The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-04-14

EFrom the Chicago News.1
In the current North American Re
view DR.. Henry Smith Williams dis
cusses the question of dependent chill
dren and states that, as nearly as can
be ascertained, there are about 100 600
children in the United States that are
public charges. About $4,000 of these
are claSSed as juvenile delinquentS or
as detectives, including the blind. deaf,
dumb and feeble minded. The remain
ing three-fOurths are dependent, through
Orphanage or desertion,or because their
parents are either incapable OF taxing
charge of them or have been adjudged
unfit to do SO. They are therefore
cared for in various institutions, cost
ing the state about $4,000 600 a year.
The most primitive form of child in
StitutiOn is the county almshOuSe. 1t
is simple and causes the least possible
immediate Inconvenience to the local
authorities, but DR.. Williams says that
in the opinion of all who have given the
subject attention the throwing in of
children with the human wreckage of
the almshouses is most disastrous in
its effects, producing a class of vaga-
bonds instead of useful citizens. The
effort which has rescued thousands of
children from the almShOuses has been
chiefly made by benevolent indiVidu-
ais and great numbers of private or
phanages have sprung up everywhere,
supported as a rule by private endoW-
ments and voluntary subscriptions. In
two states, hOWeVer-NeW York and
California-the experiment has been
made of partly maintaining such 1nsu-
tutions by money granted from the
public treasury. The principle of thus
giving support to institutions under
private control is not universally ap-
proved of. one result has been the
development in New York of the largest
and most deliberately organized system
of children'S Institutions that has ever
existed, and one child in every thirty
five in New York city is being reared
at the public expense in an institu-
ton.
The merits of the New York system,
however, are gravely questioned.
The radical defect of the institu
tfon plan is said to be that it ignores
the fact that the most important
knowledge gained by the mind OF any
child in the world is gained by imbib1-
ton rather than by direct training
The institution makes the child, ac-
cording to DR.. Williams, simply part
of a great machine whose working is
never duplicated in the outside world
He becomes piteOusly abnormal, an au-
tOmatOn, rather than a feSh-and-blOOd
mortal. One observer has declared
that institution children grow up into
half idOtic men and women Another
asserts that he can tell an institution
reared man at sight by his manner and
expression.
The conclusion is reached that the
experience of child-SaVers in many
lands and under widely varying con
ditions proves that the one best method
is that of finding a home for the de-
pendent child in a normal, ordinary
family. The plan has been tried with
SUCCESS not only in Ireland, Scotland,
England, Austria, Germany and Aus
tralia but in Michigan, Minnesota,
Wisconsin. Rhode Island, Kansas and
Massachusetts, Since it's adoption in
Michigan the population of the state
has increased more than 90 per cent,
yet child dependence has decreased
more than 50 per cent. Minnesota, I'M
der the Michigan system, cares for 100
children at a total annual cost of $22,-
600. Merely finding a home for the de-
pendent child in a family is by no
means the whole of the work. A sup
Elemental system of official inspection
is necessary in order to secure the best
results.