New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-01-20
JUVENILE WARDS.
KEPT IN PRIVATE INSTITUTIONS TOO
LONG A TINE.
AN EVIL WHICH THE STATE BOARD OF CHART

AN EVIL WHICH THE STATE BOARD or CHART
TIES HAS IN MIND TO CORRECT.
The hearings which were held before the State
Board of Charities Tuesday and Wednesday
mornings of last week with regard to.the adoption
Of rules and regulations for the payment of public
money to private institutions have demonstrated
that what thought by some to bf an over
sight in the new Constitution was thoughtful
and well-timed effort the part or ns iia'h.''
To imnose upon the State Board OF CHARITIES 'he
duty of correcting certain evils of long standing III
connection with the of dependent ana neglected.
children in this city
The Constitutional Convention. after mature ue-
liberation wisely decided not to prohibit the grant
ing Of public aid private institutions. and IL Is
now the settled policy Of this State and city TO
care for juvenile wards through the assistance OF
private institutions. In view. OF this fact IL Is
highly important that the State Board OF CHARITIES
should at the earliest possible moment formulate
such rules and regulations will tend TO correct
the incidental evils which have become connected
with the general system These evils. as was pointed
out al the hearing Tuesday by Edward Lauter-
bach. who chairman or the committee on
Charities of the Constitutional Convention, were
that children admitted to such institutions too
easily and are kept In them long. These two evils
are however the necessary and inevitable outcome
OF certain peculari:ies OF the system. Take. for
instance the retention OF children In asylums. which
is undoubtedly the greatest OF the evils. Under
the various general and special laws which nave
been In force there has been public agency whose
duty it was TO make any inquiry into the length
of time the children remained in the institutions.
The moment they committed by the magistrate
or surrendered by their parents their retention
passed from the control OF any public authority.
Not only this. but the various institutions receive
a per capita sum. in some instances sloi, ana III
some instances S0 per year for each child as long
Ihar slf ~
that not only Is there incentive 10 find homes Tor
the children in families. but direct inducement IL
offered to keep the children in the institutions as
long possible
1t Is a weknown fact that for large num-
Der of homeless children homes by adoption into
good families can be obtained. In every other STATE
in the Union except IN New ork a ialse Pr Pr
portion of homeless children are provided Tor III inns
homes can be secured without effort. So long as
the officers of institutions sit In their ofces ana
them that the number Of homes by adoption which
can be secured is small. Whenever. therefore; any
employed agents to open correspondence In differ
ent parts of the State and search out chidess fani-
lies and to make it known TO the public that emil
dren can be secured by persons who can show tina,
they are able and qualified 10 give the children
always been such response from the community
as to prove that the possioues OF hndihs nTn,eS
Many of these institutions, however make no efior,
ceased TO regard that as a legitimate part OF their
work. This. in fact. is the kernel OF the whole
managers and officers. have ceased to be the tenn
porary resting places which they were designei 10
for the family: a permanent home for children
until they able TO take their places in the com
This has resulted. OF course. in an immense in.
crease in the bills which the city has to pay so thai
the expenditure for the OF dependent and neg
lected children now amounts 10 nearly VI per year
s 'es w Tbs 81 an IA" snmpcran,
compared with the unfortunate effects upon the
they are admiited-of the restraint and mechanical
routine which are necessarily connected with He
a tremendous difference between a wel-managed
and badly managed institution. but when ln-riu-
they are stll vastly inferior is admitted by all
experts. to families for the healthy development Of
children. Many excellent authorities have stated
that Is harmful 70 mos; children 10 remain more
than two years in an Institution. however well man
aged.
An examination Of the. bills paid by the Con
roler for the month Gf Sp,emoeT h en "M
for the institutions which received payment under
dren. abou. half Of the whole number being sup
ported at the EXPENSE OF the city October ]. 1891
Institution between two and three years 9s be
tween three and four years. 74s between four and
tween six and years 3G5 between seven and
eight years 264 between eight and nine years. $50
between nine and ten years. lls between ten ana
eleven years 81 between eleven and twelve years
p between twelve and thirteen years, between
thirteen ana fourteen years. and che child more
than fourteen years
NO less tDdn l5Sj or y per cent or al the chill
dren, had already spent more than five in the
institutions
In view OF these facts. II Is 20 be hoped that the
State Board OF Charities Will at the earliest pos
sible moment adopt such rules and regulations
will effect gradual correction OF this undue and
unnecessary detention Of children I'm asylums Sev-
eral % the institutions suggest that temporary rules
not differing from existing laws should be adopted
IL should be borne In mind. however that the
adoption OF rules which do not differ from the laws
and customs under which the present sye.cn has
grown would be nothing less than evasion both
Of the spirit and the letter OF the CONSTITUTIONS
and neglect to comply with It's plain directions
Any rules which may be adopted will need 10 be
changed from time to time. and the State Board
OF Charities has full authority to alter its rules II
does seem that long tlIne would be necessary
TO formulate rules looking toward the correction OF
the evils pointed out