Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-12-10
ssEULL SURRENDER.,
A Peculiar Phase Of Fashfonable New
York Society.


From the New York Star.
''Take cigar" said the doctor to Star re-
porter, as he proceeded to light q choice Ha-
vana, ''and will tell you something of what
know about this Full Surrender business. You
see" he continued, regarding the weed with
critical but affectionate interest, there's no end
OF tricks resorted to by unprincpled persons.
You talk about the press as great moral lever,
and all that sort of thing, but very much
question whether, in many respects, it does not
create as much harm as good"
The subject of conversation arose ont of the
following advertisement, which appeared a few
days ago in a contemporary:
For Adoption-A healthy, fair, plump dark blue
eyed, new born female child American parentage;
III Ill surrender. - H
"Of course" continued the doctor. " this par
ticular advertisement may be all right but right
or. to call it by its right name baby selling. for
that's what, in majority of cases, it really is is
an outrage SO largely INDUCED in that the COM
munity of New York would be astonshed if they
only knew to what extent it prevails"
To what special class is the custom confined,
Doctor ?"
To all classes. except, perhaps. the poorest.
Now, have generally observed that poor peO-
pie. such as the wives of laborng men. cling to
their offspring with a warmer and purer regard
3.
I" How do you account for this %
Simply becauseit is considered vulgar among
women who move in what is called fashionable
society to have large families. 1t interferes
with their pleasures. or, in other words. they
are so thoroughly selfish that the hOljer and
purer feelings of matronly dignity are often de-
stroyed: Hence they take this means of dispos-
ing of Them.
''Then you do not consider that such adver-
tisements are always signs of pOverty?"
Dear me. no. not by any means On the
contrary, large sums are frequently paid by
mothers of newly-bOrn infants merely to get
them Off their hands. 1t is a part of the various
duties of our profession to find persons who,
for consideration. will adopt them. But no
respectable physician in good standing who
values his self-respect will do this, unless under
exceptional circumstances. where the mother is
not strong enough to rear her own child. Hence,
female doctors advertise accommodations and
derive large profits from women who are ready
to abandon their children, whom they look upon
as membranes You hardly see fashionable
society woman nowadays with large family.
! don't mean. of course, to include all American
women who move in good society in this cate
CORY. but am afraid that the percentage of
those who are willing to surrender their infants
bears large proportion to those who are not. -
From what class of persons do these foster
"In i many sDse cases from. the German farming
population, But such transactions are not, as
d RUE, coHuucted through the advertising col
ulnns of a newspaper. The risk is too great,
hence the female quacks have spoken of make
1t their business to find women who are willing
to take them off the mothers hands"
But what about the treatment the little ones
receiver"
Il have no reason for knowing that they are
treated otherwise than kindly. In order to
make sure that the parents shall not be trou-
bled with their offspring again. care is taken to
make the surrender full, absolute and legal, and
the bonus received for SO doing is generally
from $500 to 81 600, according to the means and
Pc sition of the parents
Then you would infer that this barter of chill
dren is quite prOfession?''
eyes, with this dfference-that the consdera-
ton is not expressed in the agreement"
so that really it amounts to baby-farming 2"
es, it amounts to that in fact though not
on the open scale practiced in France The
business is carried on more quietly here. and
the money part Of the transaction is kept in the
background"
"Take the case. for instance. of a married
couple willing to assume the care of an infant
for the mere pleasure of doing SO, having none
OF their own, how are such matters conducted:''
I'm a case of that kind there is nothing to
conceal and therefore no danger is likely to
arise. But such instances are very rare as peO-
pie nowadays do not wish to assume RESPONSE
bties of that nature without being paid for it. -