The Fight for a Local Children's Home
After handling over 130 cases of abuse, the Everett Humane Society takes the first steps toward building a permanent home for the city's vulnerable children.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
An open meeting of the Everett Humane Society was held Tuesday evening in the parlors of the First Methodist church, its object being the discussion of the proposition of building a children's home in Snohomish county, a much needed institution. John F. Denny, W. T. Pullman, Attorney Faussett and W. W. Mack discussed the possibility of such a home, after which a committee of five was appointed to look after the organization and incorporation of the home society. During the last six months 218 children have been cared for directly and indirectly, 130 cases of cruel treatment have been attended to and 20 children sent to the Washington Children's home at Seattle. The aim in the establishment of a local boarding home will be to attend to the needs of just such cases as the humane society under present conditions is forced to turn over to the Seattle institution.
“The aim in the establishment of a local boarding home will be to attend to the needs of just such cases as the humane society under present conditions is forced to turn over to the Seattle institution.”
In 1909, civic leaders were scrambling to keep local children from being institutionalized in far-off Seattle. Today, the debate over 'local control' of social services and the funding of community-based care remains a central tension in Snohomish County's budget and legislative battles.
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