The  State  Board  of  Public  Charities  act  and  also  the  Board
of  Administration  act  passed  in  1909  provide  for  the  visitation  of
all  charitable  institutions  in  this  state  by  representatives  of  the
two  boards  respectively,  and  the  certification  of  those  institutions
that  are  deemed  fit  and  proper  custodians  of  children.  They  are
looked  upon  thereafter  as  accredited  institutions  to  which  the  ju-
venile court  may  commit  children.  Besides  this,  the  juvenile
court  law  provides*  that  a  report  of  these  institutions  may  be
asked  for  by  the  juvenile  court.  There  is  also  a  provision,  as  far
as  Cook  County  is  concerned,  that  the  county  judge  shall  appoint  a
visitation  committee,  which  shall  visit  these  institutions.  Under
this  authority  in  the  juvenile  court  law  I  have  sometimes  required
reports  from  institutions.  If  complaint  is  made  of  the  conduct  of
an  institution,  the  person  making  the  complaint  is  asked  to  file  by
petition  or  otherwise  a  specification  of  his  charges.  The  superin-
tendent is  then  summoned,  or  a  notice  is  served  by  the  juvenile
court  on  the  institution,  and  an  investigation  is  made  and  testi-
mony heard;  and  the  court  acts  according  to  the  developments  in
the  case.  I  might  say,  further,  that  it  has  been  frequently  my
province  to  call  upon  the  state  agent,  Mr.  Virden,  who  is  now  the
agent  of  the  Board  of  Administration  and  who  was  the  agent  of
the  State  Board  of  Public  Charities,  to  investigate  certain  institu-
tions to  which  my  attention  had  been  called,  for  the  purpose  of
determining  for  me  whether  or  not  the  institution  is  creditable  and
whether  or  not  the  court  should  send  children  to  it.  Mr.  Virden
has  always  promptly  attended  to  these  cases.  I  do  not,  however,

*  Sec.  96.     Illinois  Revised  Statutes  (1909),  chap.  23,  sec.  1776.
