The Portland daily press., 1899-03-21
orally given to 1t and she court stands BY
it in oil that follows.

thot toftfNss
80 valuable has proved ths work of
the board that the county commissioners
have erectsd In the suburbs OF the CITY n
spacious building provided with evsry
comfort and convenience for restoring the
poor little outcasts that come there to n
fit condition for entrance into well or.
dered home. There is school supported
by the Indianapolis school board, az a
kindergarten. n hospital department with
trained nurses. All this simply as a way
station the beard never considering its
work accomplished I'M I'll the child is in a
good home, one of the home circle Thirty
cents day Is paid by the county for each
child Will, In the home. Whether this Is
continued after IL is placed In a private
home do not know, but probably 1t Is
In many cases, at least until adoption is
agreed upon, or at least until the child is
old enough for its own services to be of
value.
For reports let me quote from the last
report OF the board, 'Every year justifles
the wisdom of the Legislative act which
created this board with power to remcve
abused children from their wretched sur
ronndinps. Our work constantly dem on
strates that the bad habits of early child
hood formed from evil example and asso.
citation may be overcome by the powerful
influences of kind treatment and favor.
able surroundings. Also that bad heredity
tendencies can be counteracted by the ex-
ample, the discipline and healthful life
of a genuine home. The change wrought
in the children IL sometimes almost mar
vellous. The evidences Of the value OF
the work increases each yea- In the num-
Der OF children rescued from such con-
ditions as would be practically sure to
make them recruits to the vicious and
criminal classes.
1.-The examples given of their work are
extremely intel esting but must not take
the timo to give them hero
Washington, ID. c., has similar
board supported by Congress. Louis
Vile, KY, has one. New Jersey has just
awakened to the fact that she has 450
children in her almshouses and bill Is
before her legislature asking for state
out other suitable protection are ipso
fncto wards of this Loard and will be
placed by 1t under the cRre OF county
boards. No children over one year of age
to be kept in almshouses any more. Some
states have laws that no child between
two and IL years shall be placed in an
aims house.
These boards have legal basis which
of course gives them strength. But other
cities, think q large majority, work well
through their preventive societies, hui
name societies, protective boards, chill
dren aids. etc., having law back of
them to sustain their action. The New
York Prevention society. "a years old. is
doing wonderful work. SO successful is
it that it's president, Elbridge 4. Gerry,
says in his recent report that it seems as
if a special blessing attended this child
saving work.
"The thought may come to you that
while large cities may require this work
1t is not needful in Portland. The in
stan les are. of course, comparatively few.
l am glad to believe that the ratio may
even be small in proportion to the popu-
lation as compared with sons localities.
But cases of cruel using and suffering
are not infrequent. will not wound you
with narrowing details. Ask our police
matron or any other of our active workers
and when you have listened to their ex-
periences you will be ready to help us
with hand and heart
Again, no one need have any anxiety
about broken homes parental rights,
etc, etc. The pames we p resent you
on this board stand for moderate on, for
careful action, for reverence for all sacred
things counting among these the home
and the diyinely planted parental love.
But l trust they stand also for prompt
and vigorous action where mothers
have forfeited their rights to the
name, fathers have become beast
and children are living, not in homes.
but in dens where vice intensified
by drunkenness is crushing ont of them
every possibility Of ever attaining a
decent, wholesome man or womanhood.