Los Angeles herald., 1905-12-04


bury, secretary of the state board of
examiners, on institutions for the care
of orphan children, will be found es-
pecially interesting:
NEW YORK, Nov. 26, 1905.-In the
| forty-three orphanages which the state
| of California, in the main, supports
there are, roundly speaking, one thou
| sand children who are both free and
| fit to be placed in homes to be reared
as own children. but in California
| there are no adequate instrumentalities
for home finding for these children.
| There should be.
The Children'S agency in San Fran
cisco has one woman trying to do the
work of three. There are some more
or less responsible home-finding socie-
ties that are doing something in the
way of placing out children, but they
are at least open to the suspicion of
devoting more of their energies to
soliciting money for their own support
than to placing and watching over de-
pendent children. California needs
some authorized instrumentality for
the finding of childless homes for home
less children, and maintaining public
guardianship over them, during their
minority, and that instrumentality
needs SuCn a OepenQdDle support Iueit
those who do the work may not also
have to do the begging to sustain the
work. .....-..
A Successful Bureau
In the eastern states and cities there
are many such organizations, but
among them all nothing has interested
me more than the Catholic Home
bureau of New York city. This bureau
was established seven years ago and
now has about 1900 children in it's care,
and this number is increasing at the
rate of 300 per year in the way of new
children placed out Not only are the
children placed out, but they are watch
fully guarded while out
The Catholic Home bureau is man.
aged by a board of fifteen members,
all but two of whom belong to the
Catholic laity. Many of the directors
are men of large affairs, yet not too
busy to give much time and thought to
the we'll being of the little people who
come into their custody. The bigger
and buster the man the more ready he
seems to be to give his time and his
thought to this form OF charitable work
The method of work Is as follows:
When about to enter a ,ew diocese the
consent of the bishop of the diocese
is first obtained for the enlistment of
the priests in the several parishes in
If required, the bishop of the diocese
exerts his influence with the pastors In
the several parishes TO aid the bureau
all they can. A little pushing is some
times necessary because now and then
priest feels that his hands are as full
of work as they well can be, but gem
orally the cooperation is spontaneous
and efficient.
The pastor announces the probable
visit of an agent of the bureau and
asks his people to think the subjec,
over Then he makes out and has
ready for the agent upon his arrival
list of eligible homes for the possible
placing of children. No child is placed
in a parish without the approval of the
pastor in that parish, but much more Is
required than his approval. That ap-
prova is indispensable but not all suf-
ficient.
Pictures Play a Part
The agent visits the designated
homes in the parish, taking with him
photographs of children that have been
placed to good advantage He shows
these winsome little photographs a
good deal as agents for nurseries are
wont to sell fruit trees to farmers with
the aid Of chromos of the fruit when
1t is ruddy and ripe; but, in the case of
the baby the purpose is not to deceive
but to interest. and there is not in this
world anything more interesting than
prettily dressed, well-scrubbed and
polished child in short clothes.
All this time the agent mas been TAX
ing notes. He has been through the
house from cellar to garret to see II 1t
is clean and wholesome, to see II 1T bear
evidence of good housekeeping, If the
child is likely to be lonesome in the
house. He finds out II the neighbor-
hood is a good one, how far 1T is to
school and If he or she can attend re-
liglous services advantageously. A
girl will not be placed IN a family II
there be a boy there already, and no
girl over 10 will be placed for adoption.
II is generally required that those
taking children shall own their homes.
Anyhow, they must have a permanent
home and be reasonably prosperous.
Children are not placed with old and
feeble persons or persons not likely to
live long enough to bring them up to
maturity.
When all the facts regarding any
tained from priest. agent and neigh
bors and responsible parishioners are
brought together a committee of the
board of directors of the bureau sits
in Judgment on the home or disap-
proves II as seems wise. Fully half of
the applications are disapproved by
this committee, and to these no chill
dren are sent.
Having found home for a child the
next thing is to find child for home.