Daily Republican., 1880-08-30
REPUBLICAN, TICKET.
Our Pauper Children.

paot-one which should interest every
good citizen and one which effects the
publ, prosperity and public morals
ouite as much as who shall be leaders
of this or that political party. Up on
the hill in the west of our beautiful
city. stands the aims house-an insti
tuition which fully belongs to all the
people of the county. The purposes,
the object and aim Of this institution
are all known to our people. The poor
overburdened man of sorrow pressed
TO the earth with care and poverty, no
matter who is the cause of it, looks for
ward TO the aims house as the ultimate
place where he can end his days, when
all other homes on earth fail. So far
as this is concerned, the aims house is
a good institution but there is another
class which people and populate the
aims house to whom it is our desire to
cali the attention of the public.
What is to be done with the children
of the pauper and criminal classes that
they may be made good citizens insteae
of recruits to the great army which is
to be supported by our public institu'
tions? One portion of our aims house
is set apart and used as lying in hos
pital and nursery for misguided and
unfortuna ate women and their illegiti
mate offspring. Up in our aims house
to-day are gathered probably not less
than forty children of very tender age.
The Superintendent and the Directors
are no doubt doing all they can to
bring these children up well but it is
impossible under the present state Of
affairs to keep them from associatine
with the old paupers many of whom
are schooled in every species OF vice
and immortality and who utterly CON
taminate every youthful mind with
which they come in contact. There
clings to a pauper child brought up in
a place like this a tsint that time can
not eradicate. As the old paupers die
off another reared possibly in the same
institution is ready to take his place.
We have in our mind now one who was
born and raised in our aims house,
trained and brought up there without
education or the inculcation of moral
principles, until he arrived nearly at
manhood's age. He then left and knock
cd around the city, married twice, had
a large family Of children, was at times
industrious, sober and moral, at other
times the reverse. His great complaint
was that he was always looked down
upon because he was born in the Alma
House. The taint stuck to him all
through his life and crippled every
effort to do good and to become re-
spectacle and useful citizen. A few
days ago in an old age he went back to
end his life in the same institution
where his life commenced. We may
say that it was entirely wrong tC look
down upon one of such humble birth.
That is true, but it does not alter the
circumstances. The taint is there and
there is unfortunately not charity
enough in the public mind and cen
science to overlook 1t.
Delaware from various causes is
worse off in this respect than other
States. She has no public charitable
institution to which she can send her
pauper children other than to the Aims
House, which is the home Of the pauper
and not intended to be anything else. In
Delaware there are no Soldiers Homes
for orphan children, no houses of
refuge, nor OF correction, no lying in
hospitals, nothing but the Aims Houses,
the paupers' home for every body that
is unfortunate.
Well may this inscription be placed
over the entrance to the paupers' home.
"Who enters here leaves hope behind" "
1t is by the children of the pauper and
criminal classes Of the country that
those classes are perpetuated. Would
it not be an act of wisdom for our au.
thorities to try to lead these uDforLu
nate children to better life II VIC
have no public charitable institutions
in which they can receive proper
training, let US have them as soon as
possible. 1t Is better 10 train q child
in the right way than to punish 1t when
1t becomes a criminal and hardened in
CRIME. DJes not common sense dictate
to us thai some steps should be taken
TO reform the reelected and forsaken
waits Of society which crowd onr streets
and our Aims Houses Where better
can we begin than by educating the
children in our Aims House, who are
there helI less AMI innocent II ough
no fau t Of heir own2