The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-10-20
MATRONSOF ORPHAN HOMES
What They Think Ought to Be Done for
the Little Children Under Their Care.
Some Ideas That Long Experience Suggests
and . Condition of Things That Demands
RefOrm-Mrs. Franklin'S Statements.
The Association of Mstrous' Orubaus, Homes.

~ IA $50
of Indiana, met st the parlors of the Grand
Hotel yesterday morning. There were present
Mrs. Wishard. OF Indianapolis; Miss Matte
Hsdley. Of Spiceland; Mrs. Robertson, Of An
derson; Mrs Filson, Of Huntington; Mrs. Ellis,
of Wessheld; Mrs. Franklin and Mrs. Jones, OF
Bedford. and Miss Aibertson. OF Indianapolis.
Miss Matte Ellis, the secretary, road toe annual
report, showing that there are twenty-three or
phans homes in the State, two Of which are In
Marion county. and that the citizens of a num-
Der OF other counties are agitating the subject,
and that it is probable that the number will
be largely increased. Letters were re-
ceived and read from a number OF
the matrons who were unable 70 be present
At the afternoon session a paper was read by
Mrs. Benham, of Wabash. She recommended in
cases whers the parents are depraved and unfit
to associate with their children q complete sep
~aration, and in extreme cases would not allow
the parents to even visit the children. She
thought it would be advisable in many cases TO
change the names of the children and give them
a completely new start in life. Mrs. Ellis OPP
posed the changing Of names unless it were done
by' legal means, but several OF the aides said
that while they had never considered the dues-
ton they thought that it would be q good idea,
especially in some cases they had at their re-
s~pective homes, where the children had come OF
parents so low and depraved that the family
name would be q reproach to them all their
lives.
Miss Hsdley, 'matron of the Spiceland home.
rss2 . paper on the conduct Of homes. They
should be clearly and orderly, she said, and
trntLfnluaas and ahadis0ra shou1d IA anforce1
A boz of six or seven who comes to the homo
dlrsy. ragged. hungry aud full of evil habits is
generally a liar, %profsnt and vulgar. When he
is taken and washed and a suit of clean
clothes put on him the change can be noticed in
him 1T once. A spark of s,f-respect begins to
glow in his bosom and q feeling of gratitude
takes possession Of him, aad in the most cases
the boy from that time 90 desires to do what Is
right, but be does not know what is right and
what is wrong.
Upon the discussion Of this question, one OF
the matrons said: A children are alike until
they are twelve years Of age. | would not give
the snap of my finger for the difference. Ii is as
natural for Children 10 lie and steal ~ il Is for
them to eat. There is no such thing as a natural
conscience in them. Conscience 10 something
t1"@ ~ - Ne4SA y Ac~cp o
.ple, and in doing SO ! would not talk 500 much
theology 10 them. Don, puzzle their brains
with questions and theories that grown-up PEG
pie cannot understand. Let them tank for
themselves. There Is no knowing the outcome
OF q boy. / know Que boy who came OF the poor
est. the most ignorant aud degraded family |
over knew. He started to school from the poor
house. In a short time he developed a great
ability for mathematics. He went ahead
of his class and the higher classes. Some gentle
men heard of him and datarsniuei ha skOuld
have q chance. They found upon Investigation
that he was a descendant OF a famous mathema-
t.cisn, and that the mathematical genius had
skipped several generations and cronped out IN
him. De will graduate as n civil engineer
shortly and you will hear OF him some time
Mrs. Nishaud. of Indianapolis, read q paper
upon the qualifications matrous should possess.
They shonld be kind. firm, orderly, she said,
and should have al affection for their children.
They should not punish children very severely
and never while in anger. Her paper provoked q
discussion UPON the question OF corporal punth-
meor. and the matrons ali agreed that a switch
would very often reach a boys conscience where
everything else had failed; but that very little
punishment of the kind is necessary, was the
prevailing opinion or the speakers; and II q boy
is absolutely incorrieible re must bot bs allowed
to ruin the other children. hut ought TO be sent
to the State home for boys Of that kind.
After electing Mrs. Mishsrd president snd Miss
Msttie Ellis secretary, the association ad-
iourned.
" Leu TITO meeting was over anu hl busi'iccs
details out of the way. Mrs Frauklio said To a
Journal reporter: children are a matter OF
profit to keepers, and without them they could
not afor1 TO take charge or poor-houses. The
business thus degenerates into baby-farmlpg.
The county infr,3arv of orc county 1 visited Is
literally q poor-farm-iu every sense OK the word
There are l60 acres Of the most sterile land
10 the county. There are no drsught horses,
no cows, no sheep, no beeves nor hogs. nor
fields Of clever or wheat: no poultry, in short,
nothing or anything. The pauprr buildings are
not as good ss many stables Il noticed several
doorways boarded, and looking as il they might
have been entrances into stalls. a long bail
runs between two rows OF wards. Men are on
one side and e few insane women on the other.
There is no ventilation, only from each end of
the hall, and the transoms over the doors only
admit the foul air from the other side. In this
hall full of teds lyiGein women are confined.
Common decency suggests that these women
ought TO have q private apartment The super
in'endent of The place says, If the children are
removed will not keep the poor@fsrm, for in
them is al the profit The argument runs this
way: The poor-house keeper 10 al
lowed 81 Der week for each pauper.
IL a woman has a baby but . week old it is the
ssme-mOthera aud child yield him 81 per week.
The mother nourishes the child and cares for it
1t is NO expense to the keeper, and consequently
clear profit To use his ocn words, The filthy
and crazy ones tear their clothing and are
mighty big eaters. Ono woman. by actual
connt, eets ten biscuits The keeper and his
wife are good to the paupers. and if ne could
work them be would realize something for their
keeping and not have TO depend upon baby
farming for his income. There are seven of
these children and the keeper gets $l4 per week
for their keep, and $72S per annum for them all.
The sanitary condition is as good a. the keeper
and his wife can make It, He is On old soldier.
and deserves better of his country than that he
should depend upon the precarious income de-
rived from baby-farmine."
In speaking of . model orphans home, Mrs.
Franklin said with regard to the Hamilton
county home at Westield: lit was established
in 1881 AID Mrs. Ellis appointed matron. She
rented y frame house with seven rooms and four
acres OF ground. She started with fourteen
children. furnishing everything herself. There
have been l57 enrolled during the time she has
been IN charge. FIVE rooms have been added
TO the house and q cellar and cistern. After
much persuasion, the commissioners allowed
her one COW and she now has five and has raised
two beeves. She fatteIed nine fine hogs last
year and her meat-house is full of nicely cured
meat and big. ~ell-fll+d lard cans. Everything
was clean and neat as q pin. There were
twenty-seveu pupils from eight to twelve years
of age, all well clothed and well fed. The
boys were eultiyating two acres OF vegetables
which looked we'll and each child,
however young. is expected to do
some work. The food is varied and wholesome.
Mrs. Ellis makes little parties fof the children,
casions they put oa their Sunday clothes, and
she treats them as honored visitors. l have
seen more elaborate homes. but ! have seen