The San Francisco call., 1909-09-19

of the Hebrew orphan asylum would be
decked in blue ribbons.
There are no rules for girls" and
rules for boys" in this Institution.
Courtesy and consideration for each
other are required. which means. after
all, but the simple rules of good breed
ing Superintendent Mauser' does not
think that there is one way for the up
bringing of children in homes and an
other for those in orphanages. Just how
well his theory works out is attested
by more than two decades of results in
this particular institution.
With the beginning of the coming
year Henry Mauser will have been for
21 years superintendent of the Pacific
Hebrew orphan asylum. Before that he
spent seven years in exactly the same
kind of work in Cleveland. o.. Previous
ly he had prepared for the ministry,
but al the time came for his final con-
secra ton Mr.. Mauser decided that he
could best express his hearts, desire by
working among dependent children.
This decision lost the church an earnest
exponent, but many hundreds of desc
lated boys and girls won foster father
who has guided them to lives of happi-
ness and prosperity.
Early in his career Mr.. Mauser con-
cluded that he could not we'll ask boy
70 do what he could not do himself.
Holding firmly to this contention has
meant that different times he has
learned trades In order that he might
teach them to his boys. or that he
might know when they were properly
taught.
Teaching Useful Trades
Studying over possible careers for
orphan boys he first learned cobbling
and printing. and then electricity
were duly installed In the He
brew orphan asylum, with the result
that innumerabIe boys have learned to
mend shoes good printers have been
turned out regularly, also electricians.
Having learned to mend shoes, many
of the boys have taken the subject to
its logical conclusion and have become
shoe makers. Printing. as taught at
the asylum, is even more complete, be-
cause the Office IL q fully equipped one
and practical work Is being done there
all the time One boy who left the
asylum recently went directly to
printing office and commenced with
wage of something over $13 week
Practically any kind of work can be
turned out in the printing Office and
orders from the outside make the
maintenance of this trade school pos
sible. Reports, bylaws. prayer books.
notices of all sorts, business needs of
every kind, programs In infinite va
riety are printed there, the money re-
ceived going into materials and equip
ment for teaching. Running this ONCE
is in no wise In conflict with the unions
any more than are the classes In the
Lick and Wilmerding schools.
AS for the cobbler's shop there is
always plenty of material to practice
on in the asylum. The day never
masses when some shoes are not
mt ia
thing for the cobbler to do. The story
is told by the ever present rows of
"just mended" or waiting" shoes-each
pair being carefully numbered.
The foremen of these hives of in
dustry were formerly boys of the
asylum. This fact brought up dis
cussion of the plan, now much in vogue,
of hiring the orphan boys and girls
as they become competent to do the
work of institutions not accomplished
by the children who are learning to
be useful as well as self-supporting.
Mr. Mauser is an advocate of a different
system Once his boys or girls are
capable of earning living they are
sent out into the world-under guild
ance-to get experience. Later, il they
desire to return to the asylum as
skilled workmen, they are given the
opportunity in preference to outsiders.
Then they are paid the prevailing wage
lation to the children of the asylum.
Mr. Mauser says that he tried the plan
of having the children do the work,
commencing at small wage. which
was gradually increased, but that 1t
was unsatisfactory in his scheme. He
believes in having skilled direction for
the children. In this connection Mr..
Mauser said:
ITO have older children instructing
the little ones is like mother trying
to teach her own child. The assocfa-
tion between them is too intimate.
The results are always unsatisfactory.
1t IL an exceptional mother. who can
teach her child music
The electrical department has proved
conspicuously popular Opportunities
to get into that shop never go a-beg-
ging The boys. under the guidance Of
a master hand, keep the electrical sys-
tenn of the house In order and look
after the dynamos which provide light
for the institution and some power An
intercommunicating telephone system