ELEMENTS OF CHILD-PROTECTION

Printed by Ballantyne, Hanson & Co.
At the Ballantyne Press, Edinburgh

[Pg v]

PREFACE

During the latter half of the nineteenth century, the importanceof child-protection gained a far wider recognition.

The nineteenth century has been well named “TheCentury of the Child.” But there are reasons no lesscogent for describing this century as “The Century ofSocialism,” or “The Century of Darwinism.”

The intimate interdependence of child-protection withSocialism and with Darwinism must on no account beoverlooked. It was my own assurance of this twofoldinterdependence which led me to undertake the study ofthe whole system of child-protection from the joint outlookof Socialism and of Darwinism. This book is aninvestigation of all the problems involved by child-protectionfrom the standpoints of the modern socialist movementand of modern social science.

My work makes no attempt to be either a “Philosophyof Child-Protection” or a “Handbook of Child-Protection.”For this reason it contains no definitions, it gives no historyof child-protection, and attempts no detailed description ofthe institutions which exist for the purpose of child-protectionin the various countries of the civilised world.

In view of the almost incalculable bulk of the materialsavailable in this field of study, I have been forced to contentmyself with a brief indication of my opinions in the variousdepartments, without endeavouring to go into details. Obviously,therefore, those in need of detailed information will notfind it in this book. My aim has rather been to effect alucid presentation of all the problems of child-protection,[vi]than to attempt myself to supply the solution of all theseproblems.

If I have been successful in formulating the main problemsof my subject, and if at the same time my discussionsand the data I have supplied, enable the reader to draw hisown conclusions in each case, my aim has been adequatelyfulfilled.

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CONTENTS