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

interest in accepting alien children who
are destined to swell the number az her
citizens This may be so. but such
consideration does not detraot from the
generosity with which for years past
Marianne" has taken TO her bosom the
cruelty abandoned offspring o: her sis
tiers. That she does 50 out OF the good
ness OF her heart IL evident TO all who.
see the poor little waits and strays cling
ing affectionately to their nurses i'm the
wards of the hospice.
After ALL" said the kind hearted O.
rector with smile. what difference
do few hundred aliens make 10 our
budget in the thousands OF children we
receive annually"
No description OF the founding hospital
would be complete without q reference
TO st. Vincent de Paul. the good genius OF
abandoned infants. In his time-hc was
born in 1916 and died in l6sN-there was a
particular spot for foundlings In front OF
the Cathedral OF Notre Dame. II was
called ia couche de Notre Dame" tour
lady's bed. and the little ones were
picked up there and taken TO various
hospitals The compassionate heart 81
Vincent de Paul was touched by the suf
feffngs of these innocent babes. and he
took up their cause with the fervor OF
q Peter the Hermit or q Savonarola HIS
eloquent preaching smote the hearts OF the
ladies of the court. and. fired with re-
ligious zeal they tore of their jewels and
gave them to the good priest for his EN-
fants trouvee.
History Of the institution.
There Is an old painting in the creche
Of the hospice by an unknown master
showing st. Vincent de Paul seated at
a table receiving the jewelry which the
princesses. duchesses and other great
ladies are laying in front OF him. while
two babes swathed in swaddling clothes
and looking for all the world like Egyp-
tian mummies lie at his feet. Thanks
to this sanity philanthropist. the serv-
ice OF the Enfants Assistes was created
in 1888. but It was not until the revolu-
tion that the present system was organ
lied as one now sees 1t.
In 1914 the Convent of the Oratorv
Fathers. situated in what IL now the
Rue Denfert- Rochereau. was converted
into the present Hospice des Enfants
Assistes. for until then the little found
lfngs had no fixed abiding place. but were
taken TO whatever charitable institution
would receive them.
When the revolution had set the coun-
try afame with patriotic ardor the little
foundlings were Enthusiastically dubbed
"enfants de la patrie." and Napoleon
turned them 10 good account by decid-
ing that they should all henceforth he
trained TO become seamen OF the fleet
the first empire.
Nothing now remains of the Original
hospice except the creche or grande sale
and the infirmary. The exterior OF the
old building as seen from the garden Is
shown in the Illustration. with the statue
OF ST. Vincent de Paul The good priest
tenderly holds an infant in his arms.
while two others are on the ground at
his feet St. Vincent de Paul. as every
one knows. was also the creator OF those
ad mn
whose lives are spent in tending the sick.
Always Several Hundred.
The writer has said that about 45OO
infants are abandoned to the hospice
every year. The number OF children who
annually pass through the hands OF the
nurses must. however. he nearly double
that total. for the children of the sick
poor are looked after while their parents
are In a hospital or otherwise prevented
from attending to them
| II would be d.fhcult TO say how many
babies are to be found in the hcspice at
! one time, for the number varies greatly.
but one would be generally sure to see
| several hundreds. The abandoned in
! fants are put out to nurse I'm the country
within thirty-six hours after their ar
rival. They are paid for until they are
thirteen years OF age. From that time
| forth their foster parents may employ
them, but must give them a certain
wage. At the age Of twenty-one the
| founding is free. but in a great many
! cases-one might almost say the major
| ity OF cases-the girl or boy Is by that
time a part OF the family I'm all but blood.
| So strong is often the attachment be-
| tween foster child and foster parents
that Nine. Vouriot. the head nurse. states
| she has known many instances where
the founding reclaimed by the father or
mother who abandoned Ii has absoisee!y
refused to quit its foster parents.
The creche or grande sale. Of which
a portion is shown In the illustration 10
| a vast place with lines of snow-whte
| cots. in which the little ones are placed
as soon as they arrive. and where they
| await the doctors visit and their re-
moval to the country. In conclusion. IL
one were asked to characterize the Hos
pice des Enfants Assistes In two words
| he should certainly choose its motto
the words Humanity and Cleanliness"