Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1870-02-11
,THE GAZETTE
UEpAR FALLS, FEBRUARY IL, 1870


The Orphans 7tome.
We publish, elsewhere, q eommu-
nica.ion to the Dubuque Times. from
citizen Of Hopkinton, Delaware
county, in reilly To that portion Of
Governor licrr,;t,s Message, relating
70 tie Soldiers Orphans TfomvS &C
this State. up. n" meets the ease
squarely, and replies pointediy to the
sophistries OF tie Governor. Econ
omy IL 10 he commended in our State
Executive, but In tic name of justice
let the blow fall in some other dircc
tion than upon the children Of our
fallen heroes.
IN respect to the advantages of tie
cottage system over. what the Gov
ernor terms the "hotep plan, We
have but to say, that III: practical
workings and the showing OF the
past three years, have demonstrated
beyond doubt the superiority Of the
latter over the former. In point of
health, it has been found that til G
deaths, compared with the home at
Davenport, have been relatively less
than one half. Since Oct. 1868, near
ly three years and half, there have
been but two deaths i'm the home at
this place, while the last report Of
that at Davenport showed thirteen
deaths In but two years, with less
than double the number of children.
Let 1T he remembered, also, that the
home at this place has, I'm the mean
time, been visited by numerous dis
eases, such as measles, fevers, &C.,
while the condition of the old build
ing, and of the new one i'm its un-
finished state, was such as to render
the facilities not of the first order
The unjust recommendation Of the
Governor, that the children should
he bound out to families, is too i'm
practicable to be entertained. There
are various ways in which it would
be no home to the orphan child and
would result injuriously. 1t lie safe
TO conclude that half the women OF
the country do not know how to care
properly for the moral training of
their own children. What then will
he the care bestowed upon those as
signed them. IN nine cases out Of
ten, it would be but mere servitude
and In many instances, of the worst
kind. The fathers of ttfese children
did not mean that kind Of care when
they gathered around Rev. Pearl
ingalls,, in the army, and gave freely
OF their money, saying: Take this
and provide for my children If l do
not get home" No, Governor that
Is cold comfort, very.
There are now three .hundsed, In
the home at this place, and perhaps
double that number at Davenport.
To diminish any of this number be-
fore they are eighteen years Of age,
would prove as unwise as 1t would be
unjust. From ten TO eighteen years
Is the golden age for improvement,
and boy or girl is lily prepared to
meet the worlds responsibilities BE-
fore they are eighteen years of age.
They can then go out with their
minds maturnd, aud an education
to 90 something for themselves In
life.
We ask that our legislators at Des
Noines give this matter a careful
investigation before taking posi-
ton that would tarnish the proud
name which the Hawkeye State has
won by the care of her orphan chill
dren. We oppose the entire adop-
tion of tire cottage system, believing
that such q course would be retro
grade movement, and we ask for q
liberal Interpretation of the law, If
in that is fodnd justice worthy the
name of all enlightened common
wealth.