Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1867-01-25

by him to solicit contributions, and is
meeting with .ome, success. Others
will be dispatched in different direc-
tions as fust as they can be secured.
The children for the most part appear
healthy. Some twenty-five or thirty
ofthem were aillictedwith inflammation
of the eyes, occasioricd by not speedily
isolating tile eases first attacked. The
number, however, is decreasing, aud
there are no cases of severity. There
were but -four or five cases of sickness
in the hospital; aud only one death has
occurred during Mr.. Abbot's admins
tration. sg. g.8 Ear.lgftuss#8 tU4 .anEfiu.J a.
The children were clean and all well
clothed as the average OF children of
their age throughout the city. Mr..
Abbot is making up as rapidly as posi-
BILE, uniform style for the boys--blue
pants and grey jackets. They generally
. look contented and happy, and are
making reasonable proficiency in their
studies. '' -.''..t' @.sss'i'' .'H 'S's d s'2#"
The Home. is divided into seven
wards, and each ward contains from
twenty to forty children, under the
charge OF female assistant. The stew.
ard has charge of one ward of large
boys. Each ward has one considerable
room with benches, stove, table, lights,
books, &C., for the home proper OF the
children when not in school or other
wise engaged. Most of the wards have
bedrooms opening into the ward-rooms.
These are small and poorly ventilated.
a large proportion of the beds are made
by placing two army iron cots close
| together and covering them with ticks
with straw, then sheets aud blankets.
| Four children sleep together on this
bed; and there are usually three or four
such beds i'm each chamber which oc-
cupy nearly all the space. The Super
intendent stated that he was i'm need
of moro bedding, but kept the children
from suffering by keeping fires in their
ward rooms during the night. ......,
They are i'm school five days of the
week, from two to five hours each day
according to age; and one-half n day
of each alternate week is devoted to let
ter writing, in order that they may be
able to correspond with their parents
and friends. No employee or child is
allowed to leave the grounds without
special permission, but on suitable occa-
sions this is granted. -..
All the children eat in one large
room, at tables accommodating from,tif-
teen to twenty. The hours for meals ut
this season OF the year are a A. r., l2l
and Al y. N. The following was the
fare as seen by your committee OH the
day of their visit: Breakfast consisted
of bakers bread, and gravy made of
butter and water, thickened with -four,
with water to drink. At dinner they
had bread. and soup made of fresh beef
and sprinkliDg of vegetables. with
water as before. Supper was made from
the meat which was boiled with the
soup, bread aud butter, stewed dried
apples and water All had the same
diet from the youngest to the oldest.
Mr.. Abbot stated that he endeavored to
| furnish meut or fish once day, also
! some kinds of vegetables, and OCCASION
ally beans and hominy. Milk could be
obtuined but once u week, and this was
purchased Mt twenty cents gallon rs
there were no cows ut the Home. He
had been trying to build an oven for the
last two months, but was quite uniortu-
nate in having ii cave in two or three
times. On the dny of our visit he was
! having mason from Dubuque at work
! upou IL again. 1t occurred to us that n
squad of old soldiers would have con-
| structed IL and turned out II batch Of
bread i'm couple OF hours. When com
pleted he expected to bake his own
! bread, and also give the children corn
! bread and baked potatoes. Your com
mittee Recommended Mr.Abbot topur-
chase, early in the spring, humber of
good milch cows, sufficient to enable
| him to give milk nc least to the younger
children once day. Mush, bread, or
baked potatoes ana milk would be n
much better diet for this class than is at
present furnished. 1t Is doubtless more
economical for HIM to provide his own
milk than to purchase it,. Gooa hay
can be delivered at the Home in the
summer for $3.50 per ton, and shorts
can be bought at the mill near by for S4 {;
besides there must be u large amount
of slops from the kitchen. Grazing will
cost nothing, and there is II sufficient
number Of large boys to take care of the
cows. 1t was also suggested To modify
| the diet so as 10 give to those under
| ciuht years one more suitable to their
| age, and he has already taken steps to
carry out the suggestion.
| Mr.. Abbot has had occasion thus far
! to inilict but very little punishment.
/ The executive board require him to
| keep, for their inspection. n record OF
all the cases punished, together with
| the time, mode and cause thereof This
| bonrd consists of Mr.. j. b. Powers and
T.. G.. Wright, the latter gentleman
| from Fayette county. Senator Powers
resides at Cedar Falls, and maniiests .
commendablo interest in behalf OF his
charge. t. artr, ,..#r ..a
| IL has occurred to us that it would be
eminently proper for this Post TO con-
slider the propriety of inaugurating n
movement having for its object concert
ed action from all the Posts in North
ern Iowa In behalf Of this branch Of the
! Orphans Home. 1t is ono of the cardi-
nal principles of our order to furnish
protection and education to these or
phans, and here is an opportunity
! where we may render practical and
I efficient aid. AS has been intiMated,
! the appropriation from the State is i'll
| sufficient, but nothing more can be ex-
| pected from this source until the next
session of the Legislatures.
1t becomes great and generous peo-
| pie to provide ample means for the
maintuinance and education Of the or
phans of their martyred soldiers. Like
ancient Sparta, they should take these
! to their bosom. We all feel a just pride
| i'm the honor of our young State, second
| to none in the heroism of her SONS DUR
/ ing the great rebellion which well nigh
rent our country in twain. Their
record is rs imperishable as history {;
and let US, either as individuals or as a
! sovereign State, never forget that the
fathers of these orphans were the ones
whose arms were foremost to, carry our
banners through to victory and peace.
l am, Sir, very respectfully, your obo-
dient servant, ..f r.gE.5.. .sr
GEO. NJ. STAPLES, NJ. d.,
Surgeon Gen. Dept Iowa, g. A. Il.
DUBUQUE, Iowa, Dec. 81, 1865.
%
A rather amusing incident came un-