The Press., 1884-08-21
Issued Every Thursday Evening.
REMARKS OF HENRY E. BURTON,
Secretary State Board of Charities at the meeting the Temporary Home, Andover, August IS,

hEMAhAS VE HENhI Es DUAAVNs " Secretary State Board of Charities at the meeting at
 the Temporary Home, Andover, August IS.
 We have met to inspect the Temporary Home established here for the Dependent and Neglected Children of Holland County, and to consider our official relations to its work. ''' ' z.'" s-.'' '' ''
 The Home you have all seen; and you perceive that this comfortable old farm house, with its large yard, fine trees
 school-house across the way, and beautiful outlook, is a good place for boys and girls
 It is place such as many. perhaps most, of the natives of this state have been born and grown up in, and have never quite left with their hearts, however far their feet have wandered To such places many return, now and then, and almost always in vacations and at the holidays, wishing, every mothers child of them all, that they could be boys and girls again for awhile, and could find the old faces and sports iu | the old places. 't
 Probably, if we were living here with our children, and could afford 1t, we should brighten the old house little, within and without, with paint, paper, two or three more carpets, a few pictures, and bits of color here and there, in furniture, walls, and windows; and there might be books and papers lying about, full of wonderful pictures and stories for young eyes, and a flower bed or two in the yard, and perhaps doves in the barn and COWS in the field.
 All the things which we should so like to see here, and which go to make home a present blessing and dear memory, we Ihope to have in this home sometime, here Tor elsewhere and good thing for us to 1 to do to-day is to note the deficiencies and think how they can be supplied, remem- bering that if we have something which
 we do not need, that is perhaps the very
 thing which the Home needs.
 Meantime, as 1t is, the place is decent, orderly, sufficiently commodious for its purpose, really homelike, and growing more so. So that we may be thankful and
 take courage, remembering all the time that this Home is not intended to be per manent residence for dependent and neg lected children but that, on the contrary,
 the command of the law under which it is established is that it ''shall not be used as
 a permanent provision or residence for any
 child, but for it's temporary protection, for
 so long time only as shall be absolutely
 necessary for the placing of the child in a we'll selected family heme." ..s. 5.-. s-.
 In that clause the statute proclaims its fundamental thought, and it's purpose. The thought is that private family homes
 are the best places for children. The pur. pose is to put the dependent and neglected
 children of the state into such homes. The , principal office of town committees is te carry out that purpose, by finding the | right private homes, getting the children into them, and seeing to it that, when SC
 placed, they are well treated and properly
 brought up The office of the temporary home is to gather these children together
 where the committees and any benevolen
 person who wants them can find&t}
 and to take good care of them till the CO., mittees can do their work. M < { 5 1.-the work laid out by this statute. Let u 2 first be sure we are right. RAre we sur. $ that that fundamental thought of the law g to wit, that private family homes are the S best places for children, is right? Tn 3 law stands for such homes as the average 5 citizen of Holland County is brought III 'oo in, as against poor-houses for its depend % ent children is that right? It stands fo s good private homes as against bad privat O homes for neglected children is tha
 right2 It stands for good food and enougl n of it; for decent clothing, pure associa s tions, schools, churches, self-respect, in B dustry, an honest and useful life and ls ,,TT mented death, as against poor food an 10 not enough of it, rags and filth, base assc 2Sad citations, ignorance, impiety, self-abase ,2 ment, laziness, a shiftless and dishones l5 life and an unlamented death is tha II77 right? Which makes the better husband p father and citizen, boy brought to mar 26 hood in accordance with the principles C IS this law, or boy who oomea to maturit Sn hn with Itp te
 and accidental associations and degrads - tions Which will be the better woman wife and mother, the girl of the pool '' house or the girl of your home? Whic
 would you, yourself, rather be, the pitifu P, ldespised, helpless, neglected little ou 10 cast, to whom the community losses a Ia !5 and a crust, careless alike of its soul an iS iS of its body-of its life and of its death 70 B the happy, cherished, helpful little chil :. that some good man and gooh woman lov b and protect? Which of those two fate 20 would you choose for your child, if yo n. were dying in hopeless poverty? Whic of them would let you rest the easier, 30 you were dead?
 B The representatives of the people ( ee00 Connecticut, in general assembly c)t :. vened, decided, when they passed this la .. in 1883, and again when they sustaine .. anu 1unpTOVcu It Dy CeIthlH dIleH1llleHt :. in 1884, that it's foundation prilciple h. right and that all those things it stand '' against. are wrong; and thsy rapresente B. the fathers end mothers of the state, an .. the brain, heart and conscience of Ne 10 England when they so decided. Whel 40 ever the questions of paupefism and ciim
 are discussed, in the light of the chrisia
 era, from the standpoint At humanity, (
 from the stanapoint of economy, the pr
 prevailing opinion of mankind approve ay things this law approves, and condemn m the things this law condemns.
 In spite of delays, miseoneeptions an
 blunders, the feeling and understandin
 of a free people are sure, sooner or late
 to get into their laws; and they got ia
 this law. With one voice-a voice of con m mand-this statute declares the will of tl people to certain of their officials. Wit
 another voice, which is like your father n. when you were in grief, like your mother m m when you were in pain, it says to ever m poor child in the state-My boy, my gil
 you shall not be treated as pauper Ii 'm you are responsible for your poverty. Nc m shall not be kept in poor-house, or sui
 jected to the neglect and cruelty of viciol
 and abandoned parents or relatives Nc sr shall have food and raiment, You sha
 have care and protection. You shall ha' 'T good homes-the state is full of them, al b. they want you. You shall have good me ge If for fathers and opod women for mother