Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1870-06-11
Mr.. Andeyson,s Column.
About our In6rmary.
EuMBER THREE.

being opened in the Institutions created Tor
Soldiers Orphans. It WILL do not doubt,
and most earnestly hope, become a model
for the conducting Of all Orphs9Asylums and
Retreats. Even the boys and girls Of our
Ohio State Reform School are being treated
in much the same way. This mode involves
the principle Of making the children forget
that they are under a ban on account Of pov.
erty or vice, two sins Of equal magnitude in
the eyes of Society,-God forgive u.s.
"Dimes and dollars
DoDers and dimes
An empty pocket
Is the worst Of crmes.'O
and lifting them up TO feeling Of manliness
and womanliness, and of honor.
Nice, coy houses are built for them (where
there are enough to make more than one fam
ily) and each one is given a sense of RESPONSE
bility. There IS a matron or teacher for each
Fl fly or so-among the Reform School boys
one of their own number lcalled an elder
brother,) takes this place, a sort of ticketof.
leave oy,-and the little folk are made to un.
derstand that they are some body.
You miss in their faces the crafty, cringing,
hang-dog look that is the outer index of what
had been stealing,-a look that leads on to a
| fact
Now at our Infirmary the children are all
among the grown people, just putin higgledy-
piggledy, where they can become experts in
all the ways of crime that the older ones know,
land it would be a wonder if all the inmates of
the Infirmary were models of virtue ,)-where
they can be taught all sorts of secret vices
the boys trained to evil courses, and the girls
imbbing first principles that lead to prostitu-
ton and sin.
We owe it to society that we do more than
merely feed and clothe, and house these chill
! dren.
think it is Mr. Greenwood who says that
"seven years good schooling at four dollars a
term will cost less than the sheriff's bill for
hanging man. And this hanging is but the
last item in long bill of expenses, for the ar
rest, trial, support &c, of the malcfactor, not
counting the loss of life. And .tep II any cases
can be found IA, hicA seren gears Of good schOol-
ing and death By tie halter haze met in one and
tile same pG1ty."
A mother writer says, "The tax which an ig-
norant or vicious boy or girl imposes on the
community will amount ofttimes TO an hundred
fold the expenses of thorough, wholesome
education beginning at two years of age and
ending at twenty"
DR.. Edward n. Kirk, among innumerable
beautiful and striking thoughts, has three that
l want to give you.
zone test of perfect manhood is the estimate IL
forms Of childhood"
"we have learned that children are not given to us
toys. They not flowers sent from heaven merely
to adorn garden walks and perfume the air Of
dwellings, for few days. and then pass into no-exst-
ence. Within each one Of these frames dwells i'm
mortal spirit, subject Of Gods moral government"
1--WE know of no lovlier object of vision than tine
face of healthfu child. The evil passions have
yet left trace Of their power on it, and
iey have distor ed no line of beauty selfshness hos
given rcpusive expression to any movement OF its
delicate organs But probably that peculiar lovenest
of expression depends upon simplicity Of charac
ter, contrased with either compexity dupcity.'
Now all this holds as true in regard to the
poorest sorriest child, as of yours or mine
The blight that is given by wicked parent:
who send their evil passions into their child
ren as hellish inheritance, only makes the
children the more objects of care and pity; if
perhaps the evil may be done away, and the
noxous influence be all owed to go no further
The report of the B oard of State Charities
for 1869, gives to Ashtabula Co., l40 paupers
of whom 1S are insane and 90 children, Il!
boys, and 10 girls,) the insane, to be there
must be those who are called incurabe, 10
whom l want to speak hereaiter,l and TIT
children are coming up TO be men and women
fathers and mothers, voters, and the moth
ers of voters,-educators of people for our 70
some other) county.
Now it is for us of this county to ask our
selves the question, whether or not, (having
model IntirmaryO we may not inaugruate
new system in relation TO our pauper chill
dren, whereby they may be brought up int
useful-valuab le-members of society TIL
cost will be SO mething, but in the long run
good investment.
In former article Isuggested that the laun
dry building be enia rged so as 10 admit @
school room and dormitory. On careful ex
am ination of reports from the Reform Farm
House of Refuge CT Cincinnati, Reform Schoo
for Girls, Asylum for Idiotic and lmbecil
{ youth, and other kindred works, QOr which
am indebted TO my friend Mr.. Hayward, Rer
TcSculdtiNc HOul nIOHIOcJ uu1 SohfmSC
that a neat cottage building er ected on til
grounds at suitable distance from the mai
bulding,-(or even the Laundry building er
larged; with the yard in the rear, and the ole
er paDpers excluded, d,)-provided with schcS
room and apparatus. good motherly matro
and teacher, and separate table from the on
in the main house, wo uld secure the obje'
that seems to be so desirable.
If these children have evil tendencies the
need SO much the more care. If they are
live they must be prepared to live and be USE
full. As they are, they are growing up to b
: pests to society, and subjects for public carr
d either in alms-houses or peutentiaries.
e Happened to speak of this matter to stir
c gy old man few days ago, and he said, 81
will cost the County good deal, and then ma
be they would go away when they got grow
n up, and the County would get no good out c
p them for what il had spent on them. AS III
= old man said it he wiped his nose ON the bac
of his hand
4, Perhaps there are other just such people l
l. our County GhOugh don't believe II and
:. would cay 10 them as did to him, MAY b
your children will, too,-But won't you edu
~ cate them, and spend money on themF
r The old man looked at me WIN the Vacan
e eyes of thoroughly surprised man. idontsur
,e pose he had ever dreamed OF spending none