The San Francisco call., 1909-09-12

cases Is laid upon the foster mothers
just as 1t Is by tho children's agency
OF the Associated Charities. The In
fants boarding out are visited monthly
and they must be brought to the asy-
lum for inspection when board is col
lected. Whenever Sister Mary dis
covers that a child is neglected or i'll
cared for In any way 1t is Withdrawn
from the person In charge and placed
elsewhere
There are always some infants in
the nursery, but they are boarded out
in homes just as soon as possible. This
plan of handling babies Is proving
eminently satisfactory. The individual
care and love in home mean stronger
and better men and women as an asset
for the community and the chances for
the adoption of the babies is mate
rally Increased.
There are number of all alike cribs
in the nursery, and also an interesting
collection of cradles that must be as
old as the institution itself. the real
rock-a-bye kind, sent surely from
homes where babies have been taken
from sorrowing parents or from homes
where the babies have outgrown them.
No such quaint little beds could have
been acquired in any other way. A COM
plete Kitchen adjoins each nursery, and
1t Is there that many little nursemaid
who has later secured profitable en-
ployment has been trained to prepare
food for babies. sick and well.
As the children grow up they are
segregated according to age and sex,
so in one dormitory or one playroom
comparison. Given exactly the same en-
vironment, some of the children are
much more advanced than the others.
Heredity counts for something, even IL
environment is regarded by scientists
as much more important.
1t is not the easiest thing in the
world to name all the foundIinss that
have come to the sisters in the infants
asylum. but it is true that each one
gets a Christian name and the identifi-
cation of family name In the rec
ords of each baby are kept accurate
dates and the circumstances under
which the baby was received. This,
because 1t is not at all uncommon in
after years for some heart yearning
and sorrowing for the baby that could
not be kept to come looking for it. In
cases of this kind Sister Mary is guided
by the date. If furnished exactly, and
babies have been returned to their
mothers. although it is generally un-
derstood that after a certain time the
child's identity should not be the sub
Ject of investigation.
One day a young woman came to the
asylum and asked to see the babies,
the idea being advanced that she might
adopt one of them- She evidently
thought that she might recognize the
child she was looking for. Not finding
it, she commenced to ask questions about
a baby left at certain time, but the
sisters refused any information. telling
the young woman that there was
scarcely doubt that the, case was one
in which they were honor bound to
give no information that would lead to
the identity of the child. The young
woman left, but within a week was
back. Then she admitted that she was
looking for her child When asked why
she gave IL up in the first place, she
put the blame, as is common in such
cases, upon an attendant nurse. Find
ing her a most penitent young woman.
also most unhappy one, Sister Mary
looked up the records and found that
the woman's story was correct, but her
unhappiness was to be still greater. for