Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1859-01-11
sTAuNTON VIRGINIA, TUESDAY, JANUARY II, 1859.
The Founding Hospitals of Russia.

One OF Bayard Iaylors letters HUN Gu'oPo
the New York Tribune contains notewortn
exposition of the extent and character OF foune
ling hospitals in Russia, where they appear I
be conducted on vast scale.
The hospital of Moscow is an immense quad
rangular building or collection Of buildings, who's
white front towers high over all tho Deighborln
part of the city, and qnite eclipses in its inpos
ingappearance every palace, church, military bar
rack, or other public buildings whatever. |
cannot be less than thousand feet in length
and at O rough estimate is three times as large q
the Capitol at Washington. The governorshi
of the institution is always conferred upon nc
bleman of high rank and attaiDments. The an
nual expenditure of the hospital amounts to th
enormous sum of five millions of dollars. A por
ton of the Government revenue is set aside TO
| its use. in addition to which successive emperor
and wealthy persons have richly endowed 1T
The entire property devoted to the founding
system of Russia is said to reach five hundret
millions of dollars.
The institution at Moscow was founded b.
Catharne II. in 1862. Eight years afterward
she established branch at ST. Petersburgh
which has outgrown the parent concern, aud Il
conducted on q still more magnificent scale. II
the summer all the children were sent int
the country. There is village near Moscow
whose inhabitants devote themselves entirely Il
the work of bringing up these foundlings. Th'
institution last summer had under its care
twelve hundred orphan children of officers, who
enjoy some privileges over the foundlings anc
poorer orphans. The boys are taught soine
practical science or profession, and not untre'
quently receive places as ottcersir the army. The
girls receive an excellent education, including
music and the modern languages, and become
teachers or governesses. Signs of decided tai
eut in the children are noted aud developed in
the proper direction, by means OF which many
Door children have risen To wealth and dlstlnc'
ton.
The apartments of the hospital. are remarka'
bly clean and neat Each infant has separate
nurse and in every hall there is Al! overseeress.
The number Of children confded to its care IN
1857 was 14,000, and the entire number receiv-
ed since the foundation of the institution is 33O,
900, to which may be added 60,007 more born
in the lyirg-in hospitals during the same period.
Including those taken at the st. Petersburg
branch, the number of children received by the
Government yearly is 10000 A very large
proportion of them are the poor offspring OF
poor married people in ali parts of the country.
The children may afterwards be reclaimed by the
parents, on certain conditions. The child is ta'
ken without question, and therefore no reliable
statistics of the public morality can be obtained
from this source The office is open night and
day. and no living child is refused. The only
question asked il whether it has been baptsed i;
if il is not, the ceremony is Immediately per-
formed Its name and nu,nUer are tten entered
in the official book, card CONTAINING them and
the date of its arrival is attached To It's neck,
and another given to its mother so that it may
afterwards be identified and reclaimed. Very
frequently the mother is allowed to become It's
Nurse: in which case she receives pay like the
other nurses. After six weeks or two months
in the institution it is sent into the country,
where it remains until old enough to receive IN
structions The regular nurses are paid about
$50 a year. in addition to their board and lodg
ing If the parents pay sum equal to $40 ON
tie deposition of the infant, they are entitled to
to have it brought up exclusively within the
walls of the institution, where it is more care
fully attended to than elsewhere. The payment
of 5000 procures for it, if q boy, the rank OF an
officer. The parents are allowed to see their
children at stated times, but the greater number
do not avail themselves of this privilege.
Connected with the Moscow institution is
beautiful church. All parts of the building are
carefully and substantially constructed, with ad-
mirable arrangements for heating and ventila-
ton.
The St. Petersburg establishment covers twen-
ty-eight acres of ground, and employs over five
hundred teachers, many of them at high salaries
and upwards of five thousand nurses, servants,
and similar employees The boys and girls, both
here and at Moscow, are taught separately
The cost of their education is more than 81 600.
900 annually. Besides the soldiers, common
mechanics, and factory girls, which the children
of mere ordinary capacity become, the Govern.
ment has, OF late years, established many. OF
them as farmers and colonists on the uncultlva-
ted crown lands.