Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-09-05
HOMELESS CHILDREN.
SHOULD THEY BE PERMANENTLY
SHELTERED IN ASYLUMS?

Or Should They at Once be Placed in
FamiIies"- of the Evils of Charit-
able Enterprises Generally Juvenile
Delinquents.
An address lately delivered before the
national conference of charities and cor
rection at st Paul, MINI, by Mr.. William
=, Letchworth Of New York. contains
some very interesting statistics Mr.
Letchworth Is the. president of the New
York state board Of charities, and the sub
ject upon which he spoke, the Children
Of the State is one with which he has
made himself thoroughly familiar
The whole number of children under 10
years of age in the United States is given
aS Dob 659 OF these, according To the
census OF 1850, there were 81 $50 in the
fOundling asylums. orphan asylums,
other establishments for homeless and
destitute children, and the juvenile re-
fOrmatOries of the different states nearly
one half OF whom, or -, 3}S were In New
York Institutions The census also gave
the total number of idiots in the United
States as Il, S95; blind, A. 92S; deaf mutss,
33,S1S Of these detectives. l59 1Ol in all,
only lO~ were in educational nstitu-
tions other than day schools. The New
England states had population Of 44l
blind persons, and only one public insti-
tuition for their instruction, containing %
inmates. There were no schools for deaf
mutes in New Hampshire and Vermont,
and non" for the blind nor the deaf in
New Jersey, Delaware, Florida or Ne
vada.
HOMELESS AND DESTITUTE.
With respect to homeless and destitute
children, the question arises whether
they should be permanently sheltered in
asylums or at once placed in families by
adoption, indenture or verbal agreement
Mr.. LetChworth would follow the sensible
plan of sending out those fit to go into
decent homes and keep the rest in the
asylum until they are licked into shape.
AS it is, the tendency is TO retain the
children too long in a,ylums whose man
ayers take pride in mere numbers, for
the more they have the more important
their function appears, This is one of the
great evils of charitable enterprises
generally. The larger the show they can
make the greater the amount of atten-
ton they can attract and of money they
can obtain: for even in the conduct Of
charities there is sometimes, If not often,
a good deal of humbug. PrOtracted
asylum life, too. is bad for the young, and
may utterly unfit them for the struggle
they must eventually 20 through in the
outside world
OF recent years the English and Scotch
system of boarding out, as it is called,
has been tried to some extent in Massa-
chusetts, Pennsylvania and in the vicinity
Of this city; but the trouble with il is that
the boys and girls boarded out are distln-
guished as paupers among those with
whom they associate, for their mainten-
ance is paid for by public or private char
lty, and they are badly handicapped in the
race OF life. Children who are sent into
families 10 be adopted or under indenture
do not suffer from such disadvantages,
and their chances of advancement are con
sequently greater. Besides, if the state
adopts the plan Of paying board, people
will refuse To take pauper children with
out recommends. 1t is not good system
for this country.
The BLIND AND THE DEAF
Mr.. leiChwOrth argues IN behalf Of
further provision for the instruction of
the bin | and the deaf, though he Is Of
the Opin on tnat our existing institutions
for them compare favorably with those
of Europe But he does not fa vOr the pro-
ieCt, which has been several times before
our state lei>llture, Of state asylum Tor
the adult blind. Give them instruction
that will help them to selfsuppUrt, he
wisely argues and then let them take
their part in the work Of the community.
In asylums they will remain throughout
the.r lives dependent and incapable of
lf-reliauCe
The instruction of the idiotIc, or feeble
minded, has produced results which have
been surprisingly succe essful and there
fore he would foster and extend 1t. and in
needful Cases would continue the pro-
lection of the state after the school age
was passed. As TO Juvenile delinquents,
so called, he would have more care taken
in separating the bad cases from those
which are less depraved, so that gradua-
tiOn from house of refuge should not
put brand upon a boy. To that end he
would put hardened criminal youth in
distinct institutions. while children sim
ply unfortunate should be placed under
different influences and amid better as
sociatIons. The reform schools, too he
thinks are too large for the proper care
of their inmates, and he calls for more
careful supervision to prevent the COM
mitment OF children 10 houses of refuge
on frivolous charges. New York Sun.
Demand for "A Smaller Coin.