Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-10-24
Nurse in Each Precinct.

| the sensibilities of the public with greater
force than any, or, indeed, all of its sister
Institutions.
Nurse in Each Precinct.
| Every police precinct in the District OF
Columbia has a nurse who is prepared to
| take and properly care for a founding
| brought to her by the police at any time of
the day or night. The police Immediately
make a thorough investigation when case
is reported, to find the parents of the In
FAINT if possible, but, as may be supposed
this search Is usually fruitless The board
of children's guardians IS Immediately no.
titled when a founding is to be cared for,
and suitable disposition Is made of the child
by placing 1t with one of the seventy-ffve
boarding homes where prior arrangements
have been made the family being selected
which at the time is best prepared to give
immediate and proper care. The board pre-
scribes strict rules as to food, care and
medical attendance suitable to the condition
and tender age of it's wards.
St. AIMS Infant Asylum, managed by the
Sisters OF st. Vincent de Paul, also cares
for foundlings. Here they are placed IN
charge of nurses outside of the institution,
with frequent visitations by the sisters to
see that proper care is taken of the In
fants.
Those infantHeceived by the WASHINGTON
Hospital for Foundlings are kept In the in
stltution and fed the purest of cows milk,
carefully prepared The board of children 8
guardians in placing infants coming to it's
hands gives preference to outside families
where 1t is possible to find a suitable nurse
Necessary arrangements for medical attend
ance are also made. All of these institu-
lions allow responsible families to select
children for adoption, and the board of
children's guardians binds some out to fos-
ter parents, usually until the age of eigh-
teen. At st. AIMS Infant Asylum any
children that still remain unadopted at the
age of seven years are sent to other insti-
buttons, the girls to st. Vincent's Orphan
Asylum and the boys to st. Joseph's Orphan
asylum, where they receive good educa-
ton and industrial training, the effort to
lind private homes for them being constant
ly kept up.
Adoption of Children.
Frequently a mother who has lost her
own cnlld adopts an infant and the num-
per disposed of by adoption is much greater
than is generally supposed Most of the
outside nurses are colored. and they fire.
quently develop great affection for the chill
dren intrusted to their care, SO much SO
that they give them up with reluctance
when the time comes. Colored foundlings,
Whlcn are much more numerous than are
the white ones, are not usually sent to the
asylum but are placed with boarding fam
lilies of their own race, care being taken to
select respectable families, so situated as to
De able to give proper attention to the in
fants. The two asylums for foundlings
mentioned get from five thousand to six
thousand dollars per year from the govern
ment and this is supplemented by such prt-
vate subscriptions and donations as can be
secured.
Naturally. the mortality among these in
fants, deprived so early in life of their nat
ural guardians and subjected to exposure
is large Notwithstanding the extreme care
that is taken. Out of ninety-five that were
at the Washington Hospital for Foundlings
during the year ending June 30. 1902 thirty
three died, a death rate of nearly 81 per
cent. The large mortality is due to the un-
favorable condition of the infants when re-
ceiVed, they having been subjected to pri-
walton, exposure and neglect to a great ex-
tent. These figures do not relate exclu-
sively to abandoned infants but include
those brought to the institution because of
the inability of the parent or parents, for
various reasons, to take care of them
Police Statistics.
The police statistics for the year named
show twenty-seven abandoned infants
found living and nine dead. Living infants
found and cared for without the intervsn
ton of the police would swell these figures
somewhat. Infants found dead are turned
over to the coroner for investiga ton of the
causes of DEATH The Washington Hospital
for Foundlings sends the children to the
Industrial Home School If they remain un-
adopted until they reach the age of five
years, but 1t is seldom necessary to send
one to that institution. St. AIMS has been
engaged in this work since 1860, and the
Hospital for Foundlings for the past four
teen years, and both give good accounts of
the careers of many of their proteges
While 1t is almost always impossible to
discover the parents of abandoned infants.
the unnaturalness of the act of abandon
ment implies great mental anguish and
suggests that in most instances the infants
are not born in lawful wedlock While the
charity of the humane prevents the Off
spring from suffering, 1t Is the sphere of
others than those who have SO nobIy man
aged these institutions to find the cause and
cure. Their labors are toward the ameIio
ration of the unfortunate children tins
abandoned; the philanthropist in some
other field will find room for work here
The charitable orga MIA tions of the cant
tai have been giving attention to the figures
contained in the last annual reports of these
institutions and the remedies for the evils