The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1912-10-03
A CONCRETE EXAMPLE
Of What the Home Conserving As
ISOLATION is Doing.

The cold March winds whistled and
screamed through the nodding trees
that hid away so snugly the little hut
that nestled as bird under its moth
er's wing in which the race of a hui
man life was slowly completing it's
course. A mother, a dear precious
soul was she, and as the cold wind
cut its way through the broken win
dow of shattered hopes, the zero
weather of this Marchy wind pinched
the toes and the noses of twelve
sweet little children that could be
seen with tear-traeked faces, so hope
fully eXpectant as they bent forward
to catch the fsintest CLEAN of one
more smile from the dear mother
that had given them birth, and a
happy home for the few years that
had unwrRpped their little minds
with such beauty of expression, as
their souls were ripening for the ex
perience through which they were
soon to pass. The precious wife and
was drawing to close, just as the
fragrant rose blooms to fade. As the
shadows of that cold March evening
began to tighten the darkness
around the little home, outside with
the shades of night, inside with the
pain of sorrow then there it was that
we realized what the meaning OF
Home Sweet Home really meant. The
mother clinging to a pamphlet from
the Joseph Walter Home as given
her by the secretary some weeks be-
fore with the assurance that should
conditions demand the little flock
would be given home together in the
Joseph Walter Home at Kansas City,
founded by Mother Baker, and kept
intact until the father could give
them the care that they needed.
Tightening her grip on the pamph
ed face she pleaded that her children
be kept together And as the tears
trickled down her sad sweet cheeks
she bade her dear ones meet her in
the skies. Hardly had the body cool
ed in silent slumber until the home
tives on the ground trying for the
children, and anxious in their desires
to separate this little family whose
mother had died pleading: keep my
children together, o keep my chill
dren together, for me. Never in the
Of 10
scene witnessed as the one at the
grave when people actually tried TO
take away from the father (whose
heart was bleeding) by force his dear
children, simply because he was in
an embarrassed condition financially,
resulting from long sickness and big
expense. For these reasons alone
the children were about to be separ-
ated and sent into various parts of
the world to take new names, lose
their identity, be separated from
father, and each other, but alas! The
home that had given hope to the dy-
ing mother as her angel spirit winged
its way heavenward,a, was notified
and Immediately sent the general
secretary to Pacific Junction, Iowa,
to protect the motherless family, and
the beauty Of Mother Bakers great
work was recognized as the Home
Finding Associations stepped aside
after much protesting. to allow the
Home Conserving Association as
founded by Mother Baker to take the
whole family of children as the dying
mother requested, and place them
where they could be kept intact.
The children were taken to the Kan
sas City Home in April and have
since been protected by the great
constructive influence of this the
greatest institution of its kind in the
world The good people of America
will soon realize that there is at this
time the biggest neglected opportunity
of our day in the possibility of con.
serving the orphan children of our ma
ton who populate in the major part
the prison pens OF the United States.
The Home Conserving Association
OF America, with headquarters at Os-
kaloosa, not only cares for the chill
dren, but gives TO the parent or par
ents the privilege of an opportunity
for employment.
Instead OF separating this beautiful
family Of children at Pacific Junction,
they were given the protection that
has kept them together The father
has made good and is at this time in
.Oskalcosa, employed by the Home
Conserving Association of America,
as manager Of building and grounds.
Here in concrete form is an exam
pie OF what the Saviour meant when
He said. Suffer Little Children to
Come Unto Me and Forbid Them Not.
for of Such is the Kingdom of Heav-
&C. w. Litten.