The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1907-12-20
THE ORPHANS HOME SOCIETY

Last Sundays Louisville Herald
contained an account purported to be
given by an officer of the Orphans
Home Society of Kentucky, which
ought to bring the blush of shame to
the face of every true Kentuckian.
He told how he had robbed a poor
woman of her three children in some
mountain county. There were two
little boys and a girl. The mother
was found cutting fire wood, the lit
tie boys playing about her, while the
girl, ten years old, was hunting chest
nuts. When the mother found that
the officers were going to take her
children away, true to her motherly
interests, she showed fight, a thing
which the cowardly officer did not
want. He then resorted to strategy.
Leaving the mother and boys, he went
in search of the little girl. Finding
her, he took her TO the carriage on
a hill in sight of the mother, and
placed her in charge of an attend
ant When the mother saw the daugh
ter in captivity, she ran TO rescue her,
and then her boys were captured by
two stalwart men. The faithful moth
err ran after her children for three
miles, until completely exhausted, she
fell by the roadside.
This institution is given $4,000
year from the State Treasury. 1t is
supported by youMr. Tax payer, and
yet each county is asked to contribute
10 it's support. Every Sunday school
in the State is drummed annually for
its use. An individual canvass is also
made to help what they term charita-
BILE cause. IL is not an orphans home.
The children are merely detained at
Louisville until a home can be secur-
ed for them. 1t furnishes a job for
a number of gentlemen 60 who ought
10 be at work cutting fire wood, as
the poor woman was doing when rob-
bed Of her offspring, as recorded in
the article mentioned.
When these children are separated
from their parents, they are never
again permitted TO know or hear Of
them. This is worse than the prac-
tees of slavery. Besides. who knows
but that the jump from a home OF
poverty 10 the home of some rich
person. may not mean a home of vice,
and conditions far worse for the child
than those from which the, so-called
rescue was made. These people get
no more of our money with which
to separate mother and babe. II is a
crime for which the great State OF
Kentucky should be thoroughly asham
ed. Let these children, who have no
parents, or whose parents are una
BILE TO give the support, be sent 10
some one OF the many orphans homes
in Kentucky and then,if the parents
should be able later TO secure them,
they may do so. This, so-called chill
dren's home society, which is begging
thousands of dollars from our citi-
zens annually, is a disgrace TO heath
enism. These people have no home
for children. 1t is merely place
OF detention in Louisville. where the
children are kept until they can ne
gotiate a home for them, and they
are TO be the sole judges of its NOR
al atmosphere and sensibility to the
child. There may. be few cases
/ in which they can render some SER
vice to humanity, as when both par
ents are dead. and no near relatives
are left, for this the $4,000 furnish
ed by the State is ample. but we are
now informed hat this winter they
will ask for $4,000.
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