Legislation on behalf of neglected children in America and elsewhere

Abstract

It is only since 1889 that a father in England has been obliged to maintain his child — until then it was a voluntary act. In America even a taskmaster in the old slave days, who starved a slave might be (and actually was) flogged. Now, happily, magistrates have a weapon in their hands that should ensure the safety of a child's life. We are beginning to see that a parent has duties, and that even a child has rights, and that it is not only for the interest of the child that these must be protected, but also for the good of the community, for does not the wealth of a country consist of its men and women?