New-York tribune., 1873-01-16
TIE LEGACY OF THOMAS CORAM, GENTLE
MIN


MIN.
In the year 1722, when good society in Eng
land was much divided on the question of the
morality of innoculation for the smallpox, as
well as on the propriety of emitting lead in
the large sleeves, and when the latest sensa
ton was the death of the great Duke of Marl-
borough, bad society was conducting itself as
it had done for many centuries starving in the
streets, getting hanged for stealing bread.
dying in herds by smallpox and fevers and
poisoning the air for its betters marrying or
not marrying as the case might be, but never
forgetting to replenish the earth with wretched
copies of itself, which it sometimes allowed to
scramble up into majority if they could, and
sometimes disposed of summarily and often
dropped along the highways, like slips of
worthless Orange-peel. In that year good
Captain Thomas Coram, having made his for
tune in the American plantations, lived at his
ease, as he deserved, in the parish of Rother
hithe, London. And whistling his CHEEKY way
I'D and down the river to the tune of Mapping
Old Stairs, his heart was daily wrung within
him at the sight Of the fOrlorn babies, dead
and alive, daily exposed along the roadside.
Nobody else seemed to be at all concerned
about them. Carriages and cOstermODgers'
carts rolled by or over them. Perhaps an oc-
casional beadle took one to the work-house.
But that particular high road appeared to be
sort of baby-preserve on which no pOachers
ever intruded.
Poor soft-hearted Thomas COram, belonging
neither to good society nor to bad society, his
unseared sensibilities could not bear it. He
said to himself that unless he found shelter
and nursing for those little castaways in this
world, he should hold himself but a castaway
in the next. And heading the subscription
himself with large sum to be given in char
ity at that day, he besought aid of everybody
he knew 1t was long and weary work to
get money for the maintenance of superfluous
brats whom people privately believed not to
be worth maintaining. A dozen years had
gone by before Capt COram had scraped to-
gether money enough to buy ffty-six acres of
land out in Lambs Conduit fields, and to
begin hospital land and building to cost
fifty-fve hundred pounds. Nineteen years
had gone by when one wing of the house was
completed and admission given to twenty
foundlings.
As the Hospital became known. and with
its completed building, offered room, it was
besieged with applicants. Fifteen years after
the opening, it asked and received liberal
grant from Parliament. 1t established nursing
establishments through the country and an
nounced that all children under the age of
two would be received. On the first day of
indiscriminate reception the basket at the
gate was filed and emptied III times. This
system of welcome prevailed nearly four
years. accepting $1,000 children, of whom, so
little was sanitary science understood, and so
impossible was it to care wisely for so many,
only 4,5OO lived to be apprenticed. This NOR
tality was a great grief to Capt COram,
who died IAN old man and very poor,
having given all he had to the Hos
ritaD before a wiser system Of admission and
,r hygienic knowledge had shown the
ave the little lives. Now. the con-
S,;onO of 'ceptance, though wise and liberal,
u'''u3 .;,O.~, - ~ aud the adopted babies are
M cent into the con rtry to healthy and kind
49, 49, nnrso, A, tho 90 4 of two years, during
wet-nurses' At the en- ,ar sunorrision hv
which time they are unu sup. So .a ~
the managers, they are retur.. ~ W ss sno .Ioo
pital, there to remain till they ,'oon
when they are apprenticed, still unu e1po.
vision. Within the Hospital is k. 4uvi
garten and school for more advanced pup. o
The boys undergo military drill, and are very
proud of their proficiency. Thirty of the
elder boys compose band of wind nstru-
ments, which SO eminent leader as Mr.. Dan
Godfrey praises heartily. Toys and dolls and