Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1867-04-18
RUTLAND HERALD
SATURDAY, APRIL Is, 1867,


Inefe are arising IN our Clues anu
large towns wise and worthy public
charities, under the patronage generally
Of some religious sect, with various
names and ohjeCts-like those Of Home
for Little Wanderers" "Children's Aid
Society" and other similar associations,
seeking to find true homes for homeless
children, all established on the same fun
dsmental principle, and all deserving
It encouragement by the contributions
~ a. community in which they are 10.
,a,ed \~e have only two In Vermont,
,ha Home n y Destitute Children under
Protestant mana cement and a Catholic
institution. both at burlington, but we
need many more.
1t was discovered q long time since
that modern philanthropy h.M mace
great mistake in its earnest etiol u "' Fe-
forming the erring and ignorant c 'Asses'
The wisdom of the proverb-" JUST as
the twig Is bent the trees inclined 'P'
peared above the surface, suddenly, 40
the true light to guide the plans of the
friends of the outcasts. 1t was found to
be an easier and a surer remedy for social
evils to form the mind of the neglected
youth rightly, than to reform the char
acter of the criminaladult. Hence have
arisen in all countries, charities for the
Young, among which the free schools,
night schools and Sunday schools, hold
the most important position. Next came
the endeavor to find homes for the chill
dren of the street. Among the young,
neglected children of a community, II
was discovered that it was not any in
herent tendency to crime that could not
be eradicated, so much as the daily ne
eessity for procuring bread, that leads
these children, as il by law of fatality,
into the prison, the penitentiary, and to
the scaffold. The various forms OF asso-
ciated action have fully demonstrated
that If you take them away from demon
alizing associations, and transplant them
into a healthy community, and educate
them as other children are educated, not
by books only, but by the constant ex-
ample of moral life, they will succeed
in life quite as well as the offspring OF
the most favored families, and the re-
suit has always been the same, wherever
the trial has hppn made
The claims of another class have since
the war been presented to the public at
tention. The poor children Of the South,
without regard to race, are educated
now almost wholly by Northern charity,
The teachers of the Freedmen's Union
Commission last year gathered fifty
Thousand children Of both races into
their schools, which have been founded
in every Southern State. BY other agen-
eies over fifty thousand more were in
structed in the rudiments Of education
Everywhere are reports of the eagerness
of these children to learn, and there
should be ten times the number under
tu1tlon To-Day.
To meet these demands it is not
matter merely of philanthropic interests
simply moral duty, but subject o
national Importance. The country viii
never be assured of the permanence Of
any peace which is not founded on thu
intelligence Of the great body of thu
people. The children of the present da!
will be the voters of the next decade
and it is important in every light tt
have an intelligent class of citizens,
lesson we do not need to learn, for it wa
taught us on hundreds of battle field
during our civil war, as every cripple il
our soldiers asylum, and every empt
sleeve in our streets give US sorrOwfu
pr oof. Our public charities should re
ceive the serious consideration, and
cordial and strong response from all liz
eral and patriotic citizens.