The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-05-04
THE WORK OF CHILD REsCUING.


A person connected with a local organi-
zation for placing orphan and dependent
children in homes states that the number
of good homes constantly offered for such
children exceeds the ability of the society
to fill them. In other words, the demand
Is greater than the supply. This speaks
well for the philanthropic spirit of those
who are able to make such offers, and it
may argue the development of other social
conditions. 1t certainly shows a growing
appreciation of the need of such charity
on account of the increasing number of
children who ought to be rescued from
bad environments, and it shows that the
machinery for carrying on such work has
become an established part of our social
system. Can 1t be possible that it also
shows an increasing number of childless
families? There are other indications that
this condition is steadily growing, and the
increasing demand for children to adopt or
bring up may possibly afford cumulative
evidence Of the fact.
The whole system Of child rescue which
now forms so important a feature Of prac-
tical charity is Of comparatively recent
growth. AT the beginning Of the nineteenth
century not a single State in the Union
had any other means of providing for des-
titute children except by supporting them
in almshouses, along with adult paupers.
or by binding them out as apprentices. The
idea Of rescuing children from bad environ
ments had not yet been preached. The only
plan of child saving was that embodied in
religious creeds that related only to the
next world. Orphan, destitute and de-
pendent children had a hard time of 1t In
this world. and there was little chance Of
any being rescued from bad environments.
The first step towards reform was made
in some Of the larger cities by separating
pauper children from adult paupers, though
little or no attempt was made to mitigate
the bad influences and results Of public in
| stitutional life. 1t took a long time for the
country to get beyond the almshouse stage
of treatment, and the earliest orphan asy-
lums were not much of an Improvement on
the almshouse system. Now there are
several hundred Institutions for children
State. municipal. UNCONVENTIONAL or private
all working on parallel lines with a COM
mon purpose and most beneficent results.
Different public systems prevail in differ
emit States. Ohio, Indiana and Connecticut
have the county children's home system.
Ten States nave the State school and plac-
ing-out system, while others support pau
per children in private institutions or have
'boarding-out" laws. Many Of the States
have State orphan asylums and State
boards Of children's guardians or boards of
state charities and state placing-out agen-
cies In connection with such boards. In
diana stands in the front rank of States in
respect Of legislation and organizations.
both public and private. for the rescue OF
children from bad environments and from
institutional life and for placing them In
homes. The Indiana law limiting the time
which any child between the age OF three
and seventeen years may be retained in a
poorhouss is an excellent one. as is also
the machinery for the placing-out OF chill
dren from the various county homes. Per-
manent institutional life is only a little
better than vagrancy. and no effort should
be spared to remove children as quickly as
possible from public Institutions and place
them In private homes. This remark ap-
plies to reform schools and houses OF
refuge. as well as to orphans homes. There
are in the United States more than seventy
reform schools. houses OF refuge or indus.
trial schools for boys or girls. all Of which
are contributing In their way to the rescue