The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1870-02-24
Orphans Home.

An article ia the Tri-Weekly Clarion OF
of Feb. LIST, over the signature of Howard
commends itself 10 the good sense OF the
public. Howard suggests:
l. That the people will tire after awhile
of the burden of supporting the Home by
annual contributions.
2. That therefore the Institution ought as
soon as possible, to be made self-sunporting
3. To accomplish this end, the beneficial
ries should be taught productive manual
employments.
4. To assist the Home in reaching the
point of self-support, he ventures the opin-
ion that the generous people of the State,
will contribute some of their "pure, live
stock, for the purpose of breeding" &c.
The Trustees are well aware of the fact
the people will become weary in the best OF
causes-weary even in well doing yet while
this is no sufficient reason why they should
not be called upon to do well, there are new
ertheless other and better reasons why the
Home should be made, az soon as possible,
self-supporting. The highest good OF the
orphans themselves require il. We owe IL
to the orphans more than to the people. We
wish to make them self reliant, and capable
of taking care of themselves. We shall do
them but little good if we do not succeed in
accomplishing this. Their fathers were
tired of suffering, and tired of dying, but
they suffered on, and many of them died in
their blood. in the hope that their children
would live to bless the world with virtuous
and useful lives. We owe il then, to the
dead as well as the living, to make these
children patterns of noble doing to the gem
erations who are to come after them.
Howard will doubtless be greatly surpris-
ed when we tell him that the course which
he has suggested, is the very plan which we
have endeavored to conduct the Home
This thought has been Iterated and reitera-
ted, in our annual Reports, in our appeals to
the public. aud especially in tie Orphans
Home Banner. Ii Howard had read these
publications a little more carefully, he would
have learned, that every child i'm the Home,
of suitable age, is taught to work. Nearly
all the work done at the Home is done by
the orphans, under the guidance and con-
troll of head of each Department. And
the head is no simple overseer, but a worker
too There are no drones in that busy little
hive at Lauderdale. 1t Is work and study,
study and work, to all the little hands and
heads gathered there.
1t is true, we have not accomplished all
that could be desired in this direction; l. e..
our labor has not been as productive as we
could have wished. We have accomplished
much; we only wish we could have done
more. There are good reasons why our la
Dor has been, to some extent nom productive
And yet, must say, by way of parenthesis,
that nom productive is not precisely the word
to be used in this connection. While our
labor has not brought much money into the
Home. it has saved a vast amount from being
paid out. But why have we not brought
more IMP Our land has been too poor TO do
this by farming. And then we did not have
the means to inaugurate certain mechanical
arrangements, which we have no doubt
would be productive. Our trouble with re-
gard to the title to our property, has also
been a great hindrance to our plans.
But most of these obstacles are now out of
the way. We have secured a new location
with much better land than that hitherto
occupied by us. 1t is not as good now as
we could wish, but we have made decided
improvement; we have done the best we
could with our limited means. | do not
think, however, We shall ever be able to
raise provisions enough to feed the inmates
of the Home. 1t will always, to some ex-
tent, be an object of charity. Most of our
children are small and are consumers instead
of producers. The larger ones must study
as well as work, and unless we can inaugu-
ingly lucrative, we may always expect to be
somewhat dependent upon the contributions
of the charitable. But we can do something
in this direction, and we hope 10 move on
gradually towards the grand contamination.
Howard is without doubt tight in suppo-
sing the farmers of the country will contrib
ute of their stock to enable us to make a
start in that line, Some two or three have
done this already, and we hope Others will
not forget US.
Ii should be remembered, however, that
such an institution as this cannot be built up
in day 1t will take time and money TO
accomplish all our plans. 1t Is even now a
noble institution and an honor 20 the people
of Mississippi, and we do not believe they
will become weary until they have placed
it upon sure and permanent foundation.
Feb eth. 1870 TpUarvp