Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1867-03-05
Soldiers orphans Home of Wisconsin
-Management-P Personal.

4 . La wy ou l'SA ihNSAtdSHts l. nC
Home is sort Of elaborate hotel
where near 260 OF the little fatheress,
motherless children of soldiers are
kept at the public charge, such as
have been found ont in the cold,
some without any known relative
living. Some having only relatives
in extreme poverty, some with but
single parent living-an nndeservign
mother, perhaps, or more probably
one lacking either the will or ability
to support her offspring-the father
having been lost in the army and the
pay and pension inadequate in these
dear times for supporting the widow
aud childsen. The idea of such an
institution originated with Mrs. Har-
vey, the widow of Elk Governor Har.
vey, who devoted all her time and
energies during the war to the needs
of our soldiers. She is woman of
great mental superiority, and for
business or executive ability has
hardly an equal among the great men
and women Of the State. She per-
haps Seven more greatly exeels in
benevclence and in devotion to hu-
name works. She is besides a wo-
man of industrious turn and not fry
olous. | should say one given to
generalising and taking a wide view
of things-perhaps therefore less an
economist than the public could wish
in one at the head of a public enter
prise. Doubtless Mrs. Harvey's be-
uevolence, humanity and devotion to
matters of relief from misery, these
with great physical activity, led her
during the war to fill o most useful
department Of the State Service. bv
means Of which the lives of hundreds
were saved the health of thousands
greatly benefited And at the close
OF the war these virtuous excelIencies
and driving attributes led her mind
to conceive this mammoth institution
for her own useful and conoenial
employment and as a means Of sal
vatlon to the hundreds of orphans of
soldiers that might otherwise have
persisted and been lost in more sen
SEES than one.
At first Mrs. Harvey's enterprise
was looked upon with distrust esne.
cially by those who would restrict
the State onl y to the narrowest trusts
and expenditures consistent with the
public necessities. Some can sec the
necessity for State prisons to keen
adults from mischief but have no
eyes for seeing that houses of refuge
and asylums should be supported for
retaining vicious youths, and for so
raising up and educating abandoned
children as to make them useful to
the State aud virtuous and exempla-
ry citizens. And there are some who
cannot see the State obligation to the
children ofsoldiers who died TO save
the life and reputation of the State.
Such moral simplicity is not at all
strange with those who failed to an,
preclate their country's cause during
cruel war upon the life of their
country and it is not strange that
men who neglect the moral culture
and training Of their own children
would vote against this twentieth
part OF mill taxation for Mrs. Har-
yeys asylum for deceased soldiers
children.
But, since this institution, in the
third year of its life, has been visited
and criticised by thousands oflegisla
tors and citizens, many of whom
would wish its failure. there are no
GOOD people to oppose its continue
ton. Nor can any opposition arise
80 long as the institu ion is held in
right bounds. But there are those
who would so widen its sphere and
enlarge the expenditures as to make
it grievous burthen. / am appre-
hensive the trustees would then
make it spreading nav, with era
wing manitolds enough to absorb
more of the public revenues than any
of the fixed State asylums They
are now asking for $4,000 school
house, in the end $4,000 one, for
everything of the kind costs just
double the first estimates. The legs
lslature and people should not be de-
oelved by any plausible memorials
for State aid to build school house
for these children, who, in less than
ten years, will all be grown up ap4
gone away and no crop to take their
places. There are spare rooms, fine
large ones, in the building, which
may be used for schools. 1t is true.
there may have to be some stiffness
IN arranging things, and may be a
few hundreds Of expenses in fitting
up, but for the few years teaching Of
these constantly diminishing mem,
bcrs there is hardly any necessity tor
building.
In looking over the report of the
financial agent, Henry Harnden,
am reluctantly led to believe him in
competent for the place by reason of
want of general intelligence or
knowledge upon prices, values, meth.
Cd of dealing in view ofeconomy, &c.
He appears to do his buying entirely
on the streets at Madison-bere a
little, there little, vi this one and
that, in quantities dimnutive and at
retail rates. For a term of five
months the supplies are reported-in
part as follows for bread at the
Madison bakeries, s1,l74.78; for -four
S24 60, being for two and one-half