St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-10-20

OF corrections and charities, spoke on the
subject of child saving work
1t was special pleasure to meet at the
st. Louis conference those who
are eminent in philanthropic work
Tor children. Such women as the ven
cradle Mrs Sadd, of Louisville, under whose
care ten thousand children haved passed dur
ing the past twenty-four years, and Mrs.
Skunk, matron of the Cleveland orphan
asylum. one of the most perfect institutions
OF its kind in the world. Such men as
Judge Gerris, of Nashville, by whose unpaid
labors fourteen hundred children have been
past twelve years, or DR.. J. g. Riheldaffer
and D. w. Ingersoll, of our own city, who
were prominent figures in the conference.
Three classes of children come under pub
lie care-dependent, defective and delin-
quent.
Some of the dependent children are cared
for in orphan asylums, some in children's
homes, others receive partial care in day nur-
series and free kndergartens, but larger
part are placed in homes. In Michigan
many children were in poor houses few
years ago. Now the state has school for
dependent children at Coldwater, accommo-
dating three hundred where poor children
are gathered, and distributed after brief stay
to homes throughout the state, under super
vision of county agents.
Defective children comprise the deaf and
dumb, blind and idiotic. The original idea
seems TO have been to build asvlumns for
permanent care, but the institutions for the
first two classes have become schools where
the children are fitted to care for themselves.
very few of the pupils ever become paupers.
The idiotic and i'm beetles are at least three
fourths as many as the insane, so that we
have seven or eight hundred in Minnesota.
very small number are as yet in institu-
tons, but training schools are rapidly grow
ing up for the children, and custodial insti-
tutions for adults begin to follow. The chill
dren of imbeciles are almost always of fee
bic mind, and it is the highest economy for
the state to provide permanently for
at least the females of this
class. In the training school almost all of
these children are benefited. and from 10 to
20 per cent. become capable of self support.
The expense of support is little more than in
poorhouses, while their condition is immeas-
urably improved. Delinquent children are
cared for in reform schools. At first these
reform schools were miniature prisons with
walls and cells, but there has been d gradual
advance. The effect is not SO much TO pun
ish as to save. Ia the Minnesota school are
neither walls, barred windows, iron doors,
prison locks nor even a single cell for pun
ishment. While in most states labor is in
troduced for profit which teaches nothing
for after life, in. our state
such industries are taught as enable
the pupils to become self-supporting, and
not ten per cent. become criminals after dis
charge. So far as can be learned children
are sent to the reform school on an 'sunde-
terminate sentence" They may be retain ed
during their minority bat it is optional with
the board Of managers to discharge ut any
earlier date. In this state the actual term
is about two years. In New York this kind
OF sentence is applied to young men up to
the age of twenty-six. man is sentenced
Tor five, ten or more years, subject to dis
charge for good record at any time after
eighteen months on ticket of leave, but
liable to be returned without trial for bad
behavior. The results are encouraging.