The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-09-22


 people who want children, such as na be developed into men and women f sound minds and bodies, capable of being moulded into the highest type of citizenship.
 The societies do not place the children to become domestics or family servants. I The foster parents obligate themselves to love, nourish, feed, clothe and edu- cate them and to bring them up in moral and Christian courses, as if they were their own natural children. But they are not required to make them interiors of their property. It is also the purpose to have the children taught to work and trained in all the arts that lead to use full lives in the same way that prudent families rear their own natural children. This movement has long since passed the experimental stage and has damon strated it's great value to the state and church, by saving multitudes of the most innocent and helpless of the race from Restitution; and many from vicious environments that lead only to the bad The experiences of twenty years past in so many parts of the country have prov en the extraordinary merits of the work and clearly justifes it's continued opera tions and it's claims for popular support.
 Room for the Work.
 Unless Alabama is exempt from condi- tions 30 prevalent in all the other states of the Union, there is both room and demand for the work. There are not as many church and fraternal homes in Ala bama as in some of the states where these societies flourish and are held in high favor by all the people. Lexington, Kentucky, contains the States Odd Eel lows Home, with a large number of children in it. It also has two or three 4I.1 city. In Louisville is located the Ma sonic home that shelters about 270 chill dren. There are also probably more church homes there than any city in the south.
 The Presbyterians have two, the Bap- lists, Methodists, Christians, Episcopal ians, Lutherans and German Protestants one each. There is, also, the home of the Friendess. the Home of the Inno- cents. the Boys School of Reform and some rescue missions, all splenddly kept up by the generosity of the good people of Louisville and the state of Kentucky. In the midst of all this noble list of charitable homes, the Kentucky Chil- drens Home Society has been planted, and is dispensing it's blessings to hun dreds that have not been reached by any of the other homes or societies named.
 Catholic Institutions.
 There are, also, numerous Catholic in- stitutions that take care of their own people and as many others as pass their way, for they turn none away.
 There are many public spirited men in Birmingham, and in various parts of Ala bama who, upon proper investigation and thought will gladly organize themselves into state board and name an execu- tive committee to start the work which will thereafter be under their exclusive control. Many people will work for ana contribute to the support of this move- ment that will not help in others
 We think 1t wise to give them chance But unless the good people here give it theIr endorsement, the way will be block ed and in the years to come hundreds that would be saved will be lost to the best element in human life and many oi l them will become criminals.
 l l am fully aware of the good institu- tions and the liberal support given chil- | dren in Birmingham and throughout the state by the good people of the various sections but my plea is that there is 1 also room for the work oe this move ment and, therefore, it should be under | taken