Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1877-12-14
M O r N l N q


EllEul Dt 8lNtut uui II SCtui' " -"
81 fiicient answer that the State is not sec
tartan. The Home IL, then. strictly char
liable institution. There are no paid officers.
but every dollar contributed goes directly
for the instruction and maintenance of the
children.
Some say the Home is a Burlington char
ity, and filed with city children, while our
Burlington friends sometimes complain that
We are bringing destitute children from all
over the State for Burline ton 10 support.
The fact is, there are destitute children from
Burlington in the Home. and there are
homeless children from all parts Of the
State, who have been and are cared Tor
within its walls. Burlington people have
shown their confidence in the institution by
contributing generously to its support.
Nearly onC-hait OF the amount contributed
during the past two years has come from
Burlington much larger proportion than
the number OF inmates from the town would
call for but proof OF the liberalIty OF the
people, and their appreciation oil work
they have ample opportunity to sec and
judge
Is the work of the Home a necessary
work We claim that it is The we'll
authenticated case Of Margaret. the mother
of criminals, iorcibly illustrates this point.
\ certain county in the State of New York
ahoundci in criminals and paupers The
matter was investigated and it was found
that very large proportion OF these were
descendants of one Margaret, who grew up
neglected, unCarcd for and vile, and whose
character was Impressed upon her children,
and children's children. The following
statistics arc from the report ut the New
York Prison Association for 1875. to which
we refer any one wishing fuller account
of this extraordinary family "ln the
State at large, tho alm>h0usc pauperism
amounts to .0l26 per cent; in this family 1t
is 0902 per cent. being almost eight times
more. The number of criminals in the
state at large, counting those Who are IN
prison and thuse who are not, Is less than
one per cent of The total population, the
exact figures being .O0S per cent II we
take the descendants Of the illegitimate
branch. Margaret, We get 1877 per cent, o.
nearly thirty times more than in the
general community Fifty per cent of the
women OF this family were or are prOstl-
tutes DR.. Harris, secretary OF the Prison
Association, well says: These facts, from
actual experience, show that 1t Is at an
enormous risk to the peace. the public
economy, and the interests OF morality IN
any community. that vagrant and vicious
abandoned maturity, either to be paupers
or criminals, and to entail their own ike
ness upon successive generations"
The gentleman who has traced the history
of this family through six generations. says
of the children: Nv th all these ch0dre1
there seems to be no special wlckedness OF
disposition. In most respects they do not
compare uniavurably with the average of
the children of the la5Oring class, except,
perhaps, in the tendency to licentious be-
haviour, which is largely due to the eI-
ample of their parents, and tho tendency to
tell lies, which. in the parents of the filth
generation, has become such constitu
tional habit that they have become expert
and reckless cOiners of falsehoOd, without
purpose The home influence of the emil
dren has beer. deplorable, They have seen
debauchery in all its forms. from their
cradle; they have been whipped to make
them steal.
There may be Margarets growing up
about Us. Surely, there are neglected chill
drcn enough. II only one-half a. much
money ns is now expended in this State in
trying to reform men and women, in prose-
cutions for crime III supporting criminals
and paupers in prisons. jalls. and poor
houses if even q much less proportion of
the enormous sum annually devoted to sup
porting, controlling and attemptingto re-
form this dangerous class, could be avail
able for the rescue of neglected children,
who will, i sinply let alone, almost inev-
itably grow up to swell it, We believe the
decrease in crime and pauperism would be
marked. We commend the Home to tine
taxpayers of the State as a measure OF
economy and safety. IL is more-lt aims
not only to make its inmates honest, lntus-
trious citizens. but Christian men and
women Herein lies the difference between
the Home and a poor house. Place child
in poor house, let him grow up there, and
what is the result? lie has been associat-
ing for the most part with persons OF worth
less, il not vicious character; he has formed
no Industrious habits; he has bad few, if
any, right or Christian principles ins,illed
into his mind. and the result is what might
be expected 1T not positively wicked, he Is
lazy, and entirely willing to be supported
in the future a. in the past In this con
nection We would cite case in point.
There we're placed in the Home a few years
ago children belonging TO family which
for four generations have been psupers.
Could the influence of the Home avail to
change the course of this family Sufficient
time has not elapsed TO prove beyond doubt
our position; but the outlook is good. The
Oldest child-a boy-has. through patient
effort, been made to feel his responsibility
to try and overcome his inherited laziness,
and IS now doing well in farmers family.
There Is no reason why he may not con-
tinue to improve and make decided change
in the family record.
The State is Obliged to care for its poor
that is, keep body and soul together; but
its course does not diminish pauperlsm. The
Home attempts to strike at the root OF the
evil it endeavOrs to lmplant IN the fertile
soil of a child's mind right ideas and prin-
cIples, and develop the same into good
habits Habits long continued become
character, and character lasts.
Has the work been successful?
We think 1t has We 60 not say that
every child xho has been an inmate of the
Home has done credit to the Institution
but We do say shat a very large majority
have done well, and almost without excep-
ton. We believe every beneficiary of tip
Home is to-day better man or woman than
he or she would have been but for Its intiu-
ence We cite two or three out OF many
similar eases. \ brother and sister were re-
ceiyed into the Home from a very low. de
graded family. The boy. now nearly man
grown, 40 won the affection and confidence
OF CulIultSs ihhhyf III Nu'Su 10 "oo
placed that he was generously remembered
in the will found aite- the death OF his ben
etactors. The sister has also developed
good character. She was 50 i'll a few
months ago that her life was despaired OF,
but she told her brother she was not afraid
to die, for she loved and trusted her Saviour.
Both brother and SISTER are hopeful Chris
tians. Another case is that OF girl whose
mother was prostitute, whose older sister
was following the mothers footsteps, and
whose own fate WAS but too evident were she
neglected That girl Is to-day. by the
blessing of God and the fundamentally OF
the Home. !. loved member Of Christian
family and 4 Christian church.
The history OF one of the earlier inmates
of the Home is briefly this f. was lett
iatherleSI at an early age, and was sur
rounded by the worst influences, One who
had known her from childhood says in q let
ter "You can hardly know as do. from
what fearful ruin, both for this life and the
next, you have with the Divine blessing un-
doubtedly rescued her. Her sister. two or
three years older. once promising girl
pretty, intelligent and every way more at
tractIye than E.-has become prostitute,
and is an inmate OF place little better than
a brothel" This +. has lived an honest,
industrious life. Is respectfully married, and
has one child. In a letter to the President
of the Home she speaks gratefully of the in
stitution, and in regard to the child, says
Il mean to bring her up just As tho ladies
of the Home would approve"
1t is needless to multiply illustrations.
" it'll the terrible history of Margaret and
her descendants on one side, and the history
of those who started iiiG On much the same
plane on the other, who can but acknowl-
edge that the Home it attempting a much
needed work, and succeeding nObly in 1t?
But with the large increase in the number
of children comes TO be most decidedly felt a
serious lack-a lack which must be supplied.
il the future is to be successful. The estab-
lishment of an industrial department at the
Home il necessity. When the number OF
children was small 1t was comparatively |
easy to find homes for the older ones, and |
those remaining in the institution
were too young to learn trade;
but the ease Is different now. With |
noarlv n hundrai chIldren-tWO-thirlS of |