The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1901-09-29

strangely Dssapprs,c u the Practice.
II you want TO 80 an EAs, Side policeman
angry. observe him when some one comes
up and tells him hat there u q lost child
somewhere on his post. Nothing will pro-
woke the man in uniform more han this on
the East Side.
Anywhere else In town, q lost child h
taken a. q matter OF course and a police
man would a. soon he engaged In looking
for It's people. or taking II TO Police Head
quarters. As In patrolline his post or doing
any other routine duty. But over on the
East Side II IL different. n ever policemen
have been made the dupss Of designing
mothers, II " the patient fellows whose
posts arr In the congestcd quarters OF the
lower East Side Of this city IL may he hard
TO make mothers In other parts Of the town
believe that the mothers on the lower East
Side deliberately Turn their children loose.
with the idea Of having them picked up by
policemen and taken 20 the comfortable
quarters provided for stray youngsters
until they are claimed. but such II h case.
and there isn't a poli,enan who has evsr
done duty IN the district mentioned h
doesn't know Il.
Everything considered Il u not 20 I'M
natural q thing for them To do, for they know
that the little ones will be cared for as well
az they would be- at home. and that they
are absolutely safe from all harm and will he
until they are restored 10 their homes
They know that the children will he well
fed. well cleaned up and forced To take q
nap and hat thcy will have abundant
playthings with which to amuse themselves
during their temporary stay In the police
nursery. and II gives the mother a brief
respite from her Responsibilities and a
chance to 60 out and do her shopping or
pay her social obligations for they are as
particular about this kind Of him on the
East Side as they are uptown without
having To carry n screaming child around
with her
She can't do these things and lea v ths
child a, home. for there u no one Ia take
care Of the little one SO she just works
one ~ n Dozen FUSES To get II into the hands
Of a policeman. and once satisfied that her
child has become n municipal charge, she
goes on her way. fretd IRON all care for the
time being When she decides TO take
the child back again she goes around 20
Police Headquarters, eye red with tear
and IN a voice choked with emotion IN
quiree for her lost baby She makes a
great scene when the little one " put into
her arme again, and gos~ away with the child
closely pressed Ia her breast. Out Of sight
OF Police Headquarters she Ia a very matter
of-fart mother once more The tear-
dry up. the clasp In which the baby In held
loo-eus a little. and the sohs csase
II isn't the American mothers who do
this thing, and II Isn't the IRISH Most 81
the lost children who are Loot In the way
d'-cribed are Hebrews, a great many are
Italians. and some are Germans A SUN
reporter obtained some Information on the
subject from a policeman. 10 whom he ~aa
talking on n =, tree, lust east Of the bowery.
The conversation was interrupted by the
approach Of a boy about 10 years old leading
a little girl, not over 8. 10y the hand
This kld's lost, said the boy
The policeman looked borst. Then he
grabbed the boy by the arm and demanded
How much lid you get tn bring this child
To me With this tale?.
All. nuthin'. replied the boy She's
lost Just found her a-crvtn' up the street,
and she didn't know when. she wanted TO
70. So ! -ays to me~.lf. she. lost ANA
brought hHr along
The little g1rl was a sin gulsrly contentHd-
young person for a host child She
didn't look a. though tears had damTencd
her ewes for some time The policeman
%groaned. then grabbing the small hoy
again. priei open his left hand and there
to view In the dirty palm two
copper cents
Nv N'Nl w ~ w NNiA sffik eAHA w HNNs
81 the lost child
I'm bet. : said the policeman 10 the re-
porter, that the mother IL piping me IN
nearby They never 60 away
until they're SURE the kid Is In the hands
the police. After that they don't think
any more about the matter
Now the boy that brought this child
to me got two cents for his work and
HE u" This IL no gns~-, it's a fact. II
has happened too many times before, for
there 10 h. any doubt, Of the matter. II
doesn't take the-c psople over here long
To- get on To a good thins You 49, several
children play On the streets within
blocks Of WHORE am standing every
.av. They live In the~" t.nements and
their homes are very miserable ones. Tho
people are all poor They cannot afford
tn hi ~ any one 10 look out for t.,cir children
IL they want 20 20 anywhere. We have
had drova- 81 lost children every month
In the summer, Tor YEAR. and
~ course there L. provision mad" for them
nj Police Headquarters Their" they have
nice h,tl. t-sis. hundreds Of plaything-.
the best - attention. good food and a bath.
a matter " fact they arc a hundred
better on in the city nursery than
they are AT home.
Wei IL hasn't taken these people long
10 get on To this. No sir. they have seen
experience how lost babies are treated
by the police and they have mad up their
minds that u IL a good thing They used
Ia holler murder when they lost their kids
and the station house used 10 ccho with
heir wailings. but all the crying they
DO nov l. faxed and In for enect, because
they know W. are on Ia them
IN toll YOU what they do. Two or
three afternoons a week one Of these
will want Ia e. out without the kid.
VIZ it's %shopping and maybe It's a call.
any way, -he don't want the kid along.
II isn't be-sause she dom love II Lands
-ake, no. She loves II all right, but
rs n relief To get rid Of IL for an
Now they know tina the polio- will
narr for the kids. 80 they just arrange Ia
them lost. They're not lost when
hey coine To Tia. my. M. None Of the-s
mothers takes her Jrep~rs on of her kid
lntil she sres u In our hAnds. When that
Kid came up to me with this girl. that
was piping mo "a from somewhere
nearby. But how can you get onto them
N this crowdl Sometimes they ave the
cry 50 that We will take them. |
II the children are not susceptible 90 this
Of training or ans too young 10 learn
~ act a part. why they take them out SOM.
and wl"n the chik - booking tho
,thrr wav. they skip into a doorway
-Th. child lo-r- them, but they don't
.o-n IN" child The child SCREAMS. and
lnlsss n policeman comes along and picks
I up " some one on the street takes An
interest IN II and turns tho baby over to a
pplic-man. why the mother reveals hsrrrlf
lni later adopts sons other rus The
pspuular way L. Ia got one Of th,-.e l