The National tribune., 1886-03-11
SOLDIERS ORPHANS.
wretched State OF Affair." q. VI How

On Friday morning last Gov Pattison, Of
| Pennsylvania, Attorney General Cassidy and
other State officials went to Mt. Joy Soldiers
! orphan School to Investigate the grave charges
/ OF mlSmanagcment brought against that insti-
! tuition. They were met at the school by a Mr.,
! Shcrbin, whose duties, it appears, embrace
those OF professor of agriculture, moral phiIoso-
/ ply, instructor IN mechanical pursuits, and
! matrOn.
They first visited the boys playroom, where
they stay III bad weather, and where they con-
| gregate at night occasionally to study. This
! room was entered through q narrow, ZITz1g
passagcway, and was found to be a dark, bad
smelling, low-ceilinged apartment partly un-
derground, and at one time was used as the
! furnace cellar. The next place visited was the
lavatory, where it was seen how Isl boys wash
at trough and 1Si faces are wiped on four
| towels The towels could have stood alone in
Q corner
Then the party made their way to the dormi-
tories. This was task in itself as The narrow
stairway was hemmed i'll by the slOping roof,
and the officials were doubled up before they
got to the top, As they reached the top stair
they instinctvcly rushed for the windows and
threw them up. The air was foul and fetd.
Gov. PattiSOn walked over to one of the beds
and turned up the clothing The cover on the
scant straw bolster and the sheets were dity,
toul-smelling and stained. Sherbin said the
sheets were changed every two weeks. The
Governor took possession OF 4 sheet and bolster
as a witness for future examination. There
were 50 beds for 1S6 boys two weeks ago. Now
there are % beds for 18i bows
In room by the layatory was kept the cast
Oil clothing OF the boys, hung up to air two
weeks ago, when the boys were given their
Sunday clothes to wear for every day. The
cast-ot clothing of these boys is simply inde-
scribablc; tramp would turn up his nose at
1t; torn, ragged, dirty. patched out Of all sem
biance to the original garment They were
being kept to be issued, the attendant said,
when the boys had work to do. The Governor
secured a suit for exhibition purposes. Out in
the yard the boys were at play. The Governor
and Attorney-Gcncral went among them and
learned from the lads that not one of them
wore undcrclothing Some of them-th0se
who entered the school since September-wOrc
the cast-of clothing of the older boys A little
fellow with n shrunken leg walked lame to-
ward the party. The Governor reached down
and pulled up the leg of the boy trousers The
cripp!es little red legs were without any cover
ing but the tiappy, wide trousers. The water
closets were nauscatng.
In the sick room a boy was found in charge.
lie dealt out medicine in the absence of the
physician. The ATTORNEY General noticed that
a large number of &c boys had sore eyes, and
the uniortun2t5 little fellows were being treat
ed by one their number, who carried bottle
Vi lLtyeWash gwen HIM by SAcrbln. lhlS boy
dropped the wash into the eyes of the others,
and they performed the same service for him.
Then he put the bottle in his pocket
In the primary school-room 80 children were
found crowded together, and the only ventila-
tion was from five broken window panes. The
boys bathroom is n curiosity. 1t is about 10
feet square, and contains boiler for hot water
and a miniature bathtub about Is inches wide
by feet long. Every Saturday the boys get
tubbed. Eight of them are allowed in the room
at time, and 10 towels are furnished to the
1S4 boys, according to Mr.. Sherbn's statement.
1t was found that bread and treacle formed q
chief part of the diet.
The accounts of this institution show large
payments to the syndicate which owns it.
1t is announced that the Chester Springs
school will be the next visited