of feebleminded children, living in the midst of gross immorality and intemperance to grow, the social sore ever widening—like the waves from a splash in a pool—that shanty there under the hill, or down there by the river, or at the cross‐roads, or where‐ever else among the numerous spots in this fair state where such may be found—then Vermont commits a gross offense against its own life. It is answered here perhaps, as it is perhaps answered elsewhere: “But if you put a hand upon them what becomes of the unalienable right of the individual?" How can a family be rooted out by main force and its right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness abridged? I tell you that life is like everything else nowadays, it has to be earned to be rightfully possessed; and liberty does not mean license to raise a large family of feeble‐minded and otherwise defective children, who are bound to be a burden, not only to themselves, but to the state.

How shall Vermont care for its dependent, defective dependent, feeble‐minded, and delinquent children? Nature has decreed that the child should live in the home of its father and mother, where it can have individual care; where its peculiarities can be studied; its wants ministered to and trained into normal citizenship. When the child, either by death, misfortune or other cause, is deprived of its natural home, then it should be cared for as nearly like the home as is possible, namely in the foster home. A home that has been selected, inspected and licensed by this board; a home that is under supervision and inspection at all hours of the day or night, by the visitors of this board. This, I believe, is the best solution for the normal dependent child. The defective dependent child, whether that defect be mental or physical must, so far as possible, be treated for that defect. If incurable, it and the delinquent child must be cared for institutionally.

During discussion of Secretary Jeffrey’s address W. J. Van Patten asked: What funds has the Board had at its disposal; and what are its needs for the future?

Mr. Jeffrey replied in effect as follows: The appropriation of $10,000 per annum has been insufficient since it covers the probation work as well as work for dependent children. The old probation system alone formerly cost $8,300 per annum. The Board is asking $22,500 per annum for 1919 and 1920, but work actually required would suggest the desirability of an appropriation of $30,000 to $35,000.

Mr. Van Patten inquired: Can we not prevent the sending of dependent children to the Vergennes Industrial School which was established as a school for delinquents?

Mr. Jeffrey stated that in the average case the court does not distinguish carefully between delinquents and dependents; that he knows of numerous instances in which dependent or neglected children have been committed as delinquents.

C.W. Wilson, Superintendent of the Vermont Industrial School replied: I do not believe in sending the dependent child to Vergennes. But it should be known that the children committed to us are largely recruited from delinquent families. So our “dependents” are about the same type as our “delinquents.” This, however, is not necessarily true of dependent children at large in the state.

Miss Lena C. Ross, Deputy State Probation Officer, described a case visited the day before, which she and Mr. Jeffrey declared typical of hundreds of cases in Vermont.

The Case: The family having eleven children lives on a hill outside a small village in an isolated locality. The house is only partly completed and conditions within are incredibly bad. There is no door in the house except outside doors and partitions are only half finished. Furniture is meager, there being four beds, three or four chairs and two old tables. For bedding there are only vile mattresses and rags of old carpets. No proper bed coverings are used. The clothing of the children is pinned together with nails. The children were found blue with cold and during the visit one child had an epileptic seizure. Save one, the children seemed normal, but the mother is apparently feebleminded and the case of the children is not certain. To give the family clothing is useless as the ragman speedily gets it.