Evening star., 1901-05-18
GUARDIANS OF CHILDREN
REPORTS RECEIVED AT MAY MEET
ING OF BOARD.
Operation OF Law Requiring Persons
to Contribute to Maintenance
of Their Children.

At the May meeting Of the board Of chill
dren's guardians. recently held. there were
present Mrs. J. w. Babson. Mr. John r
Cook. Mrs. Lucy s Doolttle. Mr. William
J. Miller and Rev. Louis Stern. together
with President J. B. T. Tupper and Secrc-
tary Il. Pickman Mann. The report " the
executive committee showed that fifteen
children had been committed permanently
and one temporarily and seven had been
taken in charge temporarily by the agents
during the month of April
The father Of one child. a girl. was ar-
dered by the court to contribut. Slo a
month toward maintenance. This is the
first case under the new law i'm which such
payment has been ordered. Hereafter no
parent or guardian 'of sufficient financial
ability is to be allowed To refuse ur neg
lect to provide for any child under the
age Of fourteen years" for which d.. is
responsible. under penalty OF fine. inn
prisonmont in the workhoUse or both.
TwentN-nine children were placed in
charge Of Agent Douglass. as probation
officer. during April. under the new law.
enacted March 3, 1891. most of these h'-
ing placed by him Immediately under super
vision in the homes of parents or r'la-
tiVcs. The law forbids the placing Of any
child under seventeen years of age i'm any
police station. workhnuSe. or jail under ,pu-
VictiOn of petty crime or mISdrm'aunr.
thus protecting him from the corruption
regarded as certain to result from assoc
citation with older criminals in such places.
In lieu of such confinement. Therefore. Is
substituted in most eases a continuous
supervision under authority 10 cuutiuc else
where or return to court for commitm'n mt
II the reform school If the child docs not
refrain from further miSdomoanur.
In Free Homes on Trial.
Three children were placed i'm free homes.
on trial for indeuture; two ON trial for
adj nd SiN ip llrDas ,,F l,qr ~
relatives where home conditions had inn
proved since the children were made wards
of the board. one was released to uo
home and four Were committed to reform
schools. Seventeen were visited in their
free homes. in Maryland and Virginia.
AS the act of March ,. 1891. enlarged very
much the work Of the board. and was not
accompanied by any increase Of appropria-
tions. it was ordered that Scpdrat" ar-
count Of the expenditures under this law
be kept. The policy Of the board being.
where practicable, t. place its wards i'm
homes Of the same religious faith as that
Of the parents of these wards. the co-"p-
Grafton Of Cardinal Gibbons and of kov.
Joseph l. MaEuire. which was offered for
the placing Of Catholic children. was
cepted with thanks.
Monthly Reports.
The monthly report Of the agents showed
cases involving les children considered
during April. and the whole number Of
wards at the close of that month. 7la. #
whom 2+3 Were maintained at public 'N-
pense. in free Institutions. 42u I'm free
homes and - at large. Two hundred and
twenty-five C22gD of the children in free
homes are in the District, SS i'm Virginia. 80
in Maryland and the rest in nin,, ut ates.
Thirty children were under temporary care.
II Of them i'm boarding homes and l6 in in
stitutions. Forty-foUr feebc-mindcd chill
dren were maintained i'm special training
schools.
The physicians report showed III Iro-
fessional visits made to forty children Two
wards died in April.
The administrative expenses Of the hoard
for ten months We're &1l23 ~, and the ,N-
penses for maintenance and care of chill
dren, so, ,tS5S.3o