The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1891-06-08
,arcnEp FRANGh.l
s..,,.tics Regarding the Number
.E.ILAt3t s... Ali,,,nln ChlIdren.

...,,.t,es Regarding the. Number
.., ,- June Z. Consul
W. u bordeaux France, in
E'as ,s,iso y i the destruction Of the
o''aS s,;rs A.. lam at that place gives
f'aaa' ,.'7oarEaSls facts and statistics
'' ,..ir i, to Legitimate children in
Ta,,' In no other civilized nation Ia Is
iFl a. any approach to the number OF
tlsls nut; 4n3 sr children annually born in
i.tg' ln While it is impossible to ascer-
ItIa' .io eyact number Of illGgitimate
tti S,a lt,' horn N owing to the fact that
t s.oy are not reported and some are 9
paa! ,,i I'T made way with, the record for
yo ain France shows that there We're
~ G =" ,bondoned children, only 2l9 of
2Ny yy legitimate. This is about
v1o .%si r OF the entire birth rate OF
GIs Sea The French government has
ii- ,,co centuries been promoting sys-
70; " JtopniIing asylulns, the existence
EI t + while they were held to be an
eNm n.i~s 10 sin, was at least a pre-
latS ,;re Of the crime OF infan ticid
TT iI,ihl had previously been considered
Legal. !, roro,,+;on +be Dantons
pI IIor9,s the Robcspierres and the
WS W. ,5 while the republic was
sni,..biping liberty in the person Of a
WV WI "Gmon. we're so enger for new life
sgno j that apremium was put upon
~: a.. tirth OF illegitimato children. Even
Wv VA, ~" the officers Of the founding
. ',ei1,ns ore moi permitted TO make in
si,;cs regarding the mother OF an
yls"nJonei child, and the State forbids
s1Tr as TO the paternity. Tho gov
' a,11,ncnt recognizes neither breach OF
s,a"i.e nor inhdelity. The asylums
!, landings are departmental. Tho
.',s NAYS tho cost OF superintendent
,rJ lbe department is liable for the re-
s,sinfnp ex pcnses. These asylums are
: S7=I IT07IIII T5ssI 90 .'7'ssT oo'sIHgI
t tyoblr reversible iron chair, fixed in
ts%sIl At tie right OF tho entrance,
.bou, four feet above the ground. 1t
. sUyr sap a piyot. so that one side DO
$rIr,ci toward the exterior OF the
S"llius the other faces inward. This
wheel or chair is well-knOwn institn-
,on in France as the receptacle for
S Sv children. A mother places her
offspring upon the chair, gives it n turn
and Immediately, as ii by magic, the
EMBARRASSING object has disappeared
within and another chair awaits the
next dishonored mother. ii
III, lean Jacques Rousseau. the most
immoral man in the world, and the
author OF the most moral book that was
erer written, who married a. kitchen
maid 80 ignorant that she could neither
yrlain in her memory the order OF the
months Of the year nor tell the time of
1ay bv the clock, secretly plnced the
'iTee children who were born to him
in one OF these founding asylums.
Years afterwards when he crpved the
sweetness and delight OF his Chitdren's
embraces every effort was mnde to dis
cover the children OF the great philoso-
pher, but they had disappeaFedsbeyond
Tie rem0test hope OF recovery, and
Iousscau and his sons and daughters
lived togeter in the world notknowing
one another. TO prevent just such
occurrences in some OF the asytums
to-day when mother wishes to leave
her child she is Intercepted mi
rutcly by the clerk. Her name,
ge, occupation and residence
are recorded. il she desires to reclaim
tie child at some future time q, colored
rory necklace is hung about1ts neck,
blue II a male and red If a female. II she
desires to entirely abandon the infant q
string OF white beads is used. This
necklace remains upon the child untilit
attains the age Of twenty years. Atthat
age unless reclaimed, it is apprenticed
By the authorities Of the asylum to a
peasant or artisan. There cords OF those
uyiums where the mother OF a child is
iHicrrogaed show that the professions
Ottle women whoabandon their infants
in France are represented relatively as
ioiows: Cooks, housemaids, servants
and Others employed about the house,
l$S; Seamstresses, OH; women work.
Ing By the day, 4lS. No statistics are
obtainnbic rs TO the number OF children
BON Of women OF the upper classes that
an lett at founding Gsylums because
they are surreptitutiously abandoned.