The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1891-06-18
A BABY FARM IN RUSSIA
THF REMARKABLE INSTITUTION
FOUNDED By CATHERINE u.
= paserIntion of 1t as 1T Exists To-day
Under the Present Czar-HoW II -
Supported.

the biz Founding Hospital of Moscow.
The huge barrack-llke structure. the
largest building in the old capital. It's
REGIMENT of wet nurses aud many nun
dreds of pulling infants make VIVID
impression on the mind.
In the first room of the recovering
department were about thirty raw
Young peasant women just in from the
country They were candidates for
The position Of wet nurse. waiting to
he examined by the doctor. They
stood in a row like soldiers ana bowed
respectfully and simultaneously to the
marion aud her visitors as we entered.
Some looked very young as applicants
for such IA position.
The next room was the RECEIVING
room. A female clerk sat al il desK
hooking the numbers. sex and ae-
seription OF the infants rs they were
hronoht in. Another woman was just
puttfng a baby ia the brass scuttle OF
!. pair of scales to weigh il. 1t had
been brought III by a soldier. who
stated that lis wife was i'll and couldn't
take care Of it. After Weighing the in
FAINT they tied numbered tag around
its neck aud gave Il duplicate tag TO
the soldier. The only questions asked
concerning infants are whether they
were or were not born in wedlock. aud
whether or not they had been baptized.
From the receiving room the infant
brought in by the soldier was passed
or TO the bath room, where it received
the benefits of warm water and soap.
Here were wet nurses. who had been
passed bY the doctor. had taken the
regulation bath required of all new
corners, and had donned the dress OF
the institution. the conspicuous feature
being caps of blue, green or red. says
Thomas Stevens in the \. I. World.
After the bath the infant was assigned
TO one of these nurses, who immedi-
ately walked off with it TO the summer
barracks.
Adjoining the bath room is the bap-
tismal room. containing priest, Il
gorgeous icon and a font. Here all
Infants who have not been baptized
outside are Immediately converted INTO
orthodox Russians before being passed
on to the barracks.
They receive fifty. sixty seventy and
sometimes rs many rs eighty infants
in day. Last year they admitted
Is. 479 infants.
about six weeks, then sent out into the
villages 10 be nursed. There are at
present SIT infants OH the premises.
and 30 wet nurses. After being re-
ceiyed AMI kept in the hospital six
weeks the babies are provided with
numbered tag aud passport and passed
on. is stated above, To nurses in dis
tant villages, where they are nurturcd
ut the expense of the institution till
they are / on ) Years old. Al any
time. either before or after the eXpira-
ton of the term in the hospital, the
mother. or whoever brought the in
FAINT. may reclaim ii by means Of the
duplicate tag.
By the time they have seen five sum
mcrs many Of the Youngsters are
adopted in the villages to which they
have been assigned. The others are
returned to the institution, where they
are educated, boys and girls together.
till they reach the are of 9 or 10.
They are then separated. The boys
are sent to the government fcltShar
schools, where they are taught the art
Of assisting army surgeons TO saw off
soldier, les and arnS-army hospital
assistant, and the girls are fitted out
with tlbliit~ anu dN>iSttAl lHlb l'IdctS
Is houscmaids and cooks. To the end
Of their lives 1T all events their I'M
married livcs--thc girls are considered
wards OF the government, and so long
rs they can prove good conduct may
ALWAYS return to the hospital tempo
rarily when out of a situation.
We were conducted into the grounds
and the summer barracks Here were
broad, wel-kept grounds, laid off into
squares aud shady avenues OF biz fine
clmS. The dav was soft and balmy. an
ideal summer day, and the nurses and
their small charges were all outdoors.
Strung along the avenues under the
shade Of the spreading elms were hum
dreds Of little iron cribs, built light. so
that 4 nurse would be able 10 carry
cradle baby and all, in and out of
the barracks Each crib was broad
enough TO accommodate two Infants
and in charge of each crib was a
nurse foster-mOther TO the occupants
Most Of the nurses rs will be under
stood by the figures given. were re-
quired TO nurse two babies-au EASY
enough tax on them. Judging from
appearances.
Each nurse carries passport and a
paper that goes Nth the crib and the
infants that are given into her Charge.
These precautions are necessary to
prevent the stream of human atoms
ever passing through the hospital from
getting hopelcssly mixed and their iu-
dlvidual identity lost forever.
The nurses are fed on black bread.
cabbage, soup, buckwheat and milct
Cruel and kwass They are also al
lowed small indulgencics in weak tea.
without which any Russian. woman or
man. would think themselves ill-uSed.
Nurses to whom very weakly infants
are assigned are allowed more nour-
ishing food, such rs meat, potatoes,
beer etc.
The most interesting of the barracks
was that one devoted To weakly IN
fants and those who had yenturea into
the world ahead of their time This is
known aS the hospital or warm bar
racks. Even on this summer day it
was heated by artificial means Be-
sides the row of cribs it contained sew
eral ineubators for the reception of the
aforesaid yenturrsome Young people
The infants in this barracks were a
truly pitiful assortment. \ new born
babe is not beautiful object 10 ra2e
upon. and there was something posi-
lively uncanuy, ut least TO man. in
the appearance of these tiny creatures.
callow looking rs young birds who
had yenturcd into the big world so
young and 50 small as to scarcely seem
like humans. These midgets were
mostly swathed in linen bandageS. so
that nothing was visible but the head.
They looked like tightly rolled young
mummicS. The nurses picked them
up with one hand. rs one might pick
up rag doll, and held them in a
curiously matter-of-fact way. Some
OF them seemed scarcely alive. One
nurse picked up pair of them from
the crib that belonged to her, one il
each hand. and held them up for oul
inspection rs = dealer would hold up i
pair OF images. One of them moved
4, /. a. -