Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-05-03
Special Correspondence Of III. star.

Special Correspondence Of The star.
PARIS. April -. 1905.
HE French have girdle of pro-
tective tariffs all round thei.
frontiers. You must smoke
state-made tobacco and strike
state-made matches. Every:
thing that is of foreign manufacture Is
rigidly excluded or made to pay pro-
hbitive. duty-everything with one ex-
ception-babies. Little as the reader may
have suspected 1t. Paris is the dumping
ground for abandoned foreign babies. six
to seven hundred OF whom are annually
conffded to its kindly care. This astonfsh-
ing fact has only lately been revealed to
the man in the street by the sensational
abandonment in Paris hotel OF two
babies by an English woman who APP
parently came over from Folkestone for
that purpose. AS no one claimed them
the poor little waits were taken to the
Hospice des Enfants Assistes or Found
ling Hospital. and it was thus that the
writer learned from the director, NJ. May,
many things about this interesting insti-
tuition. which is almost unique In the
world. for Russia Is the only country
with a similar charitable organization.
modelled on the French one. it is true. but
far inferior in point of development
Yes. foreigners may come. dump their
children down In Paris and return whence
they came. free Of all anxiety as to their
fate. free of all responsibility as to their
future No awkward questions are asked,
or IL they are asked they need not be
answered. There Is only one condition.
not be clandestinely deserted. for that Is
an offense punishable by law.
Babies Of All Nations.
And thus it comes about that. among
the six or seven hundred alien babies
which pass annually through the portals
of the Hospice des Enfants Assistes. al
most every nation under the sun Is at
some time or other represented. the Turk
not excepted. The vast majority con-
sists. however. Of the offspring OF Russian
and Polish Jews. These wretched out
casts. stranded on their way to England
and the new world, are fully aware OF
the existence Of the hospice and they do
not hesitate to dump their cumbersome
progeny on the hospita BILE soil OF France
in the certain knowledge that they viii
be cared for. Russian and Polish aliens
located in London even cross the channel
for this purpose. and 1t is no uncommon
occurrence for woman to come over
and be confined in Paris hospital. De
child and straightway return to London:
The vast organization called the assist
ance publiQue or public relief. with IT'S
annual budget Of $4,000 900 and Of which
part, was created shortly after the year
1850. A Founding Hospital. OF course,
existed previously. but the hospice In Its
present form is a creation OF the men
who made the great revolution: IL
ciple th9< = = better for the state openly
to take over and rear the offspring OF
destitute citizens. rather than expose
child to the cruel risk OF desertion oy
stealth.
An Easy Procedure.
Parents. therefore. are at liberty to re-
nounce their children in the most matter
of-fact way on the simple declaration that
practice of other countries of laying an
infant on the steps Of thesfoundling hos
pital. ringing the bell and hastily re-
treating under cover Of night Is dispensed
with.
mother walks through the open door |
way into the office.
II wish to abandon this child" she
Il is the duty of the latter to point out
to the mother the gravity Of the step sne
Is taking and remind her that IN aDan-
doning her child she renounces all claim
UPON II ana Will Iculdiu III oOSoAotO A9"o
rance as to its future career. She Is
urged not to take such a step unless alb
soiutely compelled to do SO. All this is
purely a matter of form. for it is ex-
tremely rare that such friendly counsei
induces a change of purpose. The per-
SON is not bound to make any declaration
at all as to the infants name or his or
her own Identity. The conversation may
be limited to this:
Ouestion-What is this child's name?
Answer-I do not know
Question-what II your name?
Answer-I do not know.
Tres bien. Bonjour. madame
"Bonjour. monsieur"
Scrupulously Uninterestsd.
Every facility is thus granted for evad-
ing awkward questions as to identity, 30
that there is no excuse whatever for the