Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1873-05-24

y a
benevolent English eea captain, Thomas Coram
who had retired from active service upon A moi
crate fortune, was greatly distressed IN his daily
walks about London at the sight OF infants lett
exl oeed in the public streets Having come q
the conclusion that the desertion AMI destrue-
ton Of children was attributable 10 the want OF
proper means for preyentin, he disgrace and
sucooring the necessities OF their parents he sc
TO work TO provide a refuge TO which vretchei
Others might carry their offspring, and them
selves be enabled TO return TO a vrtuous life.
In this benevolent and praiseworthy under
taxing the honest captain met with une xpeeted
and disheartening opposition. Society in its
terrible determination to discolntensnce i'm
morality, shrank from doing anything TO alleyi-
ate the misery OF the outcast mother of an
Legitimate child; nor was The law more merci-
ful. IL was considered SO necessary to uphold
the sanctity Of marriage that society and the
law alike refused 10 do anything to save the
innocent offspring of sin from falling a prey
TO the misery. wretehedness, and immortality
OF their parents. Nearly twenty wears elapsed
be're the good old sea-captan had obtained
subscriptions sufficient for founding hospital
when wing OF the building now known as the
Founding Hospital was erected in London
1t was announced that at O'Clock on a certain
evening, twenty children, all for whom there
were then accommodations, would be received:
that the persons bringing them should come i'm
AT the outer door and ring bell at the inner
uoor, and not go away until notice was given of
reception; that no questions whatever should
De asked OF any person bringing a child: and
that to each child should be affixed some dis
tinguishing mark or token, that il might be
aiterward known If necessary. These tokens,
many OF which are still preserved, mostly con-
sisted of small silver coins, crosses, lockets
empty purses, doggerel verses pinned to the
infants clothes, and notices supposed TO be
appropriate to the forlorn condition OF the poor
little waif
The number of applicants increased so rap
idly after the opening OF the institution that
painful scenes were soon presented at the Doors
where sometimes a hundred women might be
hUh nr far aalA a
plan was then devised for receiving the chill
dren by ballot, but this did not remedy the evil
ail kinds OF fraud being practiced to place the
little things in the hospital. Fifteen years after
the opening OF the institution, notice was given
that exposed and abandoned young children
from ali partsiof theicountry would be admitted,
Parliament. The first day on which this was
announced basket was hung outside the hos
pital gates, and liz children were deposited
as claimants Tor the government support.
IL was soon found that parents with large fami-
lies resorted to this easy means of reducing
their anNieties and expenses. The CONVEYANCE
OF helpless children from remote country dis
trlcts, and their consignment, dead or alive TO
the hospital, became distinct branch of the
carriers trade, work houses were emptied of
pauper infants, newly born children were taken
from their mothers who required parish relief,
and within four months Is, 600 infants were de-
posted in the hospital basket. The provisions
tor dealing with such continual claims were in
sufhcient, and the precaution for preserving
Is 200 foundlings only 4, 400 lived to be appren-
ticed. The refuge became not hospital, but a
charnel-hOuse.
We have not the space to follow out the SUBJ
sequent history of the institution founded by
the exertions Of good Captain Coram, or to trace
the large development OF his philanthropic idea
In England and our own country. Extensive
as that development has been, every one who
has investigated the matter knows but too well
how inadequate are all our provisions to check
and mitiga the evils growing out of the aban-
donment OF chiliren.-HdrDer's WeekIey