Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1899-05-08
n. N. FRELING,
EXCELSIOR TRUNK FACTORY.
706 Main and 707 Delaware.
A MEXICAN HOSPICI0.
Mrs. j. w. Wagner Talks Interests
ingly of Model In
atitutiou,

In view of the movement now on foot to
, federatc the charities of the city descrip
ton of the "Hospicio," the one charitable
institution of Guadalaj jara, Mexico. may
be of interest. The walls of the Hospicio
include an orphans home old ladies' rest.
founding asylum, workhouse, rescue home
and reform school. In it is centered all
the charity of the city, although the state.
Jalisco, of which Guadalajara is the capi-
tai, bears some of the expense of keeping
1t up and sends some inmates to 1t. Mrs.
J. W. Wagner, who is interested in the
charitable work of Kansas City, has just
returned from Guadalajara, where she was
taken through the Hospicio.
THE building Mrs. Wagner said, ''is
made not of adobe as most Mexican build
! ings are, but of white stone. 1t covers
| whole square of ground and is built around
| twenty-three 'patios' or courts. Each room
opens into patio, which has to be cross
ed in going from one room to another. A
| certain number of rooms are built around
one patio and the different departments
are kept separate.
I'VE were met at the gate by guide
and taken first to the ward where girls
| from 10 to Is stayed. They were WORKING
with lace and embroidering with silk made
openwork doylies, which tourists bring
| away with them are the work OF these
girls. The boys are kept in another apart
ment. They wear coarse white muslin uni
| forms. Consisting of jacket and trousers
| Then there is the baby room that makes
your heart both ache and rejoice. These IN
mates are the foundlings, some OF them
only few days old. and all OF them un-
conscious OF the troubles of life before
them. Think of twenty tiny babies In one
room, cooling and crying ana % GropplTfs nf the he
| nurses Although they are parentiess or
as good as so, they are well cared for. we
saw nurse take up ,Sy e1yihs i tbs Gaib babys sps
| mother one of our party said But the
| guide said it was only one or the nneo
Across the patio from the baby room the
| toddlers a trifie older than the babes, are
kept, and around other patios are the
| apartments of old men and old women:
There is a school at the Hospicio which
begins with a kindergarten for the little
people. The older boys and girls are
taught industrial work In 11, aaai'ion ,r' 70
sidered of most Importance to them. as
! they go out from the Hospicio to become
fourteen teachers and overseers are en-
ployed The work about the place. or
course, is done by the inmates The boys
take turns in waiting upon their table anu
the girls do the same in their rooms.
THE older people are served IN tnel, ~,
| rooms IL they are unable to come out. All
the food is prepared IN on one big biG kitcnen, &c en-
different rooms. On Sundays there IS
church and Sunday school and in the way
of recreations there is the swimming pool
for the men and boys. 1t may give some
thing of an idea of the numbers of peo-
pie who are inmates of this home 10 know
that in one class there are twenty-eisnt
boys.
'FThe Hospicio is an excellent example
of consolidated charity work. There Is in
the first place only the one building in
stead of one for every phase of benevolent
work as is necessary where such work Is
not combined Then there is the need of only
one corps of engineers and not the least
of the advantages which this form of char
table work has over that less systemized
Is the matter of soliciting funds for its
maintenance. When the citizen gives
something to the Hospicio he has included
all the various charities and will not be
bothered by another set of solicitors for
other institutions"