The Irish standard., 1892-03-26
CARE OF INMATES.
How the Vagrant Children Of New
York City Are Taken
Care of.
THE CATHOLIC PROTECTORY,
Excellent Management of a Home
Where Many Boys and Girls
Find Shelter.

Find Shelter
Richard Fl, Clarke, Ill. D., in the New
York Independent: The New York
Catholic Protectory was established in
1853 It's founder was Dr. Levi '5iIliman
Ives, formerly the Protestant Episcopal
bishop of North Carolina, who afterwards
became Catholic. The institution was
started at the time when Archbishop
Hughes was the ecclesias tical head OF
the diocese, and he offered many sugges-
tions as to it's management.
There is law Of the state of New
York, still in force, which provides that
children falling into the hands of public
authorities and who come before the
courts as juvenile delinquents, shall be
committed TO institutions OF the same re-
ligious faith as their parents. Before
the existence of the Catholic Protectcry
there was no institution except the Cath
oiic orphan asylnmns, where the children
of Catholic parents could pe sent, edu-
Gated, trained in industrial schools and
otherwise provided for.
The corporation, by it's charter. is au-
thorized to receive three classes of chill
dren: First, children under the age of
IA, by consent Of their parents or guar
dians, who intrust them to it's care for
protection or reformation. Second, chill
dren between and ID years of age who
may be committed TO the institution as
idle, truant, vicious or homeless children;
this by order of any magistrate of the
city of New York who may be empowered
by law to commit them. Third, children
of like age may be transferred at the op-
tion Of the commissioners OF charity and
correction of the city Of New York, to
the institution.
1t has power to place out such chill
dren, OR indenture them for the purpose
OF learning trades, or placing them iu
good homes. but the principal work of
the institution is in the reception and
protection Of the children in the protec-
tory itself, for the purpose of making
them good citizens, teaching them trades
or some kind of skilled labor and train
ing them in the best way that the insti-
tuition can.
One of the great causes OF the vagran-
cy in boys or girls is the poverty of the
parents. In many instances they are
immigrants. They come from all the
different countries Of Europe, from
Syria to Great Britain There is scarcely
a country in the world that is not repre-
sented in the protectory. Another cause
ie the incompetence Of the parents. It
is sometimes asked, els poverty the cause
of excessive drinking, or is drinking the
cause Of poverty?' In my opinion they
are both causes and effects; they act and
react upon each other. Another great
cause is the tenement house system of
New York, which is utterly inconsistent
with the idea of home. There is no
home sentiment, education or attraction
in the dwellings of the very poor; the
tenement house system is the curse of
the city of New York.
have no doubt that the lower class
theatres, and the cheap, sensational news
papers and books have contributed their
share toward vitiating the minds of chill
dren. Even at the protectory our boys
will procure this kind of literature if pos
sible, though, as rule, we have been
very successful in excluding it from the
institution.
We receive quite number of young
girls who have been engaged in selling
newspapers. or in peddling small wares
on the streets. Some of these girls are
vagrants, and are undoubtedly bad be-
fore they come to us, but they soon yield
to good influence, and in cases where
necessary, girls are sent direct from the
House OF the Good Shepard. Others
have been engaged through the poverty
OF their parents, from parental neglect on
because Of the intemperance of their par.
ents. We get them through the friendly
intervention Of their neighbors, friends,
the clergy, or OF interested citizens.
A great many Of our inmates, both
boys and girls, come to u3through the |
agency OF the Society for the prevention
OF Cruelty to Children. The organiza-
non keeps very thorough record in re-
gard to children, and sometimes has q
good deal to say as to what institutions
sney shall be sent to. Our relations
J wan shem are quite extensive and very
friendly.
4. .we nave t two systemsoft training in the
s. pro'ectory one u atuition, hich embra-