Waterbury evening Democrat., 1890-01-06
WAITS IN DEMAND.
Plenty of People Willing to Adopt
 Forsaken Little Ones.
G is, aJ g General Rule, Preferred-Chil- e'ren with Golden Presses Said to Be at
 aPremiun-How Charitable Insti-
 tutions Dispose of Their Charges.


 tutions Dispose of Their Charges.
 Nature has implanted in the human heart Q love for children and desire for their mpanionship.
 Every charitable institution founded for the benefit of children owes it's suc- cess in great measure to this fact. They all find their labors lightened by it. When children, from any cause whatever, arc deprived of their natu- ral protectors-their parents-and arc thrown upon tho charity of the public they como under the caro of some asy- lum. They are tenderly watched over, but it is the aim of the asylum to secure for them permanent homes, and the ef- fort is in almost every case successful.
 ''There is not q day." said Mrs. M. E. Spanglcr, superintendent of tho Homo for the Friendless, to a Chicago News reporter, that we do not have applica- tions for children. These requests como from all over the country. We can not begin to supply the demand. We have from 117 to 160 children in our home all tho time, but only small proportion of them arc in our care absolutely. Most of them are transients, children whose parents are in unfortunate circum- stances, but who subsequently, take their little ones away and care for them. Those who are surrendered to us we give away when we have secured good homes for them, and it is not hard to 1 dispose of them, either. We could put great many moro children than we have at our disposal into good homes.
 "The demand comes from different classes of people. Sometimes we are visited by people who are rich, or TO- ceive letters from them, but generally they are people in comfortable circun- stances Of course we liko to give a child to wealthy people, who arc worthy in other respects, but tho first thing wo satisfy ourselves about is the ability of tho people to give the child Christian training.
 'People who want to adopt children arc required to bring at least three written references from their pastor, ,phy- sician and lawyer or other parties. They are allowed to take the children on trial for three months. During that time they arc visited by somebody from the home, who ascertains how the child is being treated, and whether it is being edu- catcd and properly cared for. If the re- port of the visitor is not favorable, the child is taken away from the foster parents and returned to tho home.
 ''If the report is favorable, the Home for the Fricndlcss renounces it's guard. ianship at the end of three months and the child belongs to the foster parents. We have sent children to homes in Maine, as in the case of a colored girl a short timo ago, and recently we sent ono to Oregon.
 ''It seems to be a wise dispensation of Providence" said Mrs. Spangler, that there arc so many people ready and willing to receive these little ones to their hearts and homes. They are generally tho hest kind of people. Somo- times they are childless couples who know that they will never have any children of their own, but who do not want to be deprived of the joy of own ing and raising the little ones. Some times they are o.d people who have raised families, butwhose children have all gone to homes of their own. They miss the prattle of little voices and the batter of little footsteps, and feel lonely without them"
 "ls there any preference as to sex?"
 ''Girls are mostly in demand. These people generally want children from two to five years of age, so young that they will not be likely to remember , any thing of their former lives. Tho people who adopt children want them for their own, and 1t is wonderful how they tako tho little ones to their hearts. It is very seldom that one comes back to us. Among farmers the demand is generally for boys. Tho letters from people in the city generally ask for girls. They want girls with long. golden hair, and as for moral attributes, thoy demand perfection, of course."
 Are blondes favorites@"
 ''No. It depends a great deal on cir cumstances. These people generally want children who look liko themselves. If a woman can adopt child who re- sembles her in complexion or features, or who looks like her husband, she is greatly pleased. Not long ago we gave away a little girl who greatly resembled tho woman who adopted her, and tho lady was delighted. It was probably tho design of the foster parents to have the world believe tho child was their own. The matter of resemblance cuts a great figure"
 ,, "What kind of people arc they who } arc willing to give up their children?" Not the best kind of people by any means. Sometimes the parents are dead, or the father is drunken and worthless and tho mother can not support her } little onos. Sometimes both parents are , unworthy, and tho courts take the children from them and turn them over to us; but there are always homes for them if they have no physical or mental defects. People do not adopt children who have any physical deformity." |
 l Rats Not tho Culprit.
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