St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-08-02
THE INNOCENTS' HOME.
SOMETHING or THE PLACE WHERE
BABIES ARE CARED FOR.
A VERY WORTHY CHARITY.

Haven Of Refuge for InfantiIe
Mortals Whose Mothers Are
Unfortunate - Some GIimpses
of the Inside Workings-More
Room Needed-Second Chill
dren's Airing
Apropos of the excursions that are
being given for the benefit of the babies
| that are being cared for at the babies
| home and in other charitable institu-
tions in the city. it might be we'll to stop
minute and inquire into the object for
which the aboYe-named institution
exists, and also how it is sustained and
| by whom conducted.
This institution, which is located at
SAG Lincoln avenue, was organized in
February, 1890. The officers for this
year are: President, Mrs. w. ID. Corn
ish; secretary, Mrs. w. II. Fisher;
treasurer, Mrs. G. c. Otis; correspond
ing secretary, Mrs. E. E. Hugh
son; matrOn, Miss Anna McEvoy.
There is in addition to the above named
officers board of lady managers, who
take turns in visiting the home and
| doing the necessary marketing for two
weeks at time. The founders of the
babies home had two objects in estab-
| fishing such an institution, the first
| being desire for some place where
poor little bits of humanity that I'M
fortunate girls are anxious to dispose of
| in order to hide their shame could be
| cared for; and the second a sincere
desire to suppress crime, which is so
often committed in order to cover up
their sin entirely.
Babies are taken in two ways. First.
| they may be boarded for the nominal
sum OF IS month, many being taken in
this way from girls who have had suf-
ticient amount of the mother-lOVe
| awakened in them by the advent of a
child to desire to keep it for their
own. These women work for their own
support and that of their child. There
are also babies cared for whose father
or mother, as the case may be, cannot
give 1t attention, but is willing to pay
On the other hand many babies are
brought in by their mothers, whose one
thought is to rid themselves of their
burden. These are taken and cared for
Just as the others are, but the mother
surrenderS all right to the child. who,
when it is old enough, may be adopted
by some kind-hearted person, the mother
never being allowed to know where her
| child eventually is given. This pre-
| cautiOnary measure is taken because in
after years the mother Is very likely to
become possessed of such an OverpoW-
erlng desire to see her offspring that
she will do almost anything to gain that
end.
Inside Workings.
The matron and two assistant nurses
care for the babies during the day, and
two nurses do the night duty. In addi-
ton to this there is a department of
which it is feared very little Is known.
1t is practically training school for
little nurse girls, and is managed in this
way: Girls from fourteen 10 sixteen
years of age are taken and taught
how to give babies the ordinary
care that child'S nurse is
expected to give the children
entrusted to her care. She hears the
talks that the doctors give on the gen
eral care of children, and, in return for
the instruction and Il nominal salary.
she gives her services in the care of
these babies, nursing, playing with
them and giving them an airing on the
lawn, where an awning has been put
up to furnish shade for the little ones.
The medical attendance that is
needed for these little waits is fur
nished voluntarily by number of the
city physicians. Drs. Abbott and
Ancker are cOnsultantS; DrS Williams
and Chamberlain, specialists. and Drs.
Rogers and De Witt general practi-
TONERS.
The location is one of the most
healthy in the city, and the one thing to
be desired is more room. 1t frequently
occurs that the matrOn is obliged to re
fuse to take baby because the house is
already SO full. At the present time
about twenty babes of various ages are
being cared for. With ladies on the
board of management who are indefati-
gable workers, competent ma
iron and a board of physicians
like the above, surely the success
of the babies home is assured? And yet,
like all other charitiesi its usefulness
might be increased twO-fOld ii the peO-
pie who have both the time and the
money could lind it in their hearts to do
something in behalf of the little un-
fortunates who are brought into the
world only to be left motherlesS and
neglected. One of the greatest needs
of the Institution, next to more room, is
awnings for all the windows Here's
splendid opportunity Tor some philan-
tnropiSt to add to the pleasure and COM
fort of these little innocenJs and their
kind care-takers.