Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-02-19
CHILDREN OF THE POOR
Transplanting Them to Better Homes in the
West.
A Philant hrOpic Work That Has Been
Attended With the Very Best
of Results.
From the Madison wis., State Journal.

From the Madison twis) State Journal
1t may not be known that the shipping Of
the children of the poor of New York to
the homes of the west is an industry OF
forty-flve years standing; and conduct
ed by Charles Loring Brace of the Chill
drens Aid Society, one of the noblest phil
arthropies of modern times. His work, by
mans of lodging houses for homeless chill
dren, with shipment to prairie homes
(never to cities) exterminated the "Topsy"
child in New York-by which was meant
the waif with no place to sleep-and per-
ceptibly checked and finally decreased jul
veniie crime. In the thirtynine years in
which Brace was the moving spirit of the
aid society. it placed S4.31s poor city chill
dren i'll safe country homes" Children
are sttll coming west-sometimes by the
trainload. Farmers drive twenty and even
thirty miles; all the mothers in town go to
the town hall, or wherever the exhibit
may be- to seq and inspect the little travel
ers. But they are placed in homes only
after wise precautions to secure their well
fare Local committees are formed in tn,
villages and towns on which leading men
and women serve. They receive the chill
dren; they consider the applications; they
are responsible for the happiness and prog
ress of the little ones. Finally agents from
the New York institutions visit the homes
to see that ell is we'll. 1t is stated by ex-
perts that from Is to 30 per cent of appli-
cations for children are not worthy of con-
sideration. The applicants want, not q
child to love and bring up but a drudge or
perhaps something worse. The Brace an
swer to this sort of thing is Not your
need but thu Child's need"
The success Of child-SaVing on this order
has been wonderful. 1t has shattered old
notions of the part heredity plays in desti-
Wy. I'VE can think wrote Mr.. Brace be-
fore his death. ''of little Five Points thieves
who are now ministers of the gospel or hon.
est farmers: warrants and street children
who are men in professional life, and wo-
men who, as teachers or wives Of good
citizens. are everywhere respected: the
children Of outcaStS or unfortunates whose
new environment and who are Industrious
and decent members of society,"" Governor
burke OF North Dakota Is one of them, dis
patched forty years ago 10 an Indiana farm
home. 1t is seriously stated that 30 per
cent of these children sent west make good
citizens. Those who disappoint are the old
er one-the secret is to get slum children in
TO good homes at an early age. The average
is nine years; and IA per cent are under
five; and A per cent from five to ten years.
The boys and girls who haunt the slums
Until they are twelve fifteen years Old
are the ones who prove troublesome in the
new envii onment. Child-savinS of this scien-
tine, kindly order is markedly different from
the Milwaukee occurrence. We have no
sympathy with the notion that because the
state has its own dependent children, there
lore homeless ones from without should be
barred. There are 1000 fircsides In Wis
consin and there is room for all the mother
less boys and girls that are likely to come
within our borders. The adoption of chill
dren is like measles-it spreads. The more
children people adopt. the more they will
adopt and II they are properly brought up
they Will prove blessing. Nor is there
reasonable objection against an invasion OF
Ignorance in baby garments! The only in
sistence should be that they are not
dumped. but are placed wisely in homes
and watched with loving and intelligent in
terest by those who are the means of send
ing them