Juniata sentinel. [volume] (Mifflintown, Pa.) 1846-1873, 1873-09-03
NO. Sc.
FOundlings I'm Paris.

A recent work on the pauper popula.
| tion of Paris, contains an interesting
chapter on founding institutions
| where infants are now received without
any indiscreet questions being asked.
There is no longer any necessity fo1
leaving children, as used to be the GUS
tom, on church steps, nor are those
found in the streets disposed of as they
used to be till Parliament interfered.
In the sixteenth century the fixed price
for founding was one franc; some used
to be purchased by charitable people,
some by acrobats, others by sorcerers
who wanted the blood Of an infant to
mix with their drugs. Now these inno-
cents are taken to the Founding Hos
pital ndreared as well as means Will per-
NIT though the mortality is great among
them for want of exercise, because the
nurses, who have several children to at
tend to, cannot Jump" them. In 1869
there were 5000 children received at the
Founding Hospital. of which 1749 were
left temporarily. Nearly all were
brought to the hospital, only 70 having
been found exposed in public places,
and one having been accidentally for
gotten in a cab In that year there
were %, 4S6 foundlings on the books.
ALI these children are taken off into
the country by nurses who go up to
Paris and fetch them. For the first
year the nurse receives fifteen francs
month, the second year twelve francs,
and so on till the founding reaches an
age when he becomes useful and able
to earn his bread. 1t is always stipu-
lated that the children shall be sent to
the parish school from six to fourteen
years of age but, in spite of a reward
for paying attention to this stipulation,
it was found that in 1869 no fewer than
1000 out of the 5000 children had not
been afforded this instruction. Thefound-
hngs, however, seem to conduct them
selves well, for, In the year 1869, out OF
5000 ranging from thirteen to twenty
years of age, only thirteen had been
brought before the police. There are
inspectors all over the country, and
these officials watch so closely over the
interests of those committed to their
charge that they may provide for the
proper defence of foundlings who are
prosecuted. The First Napoleon wishedto
make all the male foundlings serve in the
army, and it has since been found that
most of them not drawn in the con-
scrlption volunteered. In 1850 an at
tempt was made to found colony in
Algeria with these children. The expert
ment succeeded at first, but after few
years the system broke down for rea-
sons which the Jesuit Father, Brunauld,
who was the director, fairly explained
to the Emperor. The pupils, he wrote,
require by degrees, more liberty, and
there is not sufficient stimulus to per-
sonal initiative. Altogether, it was
found, after several trials, that an agri-
cultural life was disastrous, and that
lads invariably escaped from such es-
adjustments. At Arras, "a colony where
the youths received primary instruction
and learned various trades turned out
a success. In general the infants sent
into the country are adopted, and when
such thing was possible, it frequently
that smart money was paid
for them to exempt them from military
service