The times., 1897-04-20
THE CARE OF FOuHDL|NGS
Opposition to Institutions by
Board of Children's Guardians.
SPIRITED DISCUSSION
The Congressional Committee Hears
How the Disowned Are Treated.
All the Methods Exhaustiyeiy Dis
cussed The Washington Fouul-
ling Asylum Replies to Criticisms.

The hearing before the Joint Committee
on Charities of the district was resumed
Yesterday afternoon In the room of the
Senate District Committee, Chairman 5 SEN
ator Mcmillan, Senator Faulkner and Rep
resentative Northway being the members
Of the committee attending The special
interest in the proceedings was that two
or three officers of the board of Children S
Guardians maintain ed that founding asy-
luns did not tend to the elevation OF So
ciety, that they were being abandoned in
several countries of the older civilization;
in this country In Massachusetts and in
Philadelphia, and that, in fine, the proper
method Of dealing with foundlings was
individual care by individual nurses as op-
posed to the institutional plan of the Wash
ington Founding Asylum, and st. Ann s
Infant Asylum of this city.
Hon. Simon Wolf, of the board of Chill
Gren's Guardians, protes ted against the
ethical conclusions Of these officers, and
in general terms eulogized the work OF
such great charities In the course OF the
argument on this subject Senator II McMiIlan
asked one of the officers of the board Of
Chldren's Guardians how he proposed to
take care of infants found, for instance In
the dead Of night on doOrsteps.
Drown Them said Mr.. Wolf. soto
vnce, intending, OF course, sly shot atthe
other members Of the board as to the
inutility Of foundling hospitals
Sister Agnes. of st AIMS Infant A syiuru
was present within call OF the committee.
Statements for the institution were, how
ever, made on it's behalf by DIR. Boyee,
Mr. Loring, and Mr.. NJ |. Weller. Mr..
Loring stated to the committee that the
asylum was nOn-seetarian aud that four
fifths of the staff were Protestants, who
did not even have the time to teach dog
matte theology to the inmates. who, ac-
cording to the regulations of the place,
leave 1t when they are about six years
of age.
Mr. w. +. MAttingly, treasurer and Dir.
Sewers president OF the Washington Found
ling Hospital, and others OF its directorate
were present Mr.. Mattingly said that he
had heard that some criticism was to be
made OH the asylum. and If it were to be
made, he desired 1t while he was present
This brought out Mr. Redin Woodward
chairman or the board OF Chldren's Guard
iuns. who said that neither ne nor the board
of ChiIdrrn'S Guardians would criti,;ise
the asylum. except in so far as that COM
paratiye statistics were a criticism. Mr.
Woodward laid stress Yesterday, as he
did on a previous occasion, on the fact
that the closing OF nearly all the iustitu-
tiorIs wiIicll did founding work and other
charities, except st. AIMS, to very young
colorei people rnadeth burd IN OF the board
OF Children's Guardians very heavy. The
board got the benefit also of nearly all
the police court cases.
The argument OF Mr.. Woodward against
founding asylums was. in brief. that 1T
offered iuen and women an opportunity,
and especially women. to hide their sharuG
at public expense, instead or the most
rigid inquiry being Instituted 10 expose
the criuhnaIity OF the proceeding. He said
that IL was not an infrequent custom for
women to be sent by those who had be-
trayed them to the lying-in wards Of hos
pitfalls, and that the next step in the critni-
nal tragedy was either infandcide or
the founding asylum. the mothers nat
uraIly prefcrring the latter course.
Mr.. Simon Wolf here stated that be be
lievcd it to be the fact that since the estab-
lisnment Of infant asylums here and else
where the crime of infanticidc had lie
creased Mr. Woodward said that he could
not assume thatto be the I act
The proceedings Were commenced with q
statement hy DR.. Love Joy, chairman of the
executive committee of the board of con-
%, {.aI al
subject of discussion being the care nf
children and the duty to them of the
DR.. Lovejoy described that institution
in detail; first, as to the medical staff. all
Of whom givei Immediate attention TO cases
themselves. The corporation
OWNS property valued at $4,000, eX-
elusive of furniture, and vested interests
to the amount of S75 900 The services Of
nurses and ph ysicians are gTatuitous and
no distinction is made as to race. The
colored people, however. have the largest
Number. 1t is not under sectarian control.
The expense he showed, was greater in a
children hospital than in any other, for
5he reason that the inmates could not he |
utilized in work. He showed that the per
rapita expenses for sixty inmates was
$50 81, for professional and domestic |
services, 40 cents per diem; for medicines, |
about 6 cents a day; mortality during the |
year. on a daily average of sixty-six, !
,wenty-eight i'll 1895, and in 1895, thirty; |
eighteen of these being from tuberculosis. |
The capacity Of the hospital is ninety-two. |
DIR Lovejoy denied that the ospital lad |
.reated cases of contagious diseases pre- |
IN ntpip n nj nf
said that in case reported adversely in |
he newspapers the child in question was |
aiken in and cared for until delivered to
he health officer. 1t was not right, he |
that any other institution hould |
send such cases Co the Hospital for Chill |
lren, to endanger the lives of the inmates
When, however, cases arise in tie institu- |
ion. there are isolated wards for the |
He did not encourage the |
,ui!ding of a hospital for contagious dis
Eases on the present grounds. because 1t
Tastoo near a public school and other build
ngs
The money of the Daisy Chain was de-
ivered for that purpose. Dr. Lovejoy then
explained to the committee the government
If the hospital, it being subject alone TO
he commissioner of charities He would
bject to any government by the United
states. The money contributed by the /
government was controlled by the hospital
lone. 1t is also altogether charitable
Institution, no fees being required. The
10000 given by the Government is paid
nut by the trustees without contract with
he Government. The expenses of the |
ospital are over $4,000.
After the children are. cured they have
tile difficulty in having them taken care
L in the various as ylums and in their own
Snnl lrnrk- this he said Was |