The Waxahachie daily light. [volume] (Waxahachie, Tex.) 1894-current, 1904-04-28
|. 0. or. ORPHANS HOME
IanOCence Visits This hsaaifiCeai laSii-
iHiiOa at COrSiCana.

Odd Fellows of Texas laid the cor
ner stone for the building erected at
Corsicana for their widows and or
phans home, and eighty-five years
ago on the 10Th of April this grand
order was founded. Ii has been the
custom of the members of this order
in Texas to once each year on this
date make pilgrimage to the home
to visit their wards, and Tuesday
ten carloads of Odd Fellows and
their friends, residing along both
branches of the Central, went down
to Corsieana. Uncle Charlie Glib
son, editor OF the Texas Odd Fellow,
arranged the excursion and did it
badge on me. Said / was too much
in the habit of publishing everything
1 knew, and more too, and should
he pin badge on me some fellow
| might nudge me during the day and
give me secret and II be did /
would be sure TO print Il.
1t was "a Jolly throng that sped
down the Central arriving at Corsi-
cana at II O'Clock. Our ten cars
were quickly switched onto the Cot
ton Belt and out three miles west we
| unloaded right at the home The
crowd was drawn up in front of the
main building aud ninety-two little
orphans / eatly clad appeared on the
| balcony and greeted us with "A song
/ Of welcome after which one OF the
| orphan boys delivered "A welcome
address aud did it In quite a credita
| bic manner. Uncle Charlie Gibson
and Mr.. ] w. Burgess, manager of
the Home, then welcomed the guests
and bade them inspect every nook
aud corner Of all the buildings and
/ barns on the place. There are two
large brick buildings, one three
stories high and a school building
| besides The farm consists Of 2b7
acres most all of which is in culti-
walton and is worked by the boys
with the exception OF one man who
!
| TO instruct and assist them.
| Every room and every corner of
| each building ia kept as neat as IA
pin. The little children look bright
and cheerful. Four Odd Fellows
widows and ninety-two children Of
deceased odd Fellows are taken
care of here, educated and trained,
| better possibly than many millions
OF children who have parents. Many
OF the young people here have gone
forth from the institution, made the
money aud refunded To the institu-
tion what they had cost it.
Between one and two O'Clock an
other special train of ten cars load
ed down with Odd Fellows from the
Midland road as far north as Paris,
arrived, and after the little orphans
had welcomed them as they did us
dinner was spread on tables pre-
pared on the grounds from baskets
brought from the homes of the Wis
ting Odd Fellows. 1t was late
hour and two thousand people went
at that dinner with ravenous ap-
petites and there was abundance for
all.
Just across the road from the Odd
Fellows home is the State Orpha ans
Home owned by the great state of
Texas in which are now kept 335 or
lphans. The farm contains 3l8 acres
with 100 acres more rented. Here
they have broom factory, black
smith and shoe shops and many
other trades which the boys here
are schooled in. j, J. Swami, of
Falls county, is the superintendent
and Hon. Jink Evans, of Corsicana,
has immediate charge of the boys
in teaching them useful trades.
Several large brick buildings well
furnished and kept, are full of
orphans from every section of the
state and they are all being trained
into good, useful citizens of the
state. The cost of maintenance is
said to be little above 500 per
capita per year.
The good that will come of the
magnificent work being done here by
the Odd Fellows and the state only
the great Judgment day can reveal.
This was one of the pleasantest
days ever spent. To witness these
clean, bright, happy children in
their present happy state and to
think of their deplorable condition
without this aid so generously rem
dered by this noble order and the
state gives one better opinion of
mankind. The Good Master looks
approvingly on this work for is it
not written 'that inasmueh as We
have done it unto one of the least of
these my brethren, ye have done il
unto me9"
In these two homes here, aide by
4