Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-12-03


ices will result and necessarily great oss
of emciency and-economy In administra-
ton.
The Washington Asylum.
Much attention has been given to the
subject Of nursing. and an additional APP
preparation is urged to provide an add
fionai nursing force at the Washington
Asylum. For several years It has been
becoming increasingly difficult to secure
competent pupil nurses. and the classes of
patients received at the Washington -Asy-
lum are such as to render the work OF
nursing in this institution much less at
tractfve than in other hospitals.
The board calls attention to the d.
verslty of control in pub ic child-caring
work. and urges the Importance Of uni
fication of this service. The nav Indus
trial Home School for Colored Children at
Blue Plains has been organized and is
now In operation. 1t is believed that this
school will provide a good training place
for large class of children In the Dis
trtct for whose industrial training no
adequate facilities have heretofore been
available. The board recommends that
an Institution for the care OF feeb e-mind
ed children be established. These chill
BY contract in institutions outside the
District OF Columbia. For several years
1t. has been found imposs BILE to secure
the admission of colored children to any
OF these Institutions. and within the last
year some of the institutions have re-
fused t0-rece.ve-- white children because
of the demand upon their facilities on ac
count of children In the states In which
they are located. The board urges the
importance OF settling at an ear y date
the question of the requirement by tine
Navy Department OF the land and build
ings of the present Industrial Home
School for White Children that lie with
in the Naval Observatory circe. THIS
-. 1l-l~~ 1p~r nd
needed improvements at the school have
not been made because the school must
the present site In
the near future. ;, 1t Is important that
the question shesrld be set ed promptly,
In order that the school may be estab-
hshed on a better basis on a new site
more remote from the city. consider
able tract Of land for this school could
probably be secured at reasonab price,
but 1t Is becoming more and more DIM
cult every year to secure tracts OF land
in the District. and for the sake of econ
omy- the land should be purchased as soon
as possible.
The board has continued Its work Of
persons committed to the Government
Hospital for the Insane and charged to
the District of Columbia. During the
year slxty-six persons were deperted, OF.
through the Investigations OF the BOARD.
transferred from the free list to the in
dependent or pay list. These sixty-six
patients would have cost the District
S14,520 annually for their maintenance
Board of Children's Guardians.
The. benefcent work of the board of
ehildren's guardians in caring for de-
pendent and delinquent children has been
continued. 1t should be strengthened by
whatever legislation and appropriations
are necessary, and attention is called to
49, l,ty
lren's guardians. This board was created
by Congress, to, be the guardian OF the
children whom the community has to sup
port. and since it began it's labors on
July /, 1883, it has cared for nearly 5000
children at a minimum expense, only
about one-fifth of its wards costing the
community anything for maintenance.
and with maximum OF efficiency. 1t
uses family homes as preferable for the
care of children, rather than public or
priyats- Institutions. although 1t utilities
the latter temporarily when necessary.
SUFFICIENT time has elapsed to test the
work Of this. board by the fact that num-
bers OF its wards have attained their ma
jority and are reported as doing well In
the communities where they reside.
Tbs report of the hoard of children's
guardians for the year ending June 30.
1895. showed 1894 wards under It's care
on that date. During the year ending
thu list of permanent wards and LII pass
cd from the control Of the board, leaving
1880 words on June 50. 1901 OF these
$50 wards but $50 were an expense for
maintenance.
More children were committed the past
year for temporary periods than ever be-
fore. The board In its annual report sums
up Ns Judgment regarding temporary
commitments In the following language:
the best interests Of this children. tenn
porary commitments should be made only
to meet temporary emergencies and not
Tor period to exceed. at the utmost. six
months. when. II advisable, new commit
4ents may be made. Numerous private,
Appropriate work Is that of caring for
cases Of temporary distress, and these
cases may In large part be left to them. |
No provision at present exists for the
ehAdran, Under contracts with three in
stttutiOns for the care Of feebie-mindedi
children, one at Elwyn. Pa, one at Falls
Church, Va, and one at Vineland. N.
J.. the board Is able to make adequate
provision for all white children of the
class referred to. but none Of these insti-
tutions will receive e9lored children. At
the three mentioned there were, on June
30. 1897, sixty children. These are paid
for at an average rate Of f225 per annum.
District of Columbia should care for it's
own feebie-minded. dependent children
within its own borders. An institution
on the property at Blue Plains, ID. c.,
owned by the District might be estab-
IiShed where all Of this class Of de-
pendents might be cared for.
Tho public ohild-caring work Of the
District of Columbia is not yet on an
ideal basis Whatever the intention of
Congress may have been. the practical
effect of the provision, made annually,
for several of the child-caring institu-
lions to receive certain sums. under
contract with the board of charities, is
to make of the board of charities a |
child-caring agency, which is not only
confusing to the public, but is de-
parture from the plan made years ago. |
to centralize public child-caring Of the !
District So -'''
The board Of children's guardians
recommends that a commission should
be appointed by the Commissioners to |
consider what, If any, measures should |
be adopted or legislation secured to
bring about greater unification and |
Capitalization of the work Of child |
caring in the District of Columbia
: During the past year there were 351 |
placements of children in family homes |
A-reasonable proportion of these have |
turned out successfully. The board is |
alphabetically Of tile opinion that this |
method OF dealing with young depend |
ent children Is wise, both from the |
point OF view Of the community and |
the highest welfare Of. the child. The |
board might. with propriety. be used !
as the government agency for the other |
10 oh aripo In |