Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-05-28

city funds. and public and private phiian-
thropy seem to be inextricably interviewer
in all of hundred different schemes Tor
preserving the chfldren's health during the
broiling dog days.
Floating Hospital.
One Of the best of these charities In New
York, which might profitably be initiated
in the other coast cities, is st. Johns Guild.
It maintains steamships. which are fitted
up as babies floating hospitals. Every day
thousands of mothers with their babies and
sick children. are taken out to sea for sew
eral hours in the fresh salt air. There are
doctors and nurses on board, and the best
medical care Is given to the babies, besides
milk and food. Those who are too sick to
be materially benefited by the brief sea
trip are sent to seaside hospitals.
There never was a time In the history or
the world when city did so much for It's
children as the typical great American city
is doing today. 1t comes in contact with
the child in every phase of his life and does
good to him in thousand ways. whether
he be rich or poor. All the departments OF
the municipal governments are more or less
concerned over his welfare. Schools. parks,
Fairgrounds, geological gardens. sea trlps'
health inspection. hospitals. asylums. con-
valescent homes. country farms, baths.
bands in the parks. trained nurses Tor the
tenements-these are only a rev OF the
things maintained for the chiids Denent'
sentative estimate OF the total amount
spent upon them annually by the largest
American cities.
Crusade Against Institutionalism.
It Is sometimes charged that the city
is doing altogether too much for the kid
that, in fact 1t is becoming his father and
mother and Aunt Jane. at the expense OF
sometimes breaking down parental author
ity and family life. But everywhere there
is growing reluctance on the part OF
the. city and the state to assume the par
ents responsibility by boarding out chill
dren In orphan asylums, reformatories, In
dustrial schools and protectortes.
Within the last few years the evils wnicn
almost inevitably attend the herding or
children in large institutions have Deen
widely recognized Zen years ago every,
body cried out for immense asylums and
Industrial Scholastic larger the better;
nowadays the policy of most OF the cities
Is never to send the child to such place
IL 1t can be avoided, however well managed
ganization societies and the Protestant,
Catholic and Hebrew charitable socletles
join together in committees with the puphc
authorities to investigate all applications 70
send a child to an institution, and the chiio
Is not sent unless 1t appears that he Wouio
sustain very serious harm by staying at
home.
charity organization official, that a child
seldom comes to any real good even In
the best-managed institution. II ne turns
out we'll from the institutional point OF
view. he is namby-pamby; If he turns OUT
badly, he is incredibly depraved. for he
has had many teachers In vice. We De-
lieve in keeping the child at home, II pos
sible even If we have to pay more TO sup
port him there than h would cost In an m
stitution Foundlings. abandoned children,
and other motherless babies VINO nave pc
come city charges are usually boarded out
nowadays in suburban families or on
country farms, unless permanent homes oy
adoption can be secured for them Tley
are seldom sent to orphan asylums, II any
thing else can be done.
Would Shift the Burden.
.sThe trouble we are faced with in cities
with a large immigrant population. Ike
New York and Chicago. Is the keen desire
of parents to have their children sent
away to institutions which they have heard
well spoken Of The Italian immigrants are
especially eager to shift the burden OF
looking after their children On to the state.
1.-THE Italian mother usually mas no loea
of how to manage her children: indeed, she
herself is a child at heart, and often a
child In years, too. She plays with her
youngsters, quarrels with them, and loves
them, just as another child wouio- men
s'te finds that they become unruly In the
free strenuous life of an American SUM,
she thinks that the best thing she can DO
for them is to send them to a Catholic pro-
tectory, although, as a matter of fact, they
only need little training.
This tendency of the Italians and IN a
lesser degree of the Jewish immigrants TO
throw off the burden of responsibility TOT
their children is being fought steadiiy py
the city authorities in alliance with the re-
ligious and philanthropic societies.
The ..children's courts established IN
Denver. Chicago, Philadelphia, New YORK
and other cities pursue this policy OF keep
ing institutionalism down to the minimum;
As rule, the judges do not commt cnliu
10 a reformatory unless he has appeared
before them several times and not even
then if there is any hope of his being re-
formed in his own home under the super
vision of the probation off1cers OF the coui''
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