The Portland daily press., 1894-09-28


Of Miss I,eayitt,s report follows:
{ .vsSas
MISS LEAVIl q is PAPEH.
work Of the Departtnent ON Securing
e c,,;,ara,,
Inc department. lor securinsaloiiies iol
homeless Chlmren during the year enuing
aeptenpei Soth' nave piaceo '"enes-siA
cnllaren In private permanent hoines'
tweiVe haVc oeen piaced temporarily III
Iree private MONIES whlle waiting lor per,
.nahen. ones. Iishteen nave peeh pis,. -. =.
~ INSTITUTIONS WITHIN tne state. oAe oii'iu
mas eeeh sent 10 the Deal mute scnooi,
tnfee ehiloreh nave receiveo suecessiui
Aospital treatment,ohe huhareu anu seven-
ty-siA weeks Oh iree poarolhg nave peen
given nolneiess cniirueh' anu nunipoiiess
poor cnilareh nave Deen eiotneo anu leu.
ihus 1Ity chiioen nave IN one way anu
another oeen permanently peheA.teu Ny ene
eAiseehce Vi tnis uepafs sine h'' anu ms uo1'
not inciuoe those VINO nave peen SIMPLY
clothea ana leu OF poafueo lof ofiei
perloa.
During the year one hundrea ana eign-
Teen MONIES nave opened TO the state sup
efintenoent, ana letters nave neen sent 10
every one OF the real or supposed appli-
eants. from nine OF these applcants notn-
ing TURNER mas oeen Aeard. twenty nave
upon Iurther consloeratlon, often with lhe
advice OF the state superintedent, with
diawn the appEcatlon. Four nave Deen
filled from other sources,three have been
referrd to other state superintendents.
Four have been temporary homes and have
been filed for the summer. Two have been
boarding homes OF the best kind In the
country. The boarding homes should be Sc
lected as carefully and supervised as tho
roughly as the permanent homes. The
state superintendent strongly dlsapproyes
of boarding more than one child in home
at one time, unless the children be brothers
or sisters. After careful investigation. and
upon mature consideration twenty-three
homes have been rejected as unsuitable for
any child. These homes have not been dis
carded on the testimony of any one indi-
vidual. neither have any homes been ac-
oepted by the state superintendent upon
the approval of any one person, even when
the approval comes from our state pres1s
dent. Eleven approved homes are now
| waiting for children,and six are waiting in
vestigation. Eight doubtful homes are un-
der consideration still Eighteen of the
twenty-six children have been placed in
permanent homes, investigated and ap-
provedaby the state superintendent. Fif-
teen of these homes, as we'll as the tempo
rary and boarding homes, having been Wis
| tied, by the state superintendent. During
| the past nine months, not during the en-
tire year. nine hundred and seventy letters
, relative to this department have been re-
z l. = L L
| thousand and six sent out. The avowed
| object Of the department of Securing
Homes for the Homeless Children of Maine
is to extend a helping hand to every needy
| child in the state, and whenever possible
/ 10 provide the homeless child with good
home in private family. This docs not
mean the breaking up of worthy families
because they are poor. but the fultillment
| of Gods command To set the solitary in
| families. ~ When the W. G. I. U. took up
| this work in Maine 1T in reduced in the
| state the placing out, or family plan of
caring for dependent children. The family
| plan is novelty ony in Maine, ii is an es-
tablished system in Europe and in. the more
progressive of the United State s. Forty
one years ago Charles Loring Brace, the
founder of the N. Y. ChildreE's Aid .Socie-
i Ly,:anu q genius IN Child saving Work, out
of a large experience became convinced
/ that institution life continued for any
/ length of time did not fit child for fut-
ure practical life, but .the farmers family
| was the best asylum. During these forty
one years, the children's Aid Society has
| placed out in families in round numbers
one hundred thousand children. These
children were not taken from worthy fami-
lies, but from the slums of New York, a
| poorer birth place even than an aims house
| In Maine. The following surprising fact is
d proof of the success OF this system. Out
of the one hundred thousand children OF
those grown to manhood and womanhood
ninety-eight ner cent have turned out well
Many possess homes OF their own. Some
are occupying positions of trust andshoDor
and one has become Governor of the state
let the w. Q. L. Y. therefore, stand EN-
phatically 1or private nones IN preference
+.aov,iza +ba ;ns+itntion ~, tha
i ha1iariro as ve do that ,ha child soyi,,, =,
stitutions ~ Maine arc an,o,,e tba hast :,
+ha,lsnd NJ ar. ,,,ost - o,
with them. The fact that we have Mac e.