Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1880-02-28

MIS-. DdIlltI DOOIle.
3rd page-The Minister'S Old Coat
story; Such Tragedies are all too
Slow.
9th page-Deatho of Massena; A Fish
Story; The Milanese; Their Ages;
Don't Worry; Troubling Post
master; The Life Ledger poetry;
Gems of Humor.
9TH page-The First Baby in Cali
fornia; Elegance of Home; How
to Ventilate Sleeping Apartments.
HOMELESS BoYs.-Mr. E. Trott,
agent for the "Children's Aid Soci-
ETY." of New York city, as per public
announcement, arrived here on
Wednesday having in charge twenty
homeless boys for the purpose of
finding them homes among the far
mers of this county. Applications
for these boys had to be made
through a committee, previously ap-
pointed, consisting of Messrs. A. J.
Thomas, G. w. Doll, VIM. Smith,
Jacob Ropp, B. M. Kitchen, I'll. A.
Frazer and DR.. F. M. Davis. When
the committee met on Wednesday,
they found they had received appli-
cations for more than twice the
number Of boys expected. Mr.. Trott
arrived with the boys on the 1885
A. NJ. train from the East, and took
them Immediately to King Street
Hall, where he was met by the COM
mittee and a large number of far
mers. Mr.. Trott, in a speech of
over half an hour in length, explain
ed the work of the society which he
represented, and stated the condi-
tions on which he desired homes for
the boys. He said that for upwards
of quarter of century the Society
had been engaged in sending home
less and destitute boys to homes with
farmers in the West. During those
years more than 40, 900 boys and girls
principally boys) have thus been re-
moved from the degradation, vices
and evil associations of large city,
and to-day there can be found in
many of the Western States men
owning land who but few years
ago were transplanted from their
haunts of idleness and restitution in
New York to the pure atmosphere
of the country. He said that the
Society, in response to numerous
letters of inquiry, had recently been
sending this class of boys into Vir-
ginia and other Southern States. He
said the question is often asked,
will they stay 7 The Society has no
authority to bind this class of boys.
They all volunteer to come. A boy
applies to be sent to a home West or
South. He is permitted to tell his
own story and a rigid scrutiny of his
antecedents is gone into. If he is
thought to be a worthy subject he is
told that if he goes with a farmer he
win be obliged to work for six
months or year for his board and
clothes; that while he is obedient,
Industrious and honest he will ind
friends and home. That these boys
do not all do as we'll as they might,
is admitted. The cases of criminal
conduct, however, which have been
reported, is rare. He hoped the boys
now with him would find good homes
and prove themselves worthy of
them. He asked of those who took
the boys to do by them as they would
desire 10 have their own boys treat
ed, if placed in similar circum-
stances, for Christ said that "Inas-
much as We have done it to one of
the least of these; ye have done it
unto me-"
After the remarks of Mr.. Trott,
the boys were allowed to talk with
the farmers wanting them, and
choose whom they would go with,
from those recommended by the
committee. They have, in our
opinion, all secured good homes.