Evening star., 1886-07-17

THE CITY's FOUNDLINGs.
How Infant Waits Are Cared For at
81. AIMS Asylum.
THE BABES LEFT ON DooRsTEPs-1NFANTs
LEFT ALONE IN THE woRLD-THEIR BARLY
TRIALS AND TRIBULATIoNs-wHAT THE SIS
| TIERS OF ST. ANN Do FOR THEM.
large city always has a great accumulation
| oi superhuouS babies. AS far as can be def
nitely ascertained Washington has about one
| hundred and twenty-five of these opportunities
Doubtless there are many more than that num-
oef. out they are not correctly assorted and
| labeled as such. Many people think that babies
| are always over-abundant, but these particular
| little ones are peculiarly superf1uous, as they
, are without parents mostly, and, in many in
stances, without names. They were born with
out mother or father-or, more correctly speak
| Ing, they were without mother and father very
soon after they were born. They are collected
| through the benevolence of certain Catholic
SISTERS, and cared for at st. AIMS Infant asy-
! ium But for these good Sisters their part IN
thls lie S drama would be short and tragic. AS
| IL is, they form a Lilliputian colony in a large
| iight-colored building on X street, near tn :
! base OF Il triangle, the back yard running out to
| the apex. 1t is Il large building, with three or
four stories and many rooms. and ali along the
back and sides are porches encased with blinds
Inc grass in front Oh the door is closely cropped
Inc front step has no tracks on 1t, and
sne sne ntss 6rass door M si,l shines IN tsv the
polished like bone: where they are not bare
they are covered with clean white mating.
| len sisters with pleasant faces beneath their
queer white head-dress are in charge, and are
| the institution. Numerous nurses are hired to
hnd II difficult to attend to the wants OF one in
| lantile tyrant may appreciate what 1t Is to care
! for a hundred and twenty-five. Being super
| nuous they are not different from other babies
| ana they require the same attention They are,
| oi course, not all of the same age. They remain
| III the Institution until they six years Old,
when they are taken to an orphan asylum. AT
| present aoout six have reached that age.
| ADDITIONS NEARLY EVERY DAY.
There is an addition to the number nearly
every day. Some of them are only a few hours
old, and they range from that up to the age
limit One OF the sisters told STAR reporter,
who called there the other day, that there was
something over thirty very young nursing
babes. Tne institution was started long ago by
the sisters and until within a few years con-
Quoted by them without any assistance from
the city or Congress. From year to year the
number OF infant orphans and foundlings has
steadily increased, and of late years Congress
has appropriated 81, 900 per year Ior the insti-
tuition, This, OF course, is not nearly enough to
meet the expenses, and this year the sisters
asked for 81. 900 more but failed to get it. All
babies left on door steps, and picked up by the
police are taken there and cared ior. Many of
them have suffered from exposure and are near
ly dead when taken there, but life is generally
saved. In some cases the children are broug hit
there from their dead mothers arms. The his
tory oi some OF the little ones is but Il simple
tale; that of others must remain unknown.
w Eo they are and why they are is mystery.
The existence OF some tells sad story. Many
OF them, OF course, are known. Their mothers
have died in giving them birth and their fathers
are TOO poor To take care Oi them, or, may be,
can contribute only partly to their support.
Some OF them will never be troubled with
pedigree when they grow up. They may be
high or lowly born. Nobody knows. In the
eyes OF the sisters all infants are born equal.
When they are left on doorsteps i'll baskets the
lam .fnS fhnft
world, Moses fashion, SO early in life, Is some
times considerate enough to give them name,
ami they grow up happy i'll that Inheritance.
Some are less fortunate.
UNLABELED AND UNKNOWN.
They come unlabeled and unknown. in utter
nakedness, in entire forgetfuness, trailing
"clouds of glory as they come. The names
johnnie, Tommy and Mary do well enough Tor
them wniie they are very young but later in
lie they lind the need OF other names. The
good sisters take them, with all their possibii-
ties OF birth, and take care OF them all alike.
Those VINO insist upon being nurSed have to be
sent outside at an additional expense. Those
content with the bottle remain within. 1--WE
take louhuiing>, orphans and hall orphans
said the sister superior to The STAR reporter.
The remaining parent of the latter sometimes
contribute some 10 tnelr support, but they get
no better treatment than the rest. If they paid
500 d month they would not. All are treated
alike, just as well its we know how. AS long as
they are with us-that is, until they are six
years old-they have our constant care
''Do you not become very much attached to
reporter.
We have to control our feelings" was the
quiet reply of the sister, who had world OF
tenderness i'll her face.
But the Children suggested the reporter.
"Oh, of course they Cannot control their iee-
when they leave. They dislike to part with us,
and We do not like them to go. But they have
TO. They go TO the other Catholic orphan a>y
luInS, and are there taken care OF until they
grow up, ana ever. thing possible is done to
get them in a way TO make their living when
they are Old enough"
THEIR AFTER LIFE.
The sisters, who are their mothers in infancy,
know OF their condition as long as they are in
the asylum being educated, After they go out
into the world they lose track OF them and do
not generally know OF their successes or taiI-
ures III Lille. The probabilities are that in some
humble way, at least, their lives are successful,
as they are given proper education and the
highest moral principles are instilled into them
from youth. Many Oi them, doubtless, grow to
be men and women OF family, and there may
is taking them u long way from ST. AIMS.
There they are little baby boys and girls,
nearly equal in numbers. They cry like other
babies, and cut teeth and get SICK like otner
babies. The mortality among them is not
great however. 1t is very seldom any OF them
nave those chldren's diseases-mea,es.
whOOplnS cough, scarlet fever, &c. The worst
timing they have To torment in their little lives
is cutting teeth More die from teething than
any thing else. Day alter day they have their
| cares ana their amusements. But on Thursday
is their great occasion. They receive that
day all the visitors VINO choose to call and the
callers are quite numerous, for it is inter-
estlng baby show. Whoever visits them once
has an interest in them ever afterwards.
WOmans Work In the south.
From the New Orleans Picayune, July 4.
The greatest drawback to the southern work.
ingwoman has been the fact of not being skilled
in any profession that requires technical knowl-
edge and training. Hence it is that when forced
into the ranks OF workingwOmen the southern
woman invariably and invOluntarily turns to-
wards teaching or getting in "a store" These
trades are neither good nor remuneratiVe ones
and both are OvercrOwded. W WhiIe strong able
bodied laborers In the north are fighting TOR an
elSnt-hour sy stem there are hundreds of deli
cate young girls right here in New Orleans vino
are standing behind counters for l3 hours at "A
stretch, sundays Included, and receive 81 IL
week, less than one-half the salary paid the
male clerk by their side. Nevertheless Il large
majority ot the worklngwomen i'll the south, and
especially i'll New Orleans, are saeswomen. But
there are other more remuuerativc pursuits
within their reach, and certainly easily
acquired, as school teaching measuring
yards OF ribbon. Numbers OF women in MissiS-
| sippi have adopted farming as Il profession.
| Miss Eliza Ewing Is onrOl the most successful
woman farmers in the state. Her farm four
miles above CarrolltOn, in Carroll county. Miss
Ewing lives In the grand old family mansion OF
ante-bellum days and gives her personal atten-
ton TO all farm matters. Her success proves
| concluslNely what women may accomplish in
! the rlcn and growing agricultural sections of
| Mississippi. Mrs. Sallie D. Echols, oi jackson,