 The Cavalcade of America, presented by DuPont. This evening the DuPont Cavalcade brings you a story of the growth of child care in the United States through organizations that are striving to improve child care methods and reach a better understanding of juvenile needs. Now that fine weather has arrived, you're driving your car more than ever and you want to have it looking its best. Having developed the colorful, durable finishes DuCo and Dulux now used on most automobiles, DuPont chemists made a scientific study to find the best way to keep finishes in perfect condition, to clean them and protect them against the weather. Out of this research came a complete line of cleaning and polishing products, best known of which are DuPont number 7 polish and DuPont's new liquid speedy wax. These cleaners, polishes and waxes developed in the same DuPont research laboratories that produce the most widely used auto finishes will keep your car bright and new looking. Whether you do the job yourself or have it done at a garage, these DuPont products are real examples of better things for better living through chemistry. As an overture, Don Voorhees and the DuPont Cavalcade Orchestra play, just let me look at you by Jerome Kern from the motion picture, The Joy of Living. The DuPont Cavalcade begins with the uprising of the Natchez Indians against the French in Louisiana and a massacre at Fort Rosalie in 1729. Along the dark road leading to the Ursuline Convent in New Orleans, move a band of horsemen and in the saddle with each horseman is a child. It is so dark even my good man cannot see the way. It is only a little farther. These little ones must be given shelter before the morning breaks. How is it with you, my curly head? You find it hard riding with Pierre? It is very hard, Mr. Pierre. The Convent is just ahead and soon you will have food in a good bed. And my mother's goodbye. She'll be a very great soldier, little John. Someone rang the convent bell. Hold first, now, little one, when I dismount. Put your arm around my neck so I may carry you. Did the Indians take him captive? No, no. You must be brave. Fort Rosalie is destroyed. Everyone is scattered. Those who have escaped may not come back for a long time. You must be patient and stay in the convent with the good sisters. Sister, there has been a massacre. The Natchez Indians have attacked Fort Rosalie. The entire settlement is wiped out. Le Ponteur of Natchez. We have brought you these little children. Homeless, fatherless. The poor little ones, let them come in, Monsieur. Let them come in. What? I want to go home. I want to go home. Give me the little girl. Poor, sweet. They are orphaned, sister. Every one of them. And they may be more. Bring them to us, Monsieur. We will find a place to care for them. The number of children left homeless by the massacre proved to be so great that the convent turned its facilities to their care. So providing the first group care of children in America. But it was many years before other institutions devoted wholly to children were even contemplated. In communities throughout the country, children were bundled off to institutions which housed the destitute, the disease, the aged and the insane. Here they work for their living. There's floors to be swept and beds to be made and work to be done. Houses to be managed with the likes of you. Granny, stop sitting there mumbling in your corner. Go get the broom. With a broom? My back's too lame this morning. Funny how lame your back always gets when there's something to be done. All right, old woman. Get to the kitchen and fix the vegetables. Go on, get along with you. Tom, you can do the sweeping. I can't, sweetie. Why not? I cut my thumb. I can't hold anything. Bet you did it on purpose. Hey, don't you say that. I'll hit you one for that if I ever catch you. You never will. Well, I'll take your doll. You won't! My doll! I'll take my doll! I keep you wrapped in my shawl. Oh, yes, I will. Come in. Come in. Get away and let Molly think alone. Get out of the wood pile. We need some long sticks for the big stone. Oh, I can't. You know what I tell you too? Or you'll get a whipping. Oh, my thumb hurts. You always make me do this. Molly, you clean up in here. Make the bed. Matron, is she far bed today? Of course not. Not till Friday. I know that's rules. But with four of us girls sleeping in a bed that way, things get awful must up. And I never get to share the blanket, Matron. Sue is always pulling it off of me. There are all the beds there are. And you are very lucky to have a fourth of a bed to sleep in instead of having to lie on the floor. I suppose so, but I... You'll have to make the best of it, Molly. Now get to work. Remember, you're an orphan and lucky to have a roof over your head. The 1860s, when institutions exclusively for the care of children were established, brought a turn for the better. And new laws provided the children of sound minds and bodies be placed either in orphan asylums or bound out to private families. But the life of the bound boy was one of hard labor and grim reality. One of these boys, Dave Brown, is taken to his new home by a state official. Come on, heat up. Now Dave, you're a good boy and do as you're told. I'm sure it'll be a fine home for you. The Whittakers will treat you well. I'll try. I like working on a farm better than at the arms house. Maybe they'll let me take care of the horses. I know about doing that. Probably they will. You'll learn a lot of other things, so that when you're 21, you can get work and earn money for yourself. And here's the place. Hello there. Hello, hello. Howdy. I'm John Grimes from the orphan asylum. This is Dave Brown, the boy you're expecting. Oh yes, yes, the bound boy. Well, so you're the lad. Yes, sir. Well, I hope you're a good strong chap. There's plenty to be done on a farm, you know. I can't have you eating your head off around here unless you're in it. I'll do my best, sir. I'm sure you will. It's late and I won't come in, Mr. Whittaker. You just sign these papers and send them back to us. The boy's yours, at least 21. And I hope he's a help to you. Well, if he ain't, he'll hear from me. Well, come on, boy. Well, come on. He's going to get out the buggy. Oh, yes, sir. Be a good boy, Dave. Good luck. Thank you, sir. Here's your bundle. Bye. Bye, sir. Come on. Well, come on in. Oh, Ma. Ma, here's the boy. Well, it's a mint of light, and let me have a look at you. It might just well know to begin with that I didn't want no dirty boys around this place, but Pa's not as young as he used to be, and we need some help. I think I can help, ma'am. Well, there's a loft above where you can sleep. There's a take-up there. You can fill with straw from the barn to lay on, and there's a pitcher and a bowl. You can drive some nails to hang your clothes on, and you'll be comfortable enough. Thank you, ma'am. There's a gold mound half down the road. Let it says you've got to go to school. Yes, I want to. Yeah, well, Pa and I both think it's asking a lot, but if you can do it and get all the chores done... Oh, I know I can. I'm a big worker. Yeah, and a big eater, too, I expect. Well, get upstairs, take off those store clothes. Let's see what you can do. You're not living off the state any longer, you know. You're working your way now. Yes, sir. By 1875, the greater percentage of the orphans in the United States were in so-called asylum. These were an improvement over general institutions housing all sets of Daleks, but they were often bleak, cheerless affairs in which the children were practically prisoners, constantly humiliated by their feeling of dependence on charity. A meeting of the board often meant ordeal for the youngsters. Oh, how do you do, Mrs. Messenger? How do you do, ma'am? Mrs. Holden. Good afternoon, ma'am. The other members of the committee will not be here until three, but we thought we would like to visit the children before the meeting. Why, uh... Of course, Mrs. Holden. The children's home is always open to members of the board. We've decided to inspect the classes and find out for ourselves what these children are doing. They're wards of the state, matron. They're dependent on charity for the very bread they eat, the clothes they wear. Yes, yes, of course. And we want to be sure that they appreciate that fact. Are they making the most of their time, matron? Or are they just frittering it away? I can assure you there's very little frittering in the home, Mrs. Messenger. The children realize their position. They're taught to work hard and be grateful. But are they grateful, matron? That's what we want to know, or are they simply presumptuous scheming young people? Oh, and my husband visited the home last week. He was approached by a boy who had the imprisonment to ask if he might be allowed to go to high school. Since a bit, wanting an upper school education. He was quite brave in a barter, too. And very resentful when Mr. Messenger told him it was impossible. Said his duty was to go to work at once and earn his board and keys. He should have been reported to me. Such ideas are not encouraged in the home, Mrs. Messenger. Oh, I hope not. Mr. Messenger and I made up our minds that as such tendencies are being permitted, we shall withdraw our support. These children must be taught their place. We try to impress it upon them, Mrs. Messenger. Oh, uh, would you like to go to the girls' work room and such ideas are not encouraged in the home, Mrs. Messenger? I hope not. Mr. Messenger and I made up our minds that as such tendencies are being permitted, we shall withdraw our support. These children must be taught their place. We try to impress it upon them, Mrs. Messenger. Oh, uh, would you like to go to the girls' work room and see for yourself how they spend their time? By yes, I would. Just now they are peacing quill. The girls in this division make practically all the bedding for the home. They're right in here. They seem very quiet. They aren't allowed to speak. It takes their minds from their work. This is part of their regular routine. What is their present schedule, ma'am? Well, they rise at 6.30 and are washed and dressed and in line by 7. They march to the dining room and have their breakfast of mush and milk. In the morning they have lessons. Lunch is at 12, and at 1.30 they begin their afternoon duties. Suffer is at 6. Bible study, hymns, and bed at 8.30. They, uh, take off their shoes and stockings down here, so, uh, so it's not to mar the staircase. An excellent idea. They're taught to be very careful about the furniture. Oh, they do appreciate the duty. They owe to the home, Mrs. Holden. Oh, they have a song about it. We've taught them. Would you like to hear it? Well, uh, I don't think so. Can you only take a minute? Hello, girl? We have as visitors two members of the board, Mrs. Messenger and Mrs. Holden. I want you to show them how much you appreciate all that's being done for you by singing your orphan home song for them. Stand up. Ready? Down the pitch pipe, Sarah. Sing. Sing. Ah! I'm sure. There's one little girl who wasn't singing. What's her name, little girl? Mary. Why weren't you singing? Well, I should think you'd be very glad to have this nice home to sing about, aren't you? Aren't you? Mary, answer it once. No. You're not grateful. I ain't got nothing to be grateful for. Why, Mary, what do you mean? Don't you like it here? No, I hate it. You'd hate it too if you had to wear these awful gray dresses and never do nothing but sew and sing hymns. Mary. How can I sing thankful songs in a place like this? How'd you like to sleep 20 to a room and eat everything with a spoon and never have no china dishes or nothing? Outside it's... Mary, stop this minute. It is, Matron. Grace told me. Little girls on the outside don't wear their skirts down to their shoe tops. It's just because we're orphans you think you can treat us this way, but someday things is gonna change. Mary, go to my office. You can beat me if you want to, Matron, but it's true. Someday people's gonna find out orphans got rights just like anybody else, and it's important what they grow into. Someday things is gonna be different. You'll see. Eventually, Mary's prediction came true. Modern standards for childcare developed slowly, but by 1909 such progress had been made that in Washington, D.C., President Theodore Roosevelt called a conference at the White House. Doctors, educators, and social workers from all parts of the United States meet to consider the problems of the youth of America. The purpose of this conference has been to determine just what steps are necessary to give the orphaned children of this nation a better opportunity. We are very grateful for your cooperation, Mr. President. Robbing them of the rights of childhood is not the right way to meet the problem. Our orphaned asylums are the best in the world, Mr. President. What do we are? It's been the sense of this meeting that our present orphan asylums are not serving the child, but the real need is a nationwide program for giving children homes. But that is not always possible. And let's make it possible. I'm afraid, Mr. President, that you're suggesting utopia. I am suggesting common sense. We've listened to the reports of doctors, social workers, heads of institutions, welfare workers, the consensus of opinioners that we will stop pounding children into institutions just because it's the easiest way to handle them. You're quite right, Mr. President. Whenever it's possible, a child's own home should be preserved. When that can't be done, it should be duplicated for him in the best available way. Then we must work out a method of procedure. Mr. President, consider the work involved. You can't place a child in a home which has not been thoroughly investigated. Certainly not. Investigate it. That'll require time and money and a tremendous staff of workers. Then they must be provided. These helpless children are the citizens of tomorrow. They have a right to health and education and happiness. It's our duty to supply these rights. We are agreed that definite standards for childcare must be developed, Mr. President. That we must form societies that will be responsible for the health and welfare of its destitute children. But to work out such a system will take time. It will be slow, very slow. It may be slow, but it's bound to come. We're learning to conserve our forests and our cattle and our crops. One of these days, we'll learn to conserve our children. As a result of this conference, child welfare became a nationwide responsibility. In an attempt to clarify the work already being done, a bill for the exchange of information was set up in 1915. Its service proved so valuable that on June 20th, 1921, a meeting was held in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, attended by delegates from many states to outline a plan to increase its scope and activities. Among the delegates were Dr. Hastings H. Hart, Wilfred Reynolds, C.C. Carstens, and Ms. Ida Curry, all of them pioneers in the child welfare movement. After one of the sessions, they meet informally to discuss plans. I think we'll all agree now that we have a better conception of the needs in the child welfare field. I believe it's the ultimate answer to the national child welfare problem. We should attack every subject concerning youth, not as a separate department, but as one division of the general objective to provide a normal background for every child in America. Quite true. And someday, if we show the value of our service, we'll be working not only with placing organizations, but maternity homes, day nurseries, and child clinics, exactly. Then we should propose a reorganization of this bureau into a national league, which will interpret to the whole country the best methods of caring for children, either in foster homes or in cities. I would approve of that plan heartily. Yes, and members of the league will have to become paste-setters in the field and point the way. We'll have a small membership at first, but it will include the leading organizations of the country. What do you think about it, Mr. Carstens? I think it is a duty to show America what child care should be. And that duty, Mr. Carstens, I suspect, is about to descend on your broad and capable shoulders. My? Yes. But when this plan of reorganization is worked out, we all hope that you will agree to become the first executive director of the Child Welfare League of America. Today, the Child Welfare League of America coordinates the leading child-carrying agencies in the country. These cooperating organizations have brought about great improvements in the standards of child care. Today, the emphasis in child care is on the individual child. In thousands of carefully selected homes throughout the United States, orphaned children are growing up under normal conditions in a happy home atmosphere. Child welfare agencies keep them under careful supervision, and every few weeks, a visitor makes a call to be sure that all is well. And so you're really pleased with Johnny, Mrs. Barnes? Pleased with him? Well, he's a changed boy. No more fits of temper, not one since the first week. Well, that boy didn't need anything but a home. He plays with my boys as though he's always lived here. He's gained three pounds. And his school cards, right good. Let me show you. The other boys are going swimming. May I...? Oh, hello, Miss Cartwell. Hello, Johnny. I stopped by to see how you were getting along. You're not going to take me away again? Of course not. If you're happy. Sure I'm happy. I like it swell here. I get to keep rabbits, and I got a new ball bat, and Mrs. Barnes fixed my room all up for me. And what do you think? What, Johnny? She lets me call her mother. For more than 200 years, America has been slowly developing this modern method of fulfilling the needs of children deprived of their birthright. Through the care of health, through education, and the individual planning for home life, child welfare work provides hundreds of thousands of boys and girls annually with a normal childhood, which will enable them to face adult life as balanced individuals and good citizens. We salute those who have devoted their vision and energies towards improving the lot of children in the cavalcade of America. Forty-three years ago, a young German named Wilhelm Rentgen, while experimenting with a vacuum tube, discovered the mysterious action we now know as X-ray, which makes it possible for us to see right through solid substances. Most of us know how vital the X-ray is in helping doctors and dentists detect broken bones or infections hidden from the naked eye. But did you know that the same rays are used for such things as inspecting the inside of every metal weld on the great boulder dam, thereby making sure they're perfect and will last through the ages? That is just one of the curious and valuable uses to which modern industry puts X-ray. For example, the giant yet delicate radio transmitting tube sending this very program out in the air are X-ray inspected after their pact for shipment to make sure they're in perfect condition. One large manufacturer X-rays finished golf balls to check on size, shape, and position of centers. And even fruits such as oranges are X-rayed to make sure they're good all the way through. But X-rays do more than enable us to see through solid objects. In DuPont research laboratories, scientists use the same penetrating rays as super microscopes to measure distances as incredibly small as one one hundred millionth of an inch, the actual distance between atoms, to determine the qualities of new products which are continually being studied and developed. In these and many other modern applications of X-ray, it is one thing to see into or through an object and another thing to record such impressions for further study or reference. DuPont chemists have helped make the X-ray a more valuable tool by perfecting an X-ray film which makes it possible to get clearer pictures than ever before. DuPont X-ray film with a layer of sensitized emulsion on both sides of a special blue base gives doctors the greatest possible opportunity for correct diagnosis and provides sharp, distinct impressions on any type of X-ray work. It is non-flammable, flexible, and easily transported or stored. In contributing a superior film to capture and record the magic vision of the X-ray, we see one more illustration of how DuPont chemists work to provide better things for better living through chemistry. Samuel Slater, called the father of American manufacturers, will be the subject of our broadcast when next week, at the same time, DuPont again presents the Cavalcade of America. This is the Columbia Broadcasting System.