The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-12-09
ORPHANS WHO ARE HAPPY
A VISIT TO ST. JOSEPH,S GERMAN
CATHOLIC ORPHAN
ASYLUM
ALL ARE WELL CARED FOR
Living in Spacious, Well Ventilated
Rooms, They Are the Picture
of Health-Music for
Visitors.
Fatherless and motherless, and yet hap

Fatherless and motherless, and yet hap
py and care free as birds. One hundred
and five children, we'll fed, well clothed,
religiousIy taught. The picture was one
that meant much The children were
lined up according to height, and with
faces that showed they did not under
stand the full import of the words, they
sang:
THE night my mother died.
The song was simple. It was rendered
in the simple, healthy, forceful way chill
dren have, and it crept into the hearts Of
all those who heard.
1t was at ST. Joseph's German Catholic
orphan asylum yesterday afternoon, the
new one, at Randolph street and Ham
line avenue. George Gerlach and George
Michel two of the directors OF the inati-
tuition, and a party of newspaper men
were the visitors. The old asylum was
at 1879 West Seventh street, and only re-
Gently was it discarded for the new,
which, undoubtedly is one of the best of
its kind in the state.
Mother Benedicta was host of the guests
from the time they arSyed until their
departure. She is kiTMty, sweet faced
woman and seemed delighted at having
an opportunity to show the children AMI
rooms and dormitories and wards and
every one and everything pertaining to
the institution.
Except at meal time the girls and boys
are kept in different parts of the build
ing, which is immensely large, containing
in all about eighty rooms. The girls we. e
visited first No sooner was the door to
their ward opened when, in a trice, they
lined up according to height, the little
tots in the first row, those taller in The
second, etc. In the back row were two or
three sixteen years of age. Mother Bene-
dicta raised her hands and sounds Of sweet
music echoed through the Railways and
rooms of the first floor of the building
Some of the girls hung their heads.
Others smiled. All, from the smallest to
the biggest, looked happy.
DO you know" said Mother Benedicta,
1.-The children grow to love this place?
None of them ever get homesick. They
were too young when they left home, or,
as often chances, too lily treated. They
grow up here under kindly treatment
and thorough instruction, and, if they
ever do get homesick, it is for the asy-
lum after they leave it. Well, let me
show you around"
AS the visitors departed another song
broke forth. The spirit in which it was
sung and the meaning of the words made
it effective
Goodbye, goodbye; we hope to see
you again some time
The boys were next visited and they,
wv r1SCOAOC Tic NlSlLOIS Cn0 same greet
ings and farewells They did not sing so
well, however, being somewhat self-con-
SciouS.
The asylum is three-story red brick
structure of massive design, and is built
according to the latest methods It cost
approximately $65, 600, and Archbishop
Ireland, as president of the institution,
and the other officers and the directors
are proud Of it. 1t has it's own gas-mak-
anI0
hot water plant, laundry Gas pet incom-
pleted(, and all necessary furnishings.
The large bedrooms are filed with
small and substantial iron beds. The
bath rooms and toilet rooms are deco
rated with beautiful thing. The chapel
and school rooms, the apartments for the
eleven sisters and Father Boniface, the
sewing rooms, the kitchens, The cellars
everything from the parlors in the front
of the building to the hen roost in the
barn, is supplied with what it should be
What becomes of all the children in
institutions like this when they grow
up?" was asked of Mother Benedicta.
20, it often happens that some Of them
stay here uptil they are seventeen or
eighteen years old. The majority are
taken away by private families when
they are young. The older ones gener-
ally secure work but they never forget
their childhood home''
When the bell rang for supper all the
children made a lively scramble for the
tables in the dining room The little tots
sat at a long, small table made es-
pecially for them. The older ones sat at
higher tables. From the youngest to the
Oldest, all ate heartily and, every now
and then, took shy looks at the visitors
The meal over, a march around the Ia
bles was in order. Two girls played on
the organ. They gradually increased the
speed of the piece thus increasing TIE
speed of the march 1t was not long be-
fore all the children were rushing
as fast as they could around the tables
Mother Benedicta and George Gerlach
Joined in the grand finale, and it caused
much merriment to see them run.