The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1882-04-27
THE NEW YORK WAIFS.

THE NEW york WAITS:
Seeing the Worthington Cargo cf-No
Tears aud Lots Of F,.n-Little Tot
HIS Horrible Start and hoo they
Brought hin, out Work Of the Aid
Soc,ety-IVhat Tribune Reid says.
W. A. Croffut. the N. Y. Correspond
e,,t of the Pioneer Press, was at the
office in that city when the cargo of
boys and girls left for Worthington.
In last Sundays paper he gives the fol-
lowing interesting account Of the mat
ter:
No children in New York city need
any longer suffer from exposure, unless
it is from exposure to bad parents.
The Cl,ildren's Aid Society sends not
less than 5000 homeless children to the
West every year. Children are picked
up on the streets who have 10 one to
care for them, kept at the various
branches Of this society. fed, comforta-
bly, clad. and finally taken west and
furnished with respectable homes
generally among quet'farmers. Every
other Tuesday party Of hundred or
two starts from the headquarters, No.
10 E. Fourth street. dropped in there
on Tuesday and enjoyed thesight, a par
ty Of boys and girls, most Of them snatch
ed from lives of utter restitution and
misery, now neatly dressed from head
to foot and laugh,ngly making their
last preparations to start in Al hour
for Worthington, MINI. There were
no fearful leave-takings, for they SEEM
ed to have no relatives to leave-all
was childish joy and eagerness to go.
The eldest boys were nineteen, and
Most of them looked plump and happy.
ciety for some weeks, or months, and
''fatted for the Western market.'
"Where did they come from?' I ask
ed the agent who was going west in
charge of the party.
''All around the Streets" he said.
''Some were brought here by kind peO-
pie who picked them up on the streets.
a few drifted in themselves cut of the
rain to get something to eat"
do you take anybody that comes?''
'Oh. no! Not perInanently-we take
to send away only those who have no
parents or guardians or have been de-
serted and have nobody to care for
them. If we were to send off some
body's child, you see, the father and
mother might have us arrested for alb
duction. In fact, that has happened
once or twice, where the children lied
to us. We are careful to ascertain
that the children are free, or else we
get documents formally giving them
up"
THAT fodder THERE" I said, point
ing to a pretty three year-old with blue
eyes and abundant yellow curls, by the
window. lis that a visitor, or your
own baby. maybe?''
"Yes,' said he. with smile, that's
| my own baby-after fashion. He's
going to Minnesota, amt you. Tot?
Come here, Tot. lie was fetched in
| here just about a year and half ago.
by a hard looking customer who said
he was his .lher. And he was like
Q Tough. He brought the little chap in
his arms, and h. says, lies 4 year old.
| days, else his mot'er'll kill him. Keep
| him. Whisky put the devil in her, and
she hammers him with a red-hot polk
err" Well this young'un was as hard
| His face was covered with black and
| blue spots-this baby's was-and the
| scalp was off the side Of his head. He
! was awfully thin. took him, and the
man left. Havn't seen him since.
! The baby was just a moaning kind of a
! skeleton. Nobody thought he'd live a
week. Well, we took off his clothes.
and lie was mass Il scabs and horri-
bic scars from head to foot. The hot
poker had left it's shape on him in vari-
| Gus places like i brand. He was burnt
! all over. lie was scalded with hot
water. Come here Tot. What are you
! 'boUt?'
| Tot had climbed upon bench and
! got hold of the tassel of the curtain,
and was twitching the curtain up and
down with much glee, and to tie optic
al discomfort of everybody else. He
climbed down and battered over to us.
| He was clean, and took him up. His
face was scared oyer the ear, on the
cheek bone, on the chin. and in the
very center Of his forehead was sud-
den depression in the skull where a
small thimble could be sunk i'll half out
of sight.
Only in the last three MONTHS"
said the agent, has he really picked
up. We sent him t" the country and
they fed him on milk. He likes milk
don't you, Tot?''
18th thir! Want t'um ni|k.''
! But he was put off, and fed only as
! t! ey were about to start.
said, but he's little-who wants a
bab yuo , -. ~,
dozen applications for that very boy in
Minnesota. He's going, believe, to a
family where there are two or three
half grown daughters and no boys.
They want a brother"
| l waited till they left. It was
pleasant sight to see them off. There
were no tears of regret shed into CAM
brio hahdkerchiefs-nO frantic embrace
es-they were placid|y glad, and the
last big wagon load. sitting on their
meager trunks and traps and holding
tue baby aloft for the people on the
| steps to get Il last look at. went around
the corner TOWARDS the depot with a
unanimous smi!e-glad to 60, but
bidding the old city goodbye with cor
dial Indifference.
| 1t is from these Headquarters that
Mr.. Whitelaw Reid. If the Tribune,
for himself and other benefactors un.
named, sends large parties west every
year. asked him the other day about
the practical success OF the venture
that is the career he had sent out. He
| said:
IL don't remember the exact figures
t'e bojs l have sent west. but only
| 70 have returned to New York out of
the whole number; and certainly over
IS per cent. are reported as doing fair
~ we'll. The percentage has always
been larger than any of us had reason
to expect. for. of course. destitute boys
taken from the streets of New York
| are not angels, or even moral and we'll
| bred gentlemen.'
A Foolish Mtstake-Don't make the
| mistake Of cOnfounding remedy of
| merit with quack medicine. We
speak from experience when we say
| that Parker's Ginger Tonic is a ster.