Darkness Before the Dawn - The Pride of Judea Story (1955)

[Music] to be alone is to live in a gray world a place where common everyday activities seem narrow and meaningless at times even intolerable to be alone and to be a boy is to live in a frightening World a place where fears and insecurities can eat away like acid at the confused mind the vulnerable emotions there are many such young people today the Forgotten ones youngsters have been deprived of normal parental relationships sometimes the situation seems unavoidable this is Ronnie age 12 his parents both work and Ronnie is often alone too much alone he's closed a wall about himself refused to seek friends he's become quiet and withdrawn because at 12 he's afraid there are agonies that are not shown scars that are not [Music] seen but other things can be seen grim squalet things that contribute to the Nationwide black harvests of violence and human waste these are other forgotten ones other afterthoughts of broken homes and selfish unthinking parents the young can grow like seeking roots in tortured Twisted ways juvenile delinquency is spreading throughout the land like a great malignant growth feeding on the young greedy vicious and out of control its sickening growth almost succeeds through default all too often the problem is fought with old and inadequate [Music] ideas but not always there are new and increasingly successful techniques being brought to bear this is the summer camp of the pride of Judea children services which for the past 40 years has pioneered in the field of child care as a residence home for Orphans and underprivileged children an institution devoted to the care of needy children children who come from all walks of life from all conditions children from troubled homes children from families that are well off from families that are poor it is here in the controll laboratory of the pride of Judea summer camp that their troubles are found out before they become community problems it is here that the young who need help can get help can learn and experience the potential Joy Of Life Ronnie who otherwise would make an unhealthy adjustment might come to like too much the dull but comforting four Wars of his apartment can here learn the necessary experience of participation a wide range of activities is provided not just the healthy bodybuilding competition of outdoor sports but instruction in various arts and crafts a program comprising a wide choice of media enabling each child to select the one that best fits his individual skill metal wood wood clay leather paints lenium and even Plastics there is for the embryo journalists if not the Roar of the presses at least the pur of the mograph the summer camp Gazette prints all the News That's fit to print or rather all the news that fits it has only four pages there's the opportunity to participate in Dramatics an opportunity that tempts even those who are shy and reticent it's a pleasurable and satisfying activity a means of providing fun and friendship a means also of bringing out a child's personality Dramatics can be the most wonderful therapy in the world for a child even when the show is to borrow an occupational phrase a turkey and there's another means of expression in this unique summer camp more important than any other and just a little surprising In This Very secular Age religion the pride of Judea believes that in order to train a child in the way he should go a child should first be provided with the strength which only faith and knowledge can bring religion is not a tag down thought here but rather an integral part and meshed in the Fabrics of each day's activities transmitting to the children all the wealth and strength of their Jewish cultural and religious Heritage the old prayers of their faith in the language of their Heritage baruk at Hashem said art thou our Lord and God King of the universe will bringeth forth bread from the [Music] [Applause] [Music] earth and so though the Forgotten ones the children of broken homes the underprivileged the dependent can he experience for a few brief months along with those who are more fortunate the full life they are entitled to there is complete provision made for their basic needs there is care of the spirit care of the body there is especially care of the personality the inner workings of a child are more complex and amazing than those of a miniature watch if they are handled properly they will function smoothly will play Shout have water fights will be at times unruly but children are also as delicate as a miniature watch a jolt a psychological jolt can do great damage damage that at first can't be seen like the outside of a watch a child may appear to be in normal condition but the appearance can be deceiving for not all children respond in the same way not all children take part in the games not all children Jo join in with the others these are the ones who often need extra help the quiet ones who never fully participate who don't respond who sit aside boys like Ronnie who are afraid who withdraw from life and it's precisely in cases such as these that the pride of Judea staff becomes most alert a counselor May observe the condition during a storytelling period runny not listening not caring his thoughts elsewhere his feelings hidden but tormented in this situation A sharp command to pay attention would not be in order it might even aggravate an emotionally disturbed condition instead there is a thoughtful step-by-step procedure the social worker in charge is immediately told of the boy in question Ronnie is keeping to himself too much keeping a high wall around his personality keeping everybody away what can it mean the soci worker is a highly trained specialist a young man but one who has already done years of postgraduate study who has a practical working knowledge of psychology it is his job now to learn as much about Ronnie as he possibly can and the job is not one that can be put off time is crucial in the case of the young the quicker a boy can be reached the better the inner fears that torment Ronnie that mold him in an unfriendly attitude that force him to hostile acts the interferes will not wait they're working silently in the ways of acid silently and without pause urging Ronnie to keep to himself to avoid the rough companionship of sports to run away to be alone to brood the social worker knows what this means knows that he can't afford to defer action that he must act must follow Ronnie at once unless the social worker can intervene unless he can get through to the board Ronnie will slide deeper into his condition so deep perhaps that he may never be whole again this is what's at stake this is what the social worker must fight for the psychological life of a child [Music] [Applause] [Music] now the struggle begins a struggle for a human personality an unseen thing but precious nonetheless it can become harmed can become a defective lens through which an individual sees life in Distortion it can be helped can be the means of a full and natural life and so since so much is involved the process begins slowly with patience and observation the social worker will try first to earn Ronnie's confidence once contact has been made once communication is established the social worker can learn about the boy's problem can note its symptoms [Music] the information is then passed down to a case worker in the Child Guidance Center of the pride of Judea in Brooklyn for this is only a beginning an interview is then arranged Ronnie is in need of help he will come here often for his injury is of a kind that cannot be cured with a pill or an injection his wound must be probed for must be skillfully felt up the search may take a long time if he needs it ronne will receive the full range of psychiatric treatment his hidden life will be explored his insecurities will be washed away a life that might have been wasted is thus restored a boy who was afraid will now learn to deal with his fears but Ronnie is only one among many surveys indicate that 25% of the public school children in New York City are emotionally disturbed and like Ronnie need guidance that 265,000 children between the ages of 7 and 17 are brought into juvenile court each year some are already hardened criminals some are like Bobby a boy of 11 with above average intelligence and a flare for acting tough here too Psychiatry can be of great help what compels Barbie to pose in this way what makes him act like a hoodlum and tend increasing ly toward a behavior pattern suggestive of juvenile delinquency the answer may be found through a number of ways the roar shock test the ink blots that have different meanings for different people Bobby in telling what he sees in the odd ink shapes also tells something else he tells about himself he tells without his even knowing it the nature and the intensity of his problem a child's problems can usually be related to the parents this is Bobby's father angry bitter unable to understand what is happening to his son he too is interviewed in this instance by a social worker in order to more completely fill out the picture the pride of Judea insists that parents must be willing to submit themselves to psychiatric treatment if it is necessary for very often the problem of a child when it is traced back turns out to be the problem of the parent group therapy sessions for parents are frequently held enabling them to discuss their problems enabling them to learn about their children and themselves too when all the information about Bobby has been gathered a planning conference is held where the skills of the psychologist the psychiatrist and the social worker all come together they must try to fit the pieces together try to read the pattern they must make a diagnosis and then they must plan a treatment the facts about Bobby are clear he is mentally and emotionally healthy but he's beginning to get into trouble beginning to Rebel the report made by the social worker indicates that Bobby's mother is ill and has been hospitalized for over 6 months there are three other children and Bobby is the oldest he is during the day when the father's at work nominally in charge the one who must see to it that the younger ones are looked after that they are fed and Bobby is only 11 years of age this is the thing he's in against this premature responsibility which has been thrust upon him the situation is one that requires other approaches besides that of Psychiatry and so another service of the pride of Judea is brought into the picture this is Mrs Matthews a homemaker sent by the pride of Judea to fill the vacuum created by the illness of Bobby's mother Mrs Matthews fulfills two purposes she physically cares for and supervises the children during the day when the father is at his job and she serves as a substitute mother preserves a family atmosphere so necessary to the young the Homemaker service is a means of continuing the normal household routine in the face of a family emergency and this situation involving four young children and a father who is under great strain definitely qualifies as an emergency the father after all is not to be blamed he loves his children he is not indifferent to his respons possibilities he simply can't deal with what is admittedly a difficult situation the Homemaker arriving promptly every morning and handling the household in his absence provides them with reassurance the children are in good hands and Bobby is being looked after Bobby too is reassured reassured about his place and his family for children need to have their world defined need to be told their place they look to others to tell them who they are what they are to do they need this certainty before they can begin to develop in their own individual Ways by taking over the chores and the responsibilities so prematurely thrust upon Bobby the Homemaker restores to him his psychological balance defines him once again as an 11-year-old boy intelligent stable and not at all a sneering young tough guy who must act as if he knows it all the Homemaker has restored to Bobby something else his natural smile an extra little bonus thrown in courtesy of the Homemaker service certainly one of the most valuable techniques ever devised to help families that have been disrupted to help children from being Twisted in their growth it is important to keep the child at home to keep the home intact a child whose mother is hospitalized temporarily or incapacitated undergoes great stress If the child is put under further stress and uprooted from home it very often could result in a Trauma from from which neither the child nor the parent would recover the pride of Judea has set up even more services has even more weapons at its command it is concerned with children of all ages even those who are in the preschool category since many of these young ones have mothers who work the pride of Judea arranges to have preschool AG children driven daily to an Affiliated Nursery School the Henri Street day Nursery as the mothers work at their jobs to overcome financial and other difficulties the children get the benefit of professional supervision and a day of plann fun and growth a program for these preschool children that will also Aid them in their identification as Jews their time is spent profitably often developing Hobbies which will be useful and fulfilling in later life here they learn to do many things for instance the basic relationships of color the discipline of making a straight line a symmetrical curve they also learn the messy art of finger painting these are potential Architects very potential and these are well what are they oh yes this is the fun that only maranets can give that most ancient of art forms that peculiarly belongs to children [Music] and the other games why for children of this age there's no such formal separation of activities the children make their own judgments they make their own games but some do not some children even at this age act unaccountably show streaks of hostility in the actual manner in which they play here again the skill of the psychiatrist and the counselor is needed and provided for and another determined and patient struggle for the soul of a child [Music] Begins the Child Guidance Center takes on one more problem and continues to look for others here is just one new situation the pride of Judea is working on the bitter one of the handicapped child whose problem is a heavy one who must learn from the pride of Judea how to compensate for a cruel infirmity there are many such situations which must be dealt with the planning committee of the pride of Judea children services knows this and has acted accordingly has planned to prevent the pled of today's forgotten ones out of all this planning has come a new development in the field of child care a radical departure from the past the pride of Judea has changed itself into a multi-service institution dedicated to the welfare of children an institution with five major Services dovetail to answer most of the problems of the child all so to speak Under One Roof one Central intake office with joint planning between all services without delay and without waiting or going from one institution to another an institution that works at prevention while it works at cure which keeps the family together and strengthens it whenever possible the results are the most gratifying the human heart could experience a boy who is beginning to slide into trouble now smiling adjusted enjoying normal healthy family relationship headed for a normal healthy life a boy once afraid to seek friends who tried to close himself off from life now a participant open to the joys that all children need prevented from falling into the darkness of fear and loneliness now living in the dawn of a new life these are the results of the pride of Judea these and the 9,000 others who've gone before them the alumni of the pride of Judea people who could have had had wasted lives but didn't people who with scholarships and incentive grants contributed by the pride of Judea learned to use their potential became Engineers draftsmen became life-giving surgeons people who even today if they need assistance can apply to the pride of Judea alumni and scholarship department for the pride of Judea is a standin a standin for parents a great and unique private institution made possible by the thousands of devoted women who comprise the pride of Judea auxiliaries only by the generosity of the people of America [Music]