Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1899-02-18

| serving institution. AS far back as 1892
Mrs. McGregor, Portland lady, and to
whom / wish to pay tribute in this pres
encc for her efforts, conceived of the idea
of establishing "A home for poor. friend
| less boys. her object being the establish
| ment of home where they might be re-
| ccived and cared for temporarily until a
| permanent home could be found for them.
\ She Immediately set about the accom-
plishment of this purpose. and during all
| these years since that time she has de-
voted substantially her entire time to the
| furtherance of this charitable object.
! From 1892, the time she conceived the
idea, until 1885, there was no home at
which these boys could be cared for. She
| received many of them into her own
| home. until ii reached such proportions
| that she could not any longer carry on
the work in this way. While the work
was going on in this manner she found
homes for boys as best she could. Fin
| ally. in 1895. having enlisted other ladies
| with her. more particularly the Little
| Samaritan Aid Society of Portland. they
rented a home, a house in Deering on the
| road leading TO Riverton park. and en-
| tered upon this enterprise. The house
| was opened, think. in December, 1895.
Now / wish to state more specifically
here the objects and the methods which
are employed in this Home. The pur-
poses of the managers of this Home are
the rescuing of poor children, children of
poor parents or drunken parents, the or
phans, children of tender years who have
| been placed in the aims houses and left
| to lead a paupers life-take them from
their surroundings and place them in this
| home, and as soon as it Is practicable,
! to find permanent homes for them. l will
! say here that this Home for Friendless
| Boys is not, in any sense, local institu-
| ton. The gentleman has enlarged upon
| this objection; he has rung the changes
upon it. This home is open to boys from
any part of this State. who come within
| the scope of the work. Locality has MOTH
ing whatever to do with this work, ex-
| cept the fact that it happens to be To-
Gated in Deering. Now any public. State
| institution must be located somewhere.
Do you call this institution across the
river, local institution, an Augusta in
stitution because it happens to be located
| in Augusta? Do We call the Eastern In
sane hospital a Bangor institution be-
|
l say no, and it is unfair to present any
such argument to this House. s..@1 7's,t
| The managers of this home take pains,
! when boys are admitted to the home, il
| they have parents living, to secure writ
| ten consent from them, releasing the care
| and custody of the child to the managers
of the home. Applications are received
| at the home by the managers, not only
| for the admission at the home by the
| boys, but they are constantly receiving
applications from all parts of the State,
particularly from the country towns, for
boys. Before sending boys to any par
| ties who make request for them, the
managers make careful inquiry as to the
| character of the persons desiring boys.
| They make inquiries not only from the
parties themselves but from their neigh
bors, those who are acquainted with
| them, so that they may be sure that
| those boys are placed in homes such rs
| they should have. When a child is first
placed in any home 1t is sent there for
three months upon trial and with the
stipulation that the child shall have good
| and comfortable clothing, shall be sent to
school. to church and to Sunday school,
| and shall be well and carefully treated.
| After a child is sent there the managers
continue to look after that child, they
visit the child and see that 1t Is we'll
treated and that the conditions Of the
contract are kept. II at the end of three
months the home is found not to I've sat.
isfactory. or the people are not satisfied
with the child, it is returned to the Home
and new home must be found for it.
If, on the other hand, the conditions are
satisfactory to both parties. then the
child is delivered over the parties taking
him, to he kept by them until the child
reaches the age of 81 years. In many
eases children are adopted. have here
list of all the boys who have been re-
ceived into this home since its opening.
l have tabulated it as to counties. show |
ing the sources from which the boys
came. This home was opened in Decem- |
Der. 1895. There were two boys received |
into the home in that month, both from !
Pttsfield. Somerset county. In the year |
1896 there were received II from Cumber-
land county, from York 2. from Hancock |
l. from Androscoggin .. from Washington
2. from Kennebec 2. In 1897, from York,
q from Cumberland ., from Somerset J,
from Washington I, from Androscoggin
2 from Aroostook 2. from Oxford 2 In
1898. from Oxford ,, from Cumberland Is,
from Androscoggin s. from York ]. from
Kennebec 2, from Washington l, from
Lincoln /. T.
1t seems to me that this must show
conclusively that this is in no sense a u