The San Francisco call., 1909-09-26

for each child is very small compared
with the cost of maintenance, 1t has
been necessary to conserve the income
while maintaining Ideal living con-
ditions. The impression. has prevailed
that the Protestant orphan asylum
rates among the richest of the institu-
tions. The truth Is that II any of the
endowment fund were taken for build
ing purposes, the standard of living
would have to be lowered. This the
directors will not do. New and COM
Portable Buildings are needed. but the
most important thing is that these
childran shall have plenty to eat and
wear and get all possible advantage
to prepare them for being self-sus-
tanning.
AS, this Institution is strictly an or
pha ma Ies abandoned children are not
received They are sent to places
ready to take them. A very full rec
ord IL kept of every child In the asy-
lun, including the marriage certificate
of the parents and the records of the
death Of the one or both parents as
the case may be. The managers have
been more than usually successful In
holding the interest or the surviving
parents for their offspring, with the
result that the state has been saved
many dollar.
made for the first so years of the ex-
tstence of this institution, the proper
tion of boys and girls was found to be
about equal. OF the $500 children
cared for. 1,602 were girls and 1918
were boys. 1t Is an exceptional case
where children are received under 2
years of age. The care of babies means
an entirely different kind of house
hold. Every little 2 year old that is
brought to the asylum is a cause for
special rejoicing among the older girls,
who spend every available smoment
.mothering" them.
They Play With Vigor
To the casual observer there seems
to be more boys than girls in this
asylum. 1t must be because they are
such an energetic lot-tanned and rosy
busy and boisterous. Almost the entire
lower half of the block is given over to
the playground for them. Bars and
rings and all the appliances OF gym
are there and raised to a sufficiently
dizzy height Is a structure that might
have come directly from an up to date
circus. 1t has been made, however, from
makeshift material and every part OF
1t shows how clever the boys are in
expedients
The really interesting features of
this playground are the little private
preserves that line the wall or And
shelter under tree. They called to
mind q short editorial that appeared
some years ago in Christmas edition
of Life 1t was a plea for the old time
toys that left something to the imagi-
nation Of children, the toys that
are cherished always. It placed
the claims of the rag doll against
that OF the talking doll and the
train of cars that the children propelled
with string as against the "mechani-
cal" train that goes by itself" The
boys of this asylum, not the possessors
Of fne toys and appliances. give their
ina aginations full play and< utilize
things that the coddled children\would
not notice They build little model
stations and run into them the few
little old trains OF cars that would
mean nothing to pampered children ia
homes. Noting in their few trips into
the country that gardens and lawns
seem to play q part in the development
OF stations, the boys take the seeds
that they find In the wild oats that
grow in and blow into the yard. and
nuture them into tender grass. The re-
sulting, foot or two of lawn, is a nattes
OF special pride.
One boy has expressed q thought OF
the Portoia festival and Its Significance