The Elbert County tribune., 1910-04-22

III.
Keep them from privaton, from cru "
city. even from death--the little ba-
Dies nobody wants. We are Just trying to give
them their chance. We hope to preserve the
mothers from greater sin. from the life of the
streets. from the doors of prison. but 1t is the
babie( that count. We must save our babies -
i've law OF this country will not permit the
giving or selling of little children. but 1t cannot
protect them from desertion The founding hos
pitfalls In our big cities the states efforts to
play the part Of universal motherhood to care
for the children who are thrown on her mercy
and who will help make her future.
The room where the mothers relinquish their
babies Is called the saddest place in New York
There is nothing in the receiving room but the
little cradle. and In sight. matron is
always In waiting near by. She never forces a
mother to confession. but. II possible, persuades
her to tell why she wishes to desert her child
and perhaps influences her not to give 1t up but
to begin life over again. mother must under
stand that the choice is with her-the matron
may give the mother 10 or 10 minutes in which
to decide-but the choice is final. II the mother
wishes 1t. and 1t can be arranged she is often
taken into the hospital with her baby and allowed
to nurse It, by having charge of another OF the
tiny children and helping with one older child
There are now 300 mother nurses working in the
New York home, and there have been as many as
five or six hundred at other times. The mother
who comes into the hospital to work can often
prove her fitness to have her baby back again
But once she puts II down In the rescue cradle
to her no longer: she may never see or hear of IL
again. The child belongs to the state No prayer
nor entreaty, no pleading of circumstance will
afterward avail. The child has entered world
that shall never know its origin. Somewhere a
future waits for 1t. but the baby Is to have no
knowledge of its beginning outside its adoption
in the Founding home
bath and clean clothes are the first signs of
the baby's adoption in the Founding home. A
doctor next iDspects the little person to see that
1t shall not COntaRfOn n n ha
sands of small brothers and sisters who are wait
ing for 1t outside the walls of the reception ward
Two or three weeks the baby may be detained in
the reception quarters--the smaller the baby the
days. Then 1t becomes either an indoor or an
outdoor baby
There 500 indoor babies being cared for
inside the New York City Founding home. It is
necessary to board the outside 200 more.
Seven thousand four hundred and twenty-four little
foundlings have been looked after in the past two
years. and there are relatively as many In Boston,
in Chicago. in Philadelphia-in every large city
in America.
In Europe there are an even greater number
of founding babies. The European states take
charge of the deserted waits, but the mother is
only permitted to bring her child to an entrance
way. ring bell and give 1t into the arms of the
attendant who opens the door-and go away
without word.
In the homes of love. of wealth and happiness
there sounder. sweeter babies than the
deserted children OF the foundling homes The
babies are far untroubled by their situation in
life and have not the institution look of older
children. What is the institution look? It trans
lates itself; the expression of cramped individ-
uality. of longing for more personal express
sion; the look of too much routine of drilling of
the law without the spirit.
Bur the babies know of no difference between
themselves and other children. and many times
before they wake to the thought home has been
found for them. Nearly 500 babies a year from
the New York Founding home are adopted by
private families in all parts of the country They
prove in their lives that it does not matter in
this world how we are born "t is just the way
we're dedicated
Nobody but baby lover would adopt one of
our babies; older children may be taken by fami-
lies and made into drudges. but who would adopt
a tiny child except for love?" of the sisters
at the hospital said.
There is wonderfully wide choice in babies
for they are taken into the home without regard
to nationality to creed or color: SO there are pink
and white blond babies. brown-haired. blackeyed
babies, girls with curls and boys with round
close-cropped heads.
The children wear no kind Of uniform The
little girls have big bows of red and blue and
pink ribbon their hair the most fashionable
little person who lives round the corner Fifth
avenue.
The clothes of several thousand children
important consideration. Think of what
single babys trousseau means at home. Fortu-
nately. home babies outgrow their clothes and
to be fitted at the Founding home. In the last