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The Latham Foundation for the Promotion of Humane
Education is a unique institution. There is nothing else
quite like it even today, when a multitude of humane
organizations exist. It is interesting and helpful to
place Latham’s early years in a historical perspective.
It is also important to know as much as possible about
Milton and Edith Latham’s purpose for the Foundation,
because her intentions serve both as inspiration and
guidelines for our operations today. Their mandate
includes:
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To foster a deeper understanding of and sympathy
with man's relations -- the animals -- who cannot
speak for themselves,
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To inculcate the higher principles of humaneness
upon which the unity and happiness of the world
depend,
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To emphasize the spiritual fundamentals that lead to
world friendship
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To promote the child's character through an
understanding of universal kinship.
We are indebted to the late Elliot Evans, Ph.D., former
Latham Foundation Director and Curator Emeritus of the
Society of California Pioneers for the following
biographical information on Edith.
"Edith Latham was born in Virginia City, Nevada in 1866
where her father, James H. Latham, was the Wells Fargo
representative. He moved the family to San Francisco in
1869 and soon ensconced himself in a highly successful
brokerage firm. He established his family in a handsome
residence in Oakland where his small red-headed daughter
was provided with every luxury. For example, Edith had a
fabulous playhouse which, although it was the envy of
her contemporaries, this was disregarded in favor of the
horses, dogs, and cats in and about the family stable.
Edith’s mother was a beautiful and gifted lady much
given to intellectual pursuits and devoted to the
education of her three children. Edith’s father died in
1876 at the age of 42, leaving a considerable
inheritance.
The Lathams subsequently lived rather retired lives
following their own interests with amazing intensity,
"always studying something." At one time, about 1890,
the family became vegetarian, an early example of their
concern for animals and protested against the barbarous
slaughtering practice of the time. Mrs. Latham even
published a vegetarian cookbook. She died in Paris in
1909.
Edith and her brother were both unmarried and both
gravely distressed by their mother’s death. They moved
to New York State and by the First World War, began to
consider what to do with their rather substantial means.
Humanitarian ideas seemed to have loomed large in their
contemplative lives and one thought was the possibility
of endowing a nursing home in New York State. But this
failed to materialize and Edith and Milton returned to
California, this time to Hollywood. There they saw
animals exploited, neglected, and mistreated and the
animals’ sorry plight attracted their sympathetic
attention.
Recalling their childhood and the kind care their own
pets had received, Edith and Milton conceived of
teaching respect of pets and of all living creatures.
Thus, the Latham Foundation for the Promotion of Humane
Education came to be established. Two highly educated
and kindness-oriented individuals determined to devote
their fortune and the remainder of their lives to help
those who could not speak for themselves. With
impressive vision and foresight, Edith and Milton
founded the Latham Foundation in 1918.
In 1921 Milton died leaving Edith to carry on their
project alone. This she did with energy and
steadfastness for over 30 years. She personally explored
many methods of reaching the largest possible number of
children with her humane message.
Her first efforts to attract support were modest.
Efforts to gain access to schools with her humane
message made a slow start.
Attempts to influence legislation were tried and
abandoned in the middle 1920's. Even though the causes
were good in themselves. Miss Latham rather quickly saw
that humane societies and other direct action groups
found these activities in their province.
However, by 1927 work in the Oakland public schools was
gratifying. She enlisted talented children’s authors
such as Gwyn J. Tebault and Dolores Wilkens Kent to help
promote her message and she gained the cooperation of
school administrators and classroom teachers. Progress
was encouraging. The Kind Deeds Club and the Kindness
Messenger (a school newsletter) along with a radio
program using Mrs. Kent’s stories prospered. An essay
contest further expanded the audience for Miss Latham’s
message of kindness.
In 1928 the international
poster competition was born thanks in large part to
a gifted couple Mr. and Mrs. John deLemos of Palo Alto.
The poster contest continued into the 1960's.
Miss Latham did not live to see the birth of and
fantastic proliferation of television. It remained the
lot of her dear friends Mrs. Kent and Mrs. Gwyn J.
Tebault to launch the Brother Buzz program on
television. (KPIX Channel 5, San Francisco)
. Brother
Buzz the puppet, in story, on radio, and television, has
been the spokesperson for the Foundation since 1927.
My own feeling is the Edith Latham would heartily
applaud Brother Buzz’s remarkable longevity and success
in getting across the much-needed message of the
importance of humane education to an ever-increasing
audience."
Elliot A. P. Evans, Ph.D., 1980
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