The times., 1897-04-21
Discussed by the Congressional
Committee on Charities.
SISTER SARAH'S QUESTION
The Officers of Several Institutions
Make Interesting Statements-Non-
Sectarianism Claimed for All the
Orphan AsyIums-What Becomes
of the Graduates of These Places.

Yesterday before the Joint Committee of
the House and Senate. Senator Mcmillan
presided, the other members in attendance
being Mr. Northway and Mr.. Pitney. The
| question o. religious teaching in the Ger
man Orphan Asylum. st. Rose Industrial
School, St Johns Orphanage and st.
Joseph's Orphan Asylum was considered
Sister Sarah, of st Johns orphanage, and
Sister Mariana, Of st Roses Industrial
School, were present during the inquiry,
and both responded TO questions from the
committee
The questions for discussion in detail
were: May public funds properly be
used to support sectarian or private In
stitutions? Where grants Of public money
are made ought not the District to have
the right TO place dependent children n the
Institution so aided? What would be the
effect of carrying out the DECLARED policy
of Congress to make no appropriations u
money to sectarian institutions? Does the
policy of taking children from andreturmng
them 10 parents stimulate dependency
What becomes of children discharged from
the sectarian and private institutions?
What is the length of time children are
maintained at public expense, and is the
expense per child unduly larger
All of those examined showed that the
children on being discharged from the
schools were provided with places.
Hon Simon Wolf, of the German Orphan
ASYLUM, advised the committee that the
asylum was non-sectarian. 1t receives
81 500 from the Government, but is mainly
supported by private charities. He de-
clared that if the appropriations were
withdrawn the result would be that the
asylum could not afford To receive chill
dren who are now sent there by the Dis
trict.
Secretary ackett made the statement on
behalf of st. Johns Orphanage. His eX-
animation covered the history OF the OF
MANAGE from its establishment, which
history included the original efforts Of
Sister Sarah, to which present success
existence in fact. of the institution, was
due. He laid before the committee an
abstract giving all the statistical informa-
ton asked by the committee, but at its
request made an oral stateemnt
lie was questioned by Mr.. Northway and
| by Mr.. Mcmillan on the point as TO whether
| the orphanage was a sectarian institution
| Mr. Hackett said from the fact that { was
attached to st. Johns Parish and was
| m der the nominal control of the Episcopal
Church, IL might be said TO be an Episcopal
institution But, as matter of fact, he
said the board of management was com
! posed of laymen.
Senator Mcmillan Members of the Epis-
copal Church?
| Mr. Hackett-Y Yes, sir; but there is no
restriction as 10 the admission or chil-
dren. There is no PROSECUTING, nor do we
entertain any antagonism to any lnstitu-
tion doing similar work.
| Mr.. Hackett said that he thought 1t
proper that inasmuch as there was no
strictly Government Institution to perform
the work done by ST. Johns orphanagc
il was the duty of the Government 10 make
| provision for children who might become Il
public burden or who were actually "A
public burden at the time Of their recep-
tion into the orphanage The orphanage
began its work fifteen years ago, and
with great economy it has now an en-
dowment of $4,000, and in due time 1t
was the hope of the board to make the
institution self-sustaining. The inmates
were partly, he said, those who Were sent
there by the police. No salaries are
paid. Sister Sarah, out OF her own means
and other funds, had provided summer
home in Virginia for the inmates, and In
general the work was done well and with
sincerity.
Sister Sarah explained to the committee
that the greatest care was taken to see
tn IT, that the inmates aided by the Gov
| erntnent were from the District of CO.
mnlda only. She was pressed very close
on this point by Mr. Ptney, whereupon she
told rim of Il case OF a mother who is
/ n,ild Sl,n
is not technically a resident OF the Dis
trct She desires to place the two chill
dren in the orphanage. Sister Sarah asked
Mr. Pitney what he would do in such u
case Mr. Pitney gracefully declined to
say what he would do
Mr.. Pitney also wanted to know, the
value of the articles of clothing and food
donated You know. he said that the
only way the committee can judge whether
an appropriation is needed is by knowing
how much money is received or disbur sed. =
1t was explained to him that the values
| Of all receipts were to be had in the re
ports of the orphanage. Sister Sarah
made q quarterly report To the Superin'
tendent of charities.
Mr Pitney said that the real question
was what such institutions contributed to
|
ought to pay for that work. Mr.. Hacket
said that there could be no doubt that st.
Johns Orphanage did it's share and was
entitled to what it received, the appropria-
lions of 81 500 having been given only
in the past two years. He argued that there
was as m uch equity in the Governmen con-
tributing TO the support of an institution
of this kind as it was for the Government
to maintain prison in New Jersey. Mr..
Pitney said that there was the distinction
in these cases that in the case OF the prison
the Government appropriated a specific
sum for specific number of heneficianes.
"If there is an obligation on the govern
ment to pay $4,000, why not the Whole
sum- asked Mr.. Pitney.
Because we do what we cam was the
reply, land ask the Government to do the
rest''
DR.. GunneI also spoke for st. John 8 and
paid a high tribute to the services and zeal
OF Sister Sarah.
| Sister Mariana was next called for St
Roses Industrial School,, and made ora
statements as to what the committee re-
| uuired Sister Mariana said that the work
| at this school was totally different from
that at any other in the District. They're
ceivc girls from st. Vincents s Orphan A sy
lum at the age of fourteen and keep them
until they are twenty-one, teaching then
housework, sewing in all is branches, and
finally equipping them to earn from 81
to S25 a week There arc at present
| siXty-seven girls in the institution, the
average running up sometimes to ei ghty
Whan they are DISCHARGED after cradlIa