The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-12-10
ORPHANS HOME BOARD
Directors of the Institution Had
a Busy Meeting.
ANNUAL REPORT is MADE
The Economy to the State and the Va
rious Counties-The Superintend-
emit Recommends Needed
Legislation.

Special Correspondence of the Standard.
Twin Bridges, Dec. 4.--Saturday the
| orphans home board of directors held
the last meeting for the fiscal year
ending Nov. 80, 1899. The session was
a busy one, lasting until midnight.
Superintendent Wiley Mountjoy sub
mitted the sixth annual report, which
is replete with information regarding
the states charges. Heretofore the an
nual report has been printed in pam
| phlet form and distributed throughout
| the state, but the board concluded to
omit the printing this year and pub
Hsh two reports in one next fall. The
report is to the board of trustees of the
state orphans home and says:
Gentlemen--That you may be more
| tuIly advised of the work and condi-
| tons of the institution, for which you
| are in large measure responsible,
submit my annual report, covering the
| 1lscal year Nov. 30, 1899, the third Of
my own administration and the sixth
| since the establishment of the institu-
| ton.
It is perhaps natural for US to think
| that the work in which we are engaged
| is the most important This may some
| times lead us to magnify our own and
| beiittle another's work; but laying
aside whatever personal interest and
| pride I may have in the matter, l
think / may truthfully say that Mon
| tana has no greater, at least no nobler
work than to give home nurture and
culture to her destitute and dependent
children. Its responsibilities are ire
mendous, many Of its elements indeter-
inmate and its results, therefore, meal
| culable, but far reaching.
This or similar institutions, it seems
| To a
junct, or, to use popular current
| term, Expansion" of our public school
system. 1t is supposed that every boy
and girl of school age in Montana shall
have the benefits of a common school.
| If l mistake not the law makes it thu
| duty of the trustees to see that every
child attends school. In every county
will be found homeless and destitute
| children After "disinterested benevo-
lence" has done all that it can or will,
| there will be some for whom the cOun-
| ties must provide.
Its Economy.
1t is easy to see that even our most
populous counties cannot afford to
| build equip and maintain an institu-
| ton for the proper care OF its depend
ent children. 1t can be done better and
| cheaper by all the counties working to-
| gether through the machinery of the
state. Whatever may be said about
| the heavy burden of the state in estab-
/ fishing and maintaining so many insti-
! buttons, with its compare lively limited
| population, does not apply to this in
T stituton. because the children had to
| be provided for and it's establishment
| was wise economy and helped to re-
| lieve the burden. 1t is economy not
only in the sense of saving monN to
| the people, but it saves the children
and starts them on the way to
worthy, useful citizenship. An econ
|
but saving is no more commendable
| than a profiigacy that wastes regard
| less of all results. 1t would be a wisa
! thing if Montana would appropriate
enough at once to fully equip this m
| stitution with buildings and other "a
cilities for the accommodation of 200
children. The buildings could then be
made substantial, adapted to each 9TH
er and their respective purposes. When
we must build as we can and by piece
to meet temporary needs, there is CT
| necessity lack of adjustment and
adaptation.
Its Purposes.
Whether those who have been direct
ly responsible for its management have
clearly apprehended and wisely carried
out its purposes are questions about
which there may be differences of opin-
ion. | find from many letters that |
have received there are misconceptions
as to the real character and purposes of
the home Some of these arise from
the name itself. 1t is popularity known
as the orphans home From this
many have gotten the idea that none
but orphans are admitted, meaning
those whose parents are both dead. AS
a matter of fact full orphans comprise
a very small per cent. of the children
only about per cent. of the whole,
Sc per cent. are half orphans, and about
per cent. have both parents living.
Io ct st,ah 1ishi pc institution
says it is to provide a home for the
care of orphans, foundlings and des-
| titute children" Even this does 1ot
fully cover the purpose as defined In
the further provisions of the bill. 1t
is no less a school than home. The
manifest purpose was to establish
home and school for the destitute and
dependent children of Montana who
were not otherwise provided for. 1t
was not intended to admit orphans,
unless there were reasons other than
orphanage, nor to exclude other
worthy, destitute and dependent chill
dren simply because they were unfor
tunate enough to have parents living.
The trustees have so construed the law
and have made restitution and depend
ence the sole price of admission. state
home and school for dependent chill
dren' would be a more correct and
more descriptive title.
We do not affirm that no mistakes
have been made. Probably some have
been received whose relatives could
have and ought to have provided for
them, Possibly some entitled to admis-
sion were allowed to remain after
those who ought to be responsible for
theirs care had become able to provide
for them. 1t may be that errors have
been made in placing children in homes
or returning them to relatives and
friends.
Supervision.
I have before called the attention of
the board to the fact that the time will
come when it will be necessary to make
some arrangement for the supervision
of those placed in homes. In all indent-
ures the board reserves the right to
have the child returned to the institu-
ton, if it is deemed best. In most cases
we have no means of knowing the sur
roundings and treatment of children,
except from report and correspondence,