Transcriber’s Note:
The cover image was created by the transcriber and is placed in the public domain.
A TYPICAL SCENE
The matron of a Day Nursery examining a child’s throat. The two “Little Mothers” are typical.
THE BITTER CRY OF THE CHILDREN
INTRODUCTION
I count myself fortunate in having had a hand inbringing this remarkable and invaluable volume intoexistence. Quite incidentally in my book Poverty Imade an estimate of the number of underfed children inNew York City. If our experts or our general readingpublic had been at all familiar with the subject, myestimate would probably have passed without comment,and, in any case, it would not have been consideredunreasonable. But the public did not seemto realize that this was merely another way of statingthe volume of distress, and, consequently, for severaldays the newspapers throughout the country discussedthe statement and in some instances severelycriticised it. One prominent charitable organization,thinking that my estimate referred to starvingchildren, undertook, without delay, to provide mealsfor the children. In the midst of the excitementMr. Spargo kindly volunteered to investigate thefacts at first hand. His inquiry was so searchingand impartial and the data he gathered so interestingand valuable that I urged him to put his materialin some permanent form. The following admirablestudy of this problem is the result of that suggestion.
viiiI am safe in saying that this book is a truly powerfulone, destined, I believe, to become a mighty factorin awakening all classes of our people to the necessityof undertaking measures to remedy the conditionswhich exist. The appeal of adults in povertyis an old appeal, so old indeed that we have becomein a measure hardened to its pathos and ins