Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1895-10-24
A YEAR AT THE HOME,
REPORT OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE
BOARD OF MANAGERS.
Main Efforts Directed Toward the Eais-
ing of the Building Fund, which
Now Amounts to $40, 300 Work
to be Begun Next spring.

soon be published i'll pamphlet FORM ne
following extracts from the report VIII
be of general interest:
In the report road at the last annual
meeting it was said that we had just
moved into our new building, which hau
been designed with especial reference to
our plan of placing the different depart
mcnts of the Home in separate buildings.
We found it as we'll adapted to our needs
a. we had anticipated light airy and com
lnodious, with "a place for everything
and everything in it's place" Since
il is the only building which wc
have at present for the accom-
mediation of children we have been obliged
to crowd things somewhat, using the girls
day room for a sewing room. and the boys
day room for the primary school. All have
uhcerfully submitted to any inconvenience
in the hone that in the future we may have
the other buildings, which will complete
our plan. The school arrangements nave
been similar to those of last year. me
older children have attended the public
school and the results have been as salts
factory as before. There has been mani
fest Improvement in their scholarship ana
conduct. Some of them have taken high
rank in their classes.
The primary and kindergarten school
conducted at the II ONE has also been very
Interesting and successful. The progress
that some of the children have made has
been quite surprising
our many friends in the city and its
neighborhood do not forget us as is shown
by the list of donations of all sorts which
we have received. We have also had boxes
of clothing sent us from several towns in
the State These things are very welcome.
and there are children of all sizes in the
Home. who can be fitted out from these
supplies. The sewing of the Home is no
small item in the work to be done and all
these gifts help very much
NOT va
this year The whole family have been
abundanty supplied with vegetables in
their season. Hay, corn and potatoes suf-
ticient for the years supply have been
raised. Tho boys. many of them, have
had garden plots of their own, which they
have cultivated, and the little girls have
enjoyed helping to AXE care CT the flower
beds.
The Home Sunday -school has been sus-
tanned during the year as usual The Y.
NJ. c. \. have supplied us with
corps of teachers who have kindly come to
the Home every Sunday until the summer
vacation. They have Interested the chill
dren in the study of the Bible. Careful
prepara tion is made of the lesson during
the week. Every night after supper they
are gathered together for prayers and the
study of the lesson, the golden text and
memory verses are learned, and the main
points Of the lesson are taught them. This
with them on any matter which she may
have in mind Sometimes she reads to
them little while
Our main efforts during the year have
been given to the raising of the building
fund for the new houses so much needed,
especially for the nursery building. We
feel more and more the importance of this
department. There are other Homes III
The State doing excellent work, but none
that | know of which can receive infants
and very small children; and yet this our
experience shows is the class which most
needs help, ana for which we have most
frequent appeals. The people of YER
mont have always been in sympathy with
the Burlington Home, and have been very
generous in their contributions to it. The
past year has been no exception to this
rule. The friends of the Home have re-
Sponded most promptly and literally.
Since the beginning of the present year
we have received, in response to our ap-
peal, about so, 800, most OF il in cash sub
scriptions. This has come to us in sums
varying in amount from thousands of dol
lars to Il few dimes and pennies Much
has come from the children. from the SUN
day-schools OF the State OF all denomna-
tons. We value these gifts from the chill
dren, not only for their intrinsic value but
because it is the gift of children TO other
children less favored than themselves. We
would say that all this money has been
Collected without one cent OF expense. We
nave had no paid agent in the field. All
the circulars sSucd, the sUbscrptOn blanks
and the "hrickS' used Were given US We
would in this connection gratefully ac-
knowledge tn" generous interest of the
Free Press association, which has freely
opened its columns TO us, has given much
help cditorialiN, and has given il space
in the Daily ana Weekly pauor. when
under the heading Of tho Free Press Home
Fund.- all aY10uuts -pCniNa1 ,yarc ,l,I,,
knowlodGed We shall hope to begin our
building in the carly spring with the cX-
pectation that it will be ready for occu-
p3ncy the ensuing winter.
The question IS frequently asked by per-
sons with whom we correspond particular
~ in connection with the subscription toy
the nursery building, whether we receive
rtuldrcn from all parts Of the State or
only from Burlington. The Home was IN
tended in the beginning for the benefit of
homeless, abused and neglected children
throughout the state. ii has received chill
dren from all parts of ii n the past, and
during the year which has Just closed of
hte p children who have come to us L.
have come from other towns Our doors
are always open to them, so long as there
is any room
The managers OF the Homo have had oc-
caSion to feel very strongly the need for
some provision for a certain class OF pcr-
sons in our State for whom il seem, vc,>,
difficult to lind a place. / mean adults
persons of feeble mind, or imbecilcs Ithas
come to our notice particularly in this
way, We sometimes take into tho Homo
infants or little children who seem tolera-
bly, bright at that tender age, but as ycars
30 on grow more and moro dun and in
capable, till at last it is evident that tbe,,
are morally or mentally mbecilc What
shall be done with them We are re-
sponsible for them only to the age of Is
years. The State makes provision for a
limited number of children for =
limited time, i'm the asYlums of ncighbor-
ing states, but these will receive no adults.
so it happens that just at that age when
they are most dangerous to the COM
munity ana the STATE. they are thrown an
into the world TO live in poor house. or ia
wander about with none to restrain or care
for thcm. The managers of the Home felt
so strongly the Importance OF this subject
that last fall we made an effort to have
the matter brought before the LEGISLATURE
then in session. Nothing was done at that
time, however We had hoped ;hat in the
new asylum at Waterbury one ward might
(-.o'0