Show FEED THE CHILDREN bupt supt william H maxwell 0 the new york schools docs not think that parents haab any right to ne their children and says that when they do not alvo them proper food the board of education may properly stop in sanco malnutrition Is tho great of backwardness iio said this before the league for political apropos of tho objections that have been made to his idea 0 feeding school children i am not proposing to put an extra burden on the taxpayers dr maxwell explained all I 1 want is to serve meals at cost and good meals can bo served to children at 5 cents those who could not do this the charitable charl table societies could look after malnutrition continued dr maxwell banot so much a matter 0 extreme poverty as of improper selection and preparation of foods parents go away in tho morning leaving their children asleep the children with no one to wake them sleep too long and in order not to be late leave home often with nothing but a cup of coffee a thing they never should have the parents leave them a few pennies to get and they spend it on candy and pickles around most of the schools these candy and pickle shops spring up and I 1 had an indignant letter the other day from the proprietor of one complaining that the principal had warned the children not to enter her shop she said she had a right to make a living the serving of suitable meals at cost by the city would remedy these conditions and I 1 think the saying of our children would be a better business than conserving the responsibility of parents this serving of meals would be the business of a department of hygiene which dr maxwell wants to see estate lashed under the control of the board of education not the board of health dual control he said meana wrangling and lack of responsibility such a department lie argued would save the city money examinations show that at least 90 per cent of backward truant and troublesome children are suffering from physical defects in the year 1907 5 children failed to be promoted and had to do alie work ot a term a second time at 20 cents a day for the ninety five days of each term this cost the city had only 10 per cent of these been promoted the saving would have been while the estimated of a department of hygiene with a corps of physicians and nurses is only yet 10 per cent Is an insignificant estimate of those who be saved from backwardness ward ness by such a department and there would also be a saving in buildings and part time classes |