New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-02-19

| teal and useful We aim to receive poor
little orphan children and give them u
home. We aim to educate those who come
to us in all the rudiments of d plain. prac
teal, common English education. We teach
| industry and usefulness as mainsprings of
success i'll lite. We take those Of our bene-
ticiaries who are able to work into the field
and garden. and there instruct them i'll the
great fact that life and happiness are not to
| be separated from honest. earnest labor,
and from the efforts thus put forth, under Il
| workman whose employment is secured for
twenty dollars per month. the Home, with
its extensive family, receives all its vegeta-
bles.
Nor do we convey the idea that the labor
Of the field or garden Is the only one fitted
! to engage the attention of our inmates. We
have already prepared some OF our orphans
to be teachers of public and private schools.
Those in some of our public schools in the
country are receiving a salary of $40 or $50
per month Fifteen of our number are pu-
pills in Il collegiate school on an adjoining
| plantation, one at least OF whom is prepar
ing for the profession of law. Seventy
children have been attending school in con-
nection with the Home, and under faithful
teachers, supplied by the Freedmen's So
ciety of the Methodist Episcopal Church,
have made most gratifying advancement.
Five Of our girls and ono of our boys have
been sent out to homes in Christian families,
| they being over fifteen years of age; six
boys have been discharged from the institu-
ton for the reason that they We're old
enough to take care of themselves. They
are now earning an honest living. Three
have married, and are now nvng in their
! own homes.
| The health of our orphan family has been
| good during the whole year. SO that we have
| had but slight need of the visits Or the med
icines of the physician.
| The religious culture of the children has
been carefully promoted. Chapel services
| have been held every evening; Sabbath
| services and Il Sunday school have been
kept up during the year, on all of which the
Divine blessing has descended. A PRAYER
meeting is held every Friday evening, which
is attended by the children and other in
mates OF the Home. The addition OF
eighteen members to the church on the
place, from among the older children, is
| noteworthy event of the year. and, indeed,
the most gratifying of all.
As president OF your society, and as
most pleasing duty, l would compliment
tie matrcn. Mrs. j. G. Roberts. her assist
ants i'll the home, Hon. Emerson Bentley.
the Principal of our school and his assist
ants; Hon. IL. C.. Dibble, acting treasurer;
Rev. H. *. Diossv, corresponding secretary,
and Judge Harvey NJ. Dibble. recording
votion to the interests of our noble institu-
ton: also. Captain Armstrong, and those
associated with him on the purchasing COM
mittee, for their valuable services.
Nor can conclude these remarks with
out gratefully acknowledging the generous
attention of the General Assembly i'll APP
propriating the money which enabled us to
put our building in such good shape, and
the kindness of our former President, Rev.
j. z. Newman. in sending the sum of one
hundred dollars with which to purchase
Christmas presents for the orphans of our
Home.
Let us thank God. take courage, and look
to the future, with the hope that the
Orphans Home may ever prove one of the
most important Christian charities in all
our broad land.
ADDRESS OF HON. Z. BENILY.
Mr. President and Members of the Orphans Home
Society:
In the year 1867. while ri,lin. through the
parish of St Mary in company with Rev. X.
X. DioSSy. we came to Il deserted planta-
ton. on which WAS an old battered down
sugarhouse, relic and memorial of the
late war. and several dllapidated cabins.
Where these ruins stood he informed me
that it was the intention of number of
Christian ladies and gentlemen. with the
aid they could receive from various sources
to erect a large benevolent institution. a
home for orphanS-an educational building.
l thought it was grand enterprise. 1t was
totally unexpected. for public sentiment of
that section. at that time was bitterly OPP
posed to any movement in behalf of the
class which had just been relieved from the
bondage Of slavery. was then engaged
teachn. Il bureau school for freedmen in
that parish, and | was scoffed at. and be-
lieve my life was endangered for no other
reason than the fact that | was a teacher of
freedmen. |. therefore, thought it Il bold
as well rs commcndable move in the right
direction. 1t seemed like setting up a light
in the midst of a wilderness. 1t was just
what that section needed. I was soon after
called to another field of labor. and thought
and heard but little about it until the be-
ginning OF 1870. when Mr.. Diossy
informed me that the institu-
ton was fixed fact, and
there was in the parish OF St. Mary large
and comfortable Orphans Home. He
urged me to visit it. He asked me to be-
come the principal OF the Home school. l
do not regret that | accepted his offer. l
have no hesitation in pronotllcing it one of
the noblest institutions of the kind in the
State. 1t is admirably situated; its grounds
are capable of much Improvement, bat it
will require constant attention on your part
to make it sclf-suppOrting. The matron of
the Home is devoted To her work: l have
thought that Providence must have Sc
lected her for her present duties do not
believe that in this State can be found any
institution in which the inmates are more
tenderly looked after than at the Home.
under the direction of the matron, Mrs. J.
g. Roberts. The five or six children who
have been employed in different parts of the
parish, as teachers of public schools. have
produced favorable impressions among
those who have witnessed their conduct.
They have been marked as Christian,
earnest teachers. as good examples to those
near them, and amply rcwarding those who
have devoted time and means to their train
ing. Persons who aid the Home by
contributing their dollars need not fear that
it is squandeS ing their money. 1t is prac-
teal charity 1t is a measure of economy.
For which do You think is the better plan.
to allow children who By some accident be-
yOnu their control, have been thrown upon
their own resources and compelled to pur-
sue Il livelihood guided only by natural in
stincts, and among the haunts of vice and
wickedness, too often becoming a burden to
society and social progress; or to gather
them up in an institution of this kind,
where they may be fitted for Christian and
useful lives, and sent out upon their career
educated members of the church, or allies
of the moral interests of the State! For
those who study the dollar and cents view
of the work. it might be well to weigh this
in connection with court costs in trying and
convicting Migrants and other criminals.
who become an expense because of the
need of such channels to fit them for hon
orable lives. Love thy ncighbor as thy
self is one of the highest of scripture com
mands. If we obey it, we can not be heed