The sun., 1896-03-01
LOST CHILDREN.
ThinEs Shown by the Stntistics CoIlated
by the Police in This City.

Things Shown by the Stntistics CoIlated
by the Police in This City.
Notwithstanding the steady growth OF New
York city In population, the number of lost
children who come into the TEN porary custody
Of the Police Department does not vary. but re-
mains continuously about 900 year. In 1893
the number of lost children reported at the
Bureau of Information In Mulberry street was
1910. In 1894 it was $3.50, In 1905 it was
2.57S. The number, In fact. is stationary. and
two-thirds Of the lost children boys.
Whether 1t is on account of the In
herent timidity OF girls or the moro adven-
turous disposition of New York small boys Is
not perfectly clear, but the fact Is un-
deniable that the number of lost boys Is
twice large as the number OF lost girls.
Another notable fact Is that the number of
ported cases OF lost children In winter is materi-
ally smaller than the number In spring or sum
mer. Thus 20 Is the average in December. 30 In
January. and rs In February: whereas, In the
three months of April, May. and June the num-
Der Of lost children Is between 800 and 400
month. 1t is customary to explain this discrep-
ancy by saying that there are many moro chill
dren out OF doors when the weather is sultry
than on winter days and therefore the proba-
bilities OF being lost are materially greater
in summer than In winter months, but
this explanation is not entirely satisfncto-
ry. because the three months in which the
largest number OF children are reported lost are
not those OF summer but OF spring, and more
over, the number of lost children In the autumn
months. September. October. and November, is
much smaller than during the spring months.
That school attendance or school vacation has
little to do with the number OF lost children is
crease in the months OF July and August, when
the schools are not in eession.
The police figures show, among other interest
ing things. tnat tho largest number of lost chill
dren are In those districts OF the east side in
which Russian and Polish residents are most
numerous. Italians. too, and especially Italian
boys, have n proneness to getting lost. but New
astray. German girls are. relatively more often
reported lost than German boys, and 1t Is per-
haps a somewhat significant thing that on the
average there are fewer lost children among
colored boys than among co.ored girls and very
few of either
The rule OF tho Police Department is to hold
lost children Rt station houses until the hour OF
4 o'clock. and n lost child should therefore be
sought by solicitous parents or guardians at the
nearest police station up to that hour. In q
spring month, In populous part OF New York,
II Is no uncommon thing in an afternoon to
a number OF lost children playing about, In
childish indifference to the anxiety which their
disappearance has created. in a station house,
and particularly in one OF these three to which
lost children are most often taken the Delan-
cey street station, tho Eldridgs street station,
street Though the number OF lost children In
Now York is considerable, there are very few
deserted children In New York city, and In this
respect New York differs very much from Lon
don, whore the number of deserted children is
| considerable.