The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-11-08

anu an ANNUAL meeting OIL trustees TOOK
them in-into a fine tall brick building. In
12H institutions throughout the United
States 100000 such children are gathered
today. There they are steam-heated and
shower-bathed and check-aproned and
dining room rationed, with bread baked
by the hundred loaves and meat bought
by the hundred pounds.
But Iistenl Still they are hungry and
cold-with a hunger that is heart deer
and chill that strikes to the soul This
is the new revelation that has come
through the most advanced sociology
Nineteenth century methods OF philan-
thropy are called sternly to the bar by
the Twentieth century. why" falters
the amazed defendant, "see, have IN
vested millions of dollars In the beautiful
buildings In which I have housed these
children!" But" demands the plaintiff
''are they happy?' And before this charge
down go defenses. The institution has
done much for the dependent child. But
the indictment brought against 1t is that
it cannot do enough. For when It has
fed and clothed and warmed him, it has
not loved him. There is the difficulty
that weaves and interweaves all through
its carefully regulated system.
In this particular kind of well estab-
lished charitable institution for children,
New York state leads in point of num-
bers, but In percentage comparison IL
is the District of Columbia that ranks
first with a ratio of 321.4 dependent chill
dren to every 100000 of the population.
New Yorls ratio Of 317.3 is second, and
California with a ratio of 1908 has third
place. Some Of the states have attained
a diminished ratio because they have
found better way of caring for the de-
pendent child.
1t is the institutional ideal that deadens
individuality and destroys initiative. The
theory toward which It inevitably con-
verges is that the only good child is the
still one, operated by automatic rule.
Discipline a hundred children SO that
they no longer will to do differently from
the will that directs them, and you can
handle them almost as one child.
Waiting for the Signal.
I know of childrens institution where
one of the ringing bells calls the smaller
ones to a nap in the middle of the day.
They have it in the school room seats
with their weary little heads dropped on
the desks before them. Upstairs the lit
unwrinkled all day. At this particular in
stitution there is no playroom. The chill
dren live mostly in the school room seats.
Last vacation time, one of the school
rooms being in process of repair, its occu-
pants had been transferred to one end of
the dormitory above. There were 90 of
them-active, restless boys of from IL to
a There weren't any chairs They sat
on the floor in rows, with an attendant
-. - -l.4t
what are they doing?" asked in
amazement. "Oh, just waiting" was the
complacent answer. 1t was o'clock of
q smiling summers day. Outside the
sea was softly tapping the white, sandy
beach on which the building stood and
the breeze blew 1andward in refreshing
whiffs of salt air Free little Individual
children played and laughed along the
shore. From the little miserable figures
huddied on the floor I looked out at the
others The attendant following my
gaze, added alphabetically, -Four o'clock
is the play hour for our children. We
can't let them out before that. There s
nobody to take them. They couldn't go
alone. They might get on the board
walk. The cottagers don't want them
there"
Can Go Only Three Feet Deep.
At the other institution, which has wide.
rolling fields all about 1t, there are ex-
ceptional privileges here. A brook
sparkles and splashes its way through
the wood. and every summer afternoon
at the ringing OF bell the boys are
marched down there for a swim. A plac-
id-faced lady to whose care they are en-
trusted selects the locality, and they may
not go one bush beyond. They dassent
go in only three feet deepp. pityingly ex-
planned the farmers boy who was telling
me. ''Us fellows swims nine feet deep!'
and he trudged off down the road whist
ling joyously between bites of a green
apple. There was lifting note to the
tune and an energetic swing to the should.
ers. 1t takes green apples and swimming
holes nine feet deep to make the best
men. They know how to breast the deer
places in life. Over against this picture
I could see hundreds of boys marching
in regular step, who all through the world
are going to be limited to places three
feet deep. But an institution must have
! its boundaries-if it is bringing up boys
by wholesale.
| Girard college, Philadelphias home fol
| orphan boys, is hemmed away from the
world by a wall that it's founder stipulat
/ ed should be 30 feet high. The builder.
got rid of 16 feet of it under ground, bu
| there are still IA feet that keep those in
side from seeing out. 1t is typical of thu
| limitations that shut the institutiona
child away from life experience. 1t il
easier to line him up In a row than tt
! let him have a chance at life's lessons.
Cottage Plan Institution.
Always in an institution where hun
dreds of children are cared for under on
roof on the congregate plan, it must b.
that the individual development afforded
each can be but meager. 1t was will
this conviction that there was EVOLVED
the cottage plan to give the chi drel
room for larger growth. 1t separates then
| into groups to live each with matrol
who directs the cottage A most sue
cessful type Of this institution is seel
In the New York Orphan asylum at Hast
ngs-on-the-Hudson. Under the genera
supervision of DR.. B. r. Reeder, one o
the most talented child culturists in tn
country, some $50 children are house'
there in eight pretty cottages. Farnil,
life has been Appropriated as closely a
| possible, with children of varying age II
| one group. Each cottage has its owl
| garden, it's own chickens, its own dol
or cat-and in some cases its own baby
! Around each center real human expert