The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1901-01-25
TO SAVE CHILDREN.
One OF The Duties Of the Safe Board Of
Charities.

Dartments connected with the state
board of charities, says the lndianap-
oils Sentinel is that of child saving.
In his forthcoming report Secretary
Butler will devote considerable at
tention to the work. On this sub
ject the report says.
"In the work of child-seving In
diana is very active. There are
now, Oct. 81, 1900, in family
homes, subject TO the visitation OF
the agents of the board of state
charities, 2,3lS children. These
have been placed therein by or
phans' homes associations since
Nav 81, 1895, and the state agents
since April /, 1897. OF these, the
associations placed ,563 and the
state agents 400. The number also
includes 800 placed with relatives or
friends, who are subject to vista
ton.
1.-The board Of state charities be-
lieves that these dependent children
should grow up in family homes
and learn to live life as il is. TIN
orphans home is valuable as a
place in which to prep re children
tor family homts; but IL Is not de
sirable that children should grow up
in such institutions without ade-
quate knowledge of the conditions
under which they are to live when
they start out in life for themselves
ION Oct. 81, 1899, there were
present in the county orphans homes
,6O5 children. During the past
year there were received from all
sources 1874 children, of whom H.
l69 had never been in the orphans
homes previously and 2o5 were re-
admissions. The children dis
charged number 1853, as follows:
Five hundred and nineteen were
placed in family homes by the asso-
citation; 203 by the state agency
3S6 were restored TO parents by the
associations, and seven by the state
agency; So died, and Isl were dis
charged for other causes. This
leaves l ,626 in the homes at the end
of the year, a gain OF II III the mum
Der maintained at public expense in
the orphans homes.
"On Aug. 81, 1896, there were
266 children in county poor asy-
lums. On Oct. 81, 1900, there
were 40. Twenty-four Of these are
under three years of age and there
fore do not come under the pro-
vision of the law regarding the re-
tention Of CHI ldren in such iEstitu-
tions. OF the other twenty-five, l6
are feeble minded and epileptic, 4
are sickly or crippled, and 5 are re-
ported to be able bodied and br ght.
rhirty-four counties are included in
this calculation, and in the remain
ling So counties there were no chill
dren on the date mentioned. One
year ago there were 50 children in
the county poor asylums.
"A computation has been made
to ascertain the average age of the
children present in the children s
homes on Oct. 81 for each of the
past four years. In 1897 it was
8 .042 years, 1898 it was S.135 years,
in 1899 it was 1884 years and in
1900 it was 1881 years. This in
dicates that the older children have
been placed in families or otherwise
disposed Of, and that the children
are of the age most desirable for
successful placement, though not OF
an age most easily placed. Accord
ing to experience, it is much easier
to place a child under five years OF
over ten than between the two ages.
"a computation based upon the
actual length OF residence, by
months, Of each Of the / 500 chill
dren present in orphans homes on
Oct. 81. 1900, reveals the fact tina,
these children resided in the or
phans' homes total OF 80 ,565
months, or an average Of 20 GA
months each, reduction Of 1886
months per child since 1896. This
reduction can be accounted for OILY
on the fact, known to those able to
survey the whole field, that there
has been much greater activity in
placing children in family homes
and an examination Of the records
of each orphans home shows that
the associations making the greatest
efforts TO place children show the
lowest average length Of term in the
|orphans' home, and those making
the least effort to place children
show the longest term Of residence
In some places, however, the length
Of detention is due to the presence
Of non placeable children, who have
simply grown up in the institu.
tons"