Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1914-02-28
INDUSTRIAL HOMES
37TH ANNIVERSARY
Mrs. Anna H. Wood Writes Inter-
estingly Of Worthy
Institution
BY Mrs. Anna II. Wood

by Mrs. Anna III. Wood
The children as we'll as teachers
and visitors had a most enjoyable
afternoon yesterday when the thirty
seventh anniversary of it's founding
was held in the Children's Industrial
home, Nineteenth and Swatara streets.
The exercises We're under the manage
ment of Mrs. Brubaker, the Sunday
School teacher. Addresses We're made
by the Rev. E. V. Roland, pastor of
the Evangelical Lutheran church of
the Redeemer, and the Rev. w. A.
Hanson, of Messiah Lutheran. There
was no partiality shown in giving the
larger part of the entertainment to
any certain children. The recitations
were broken into four or five Sec
tions, the whole school joining in the
refralns. They gave the fourteenth
chapter of ST. John en- masse.
There were words of welcome by
some of the little folk, prayer by
Mr.. Hanson, hymns and the regular
business reports of the secretary and
treasurer of the board of managers.
MISS Sara Lemer played two delightful
selections and Mrs. william With
crow sang several songs which par
ucularly appealed to childhood. Mr..
Boyer. the owner of the well-known
10y y-giving" automobile and the
friend of all children, had trained
eight girls to sing. to his either accom-
paniment. The Rev. Mr.. Hanson gave
a short talk on gratitude. illustrated
by personal anecdotes. Following the
benediction, guests and inmates all
crossed the hall where tea was served
to the ladies with Miss Fannie Eby
and Mrs. Henry Gross presiding. The
children took their regular places at
the long tables in the diningroom ad-
joining. The guests We're then free
to go all over the home to inspect the
manner in which the life there is con-
Quoted and to examine and purchase
the things made by the children. A
table of cakes, breads and desserts
testified to the fine training of Miss
Deeter who for several years past has
held cooking class once a week. In
long aprons and white caps the little
girls prepare under her instruction
the evening meal for the rest of the
home.
Bright, Healthy Children
Year by year the children are leav-
ing to take up their share of the
worlds work and others come in to
take their places. Mr.. Snyder, the su-
perintendent, has his own ideas of
managing his big family of boys and
girls. He tells them in the beginning
that should they prove unruly strict
est supervision would be kept over
them. Then he trusts to their honor
as Christian children to conform to
the laws of the institution. The result
is sixty odd healthy children and,
even outside of school hours, build
ing as quiet as an ordinary private
home.
All the housework is done by the
older children, even the serving at
table and preparing of vegetables for
the cook. The immense furnace and
the manglers and washing machines in
the laundry are handled by the older
boys. One or more of the older girls
helps the nurse with the little tots in
the nursery.
I'VE had girl here last year." said
the matron. who was a regular little
mother. How she loved to handle those
babies! She seemed to fairly delight
in 1t and got along so we'll with them"
The neatness of the large, light
dormitories with the rows and rows of
narrow iron beds testifies to the end
less labors of the young housekeepers.
Good Training
Strange to say, the preponderance
of children in the home at all times is
boys, the ratio at present being AZ to
21 girls They are taught manual
training. Besides doing all the shoe
repairing for the institution they turn
out a number of articles of artistic
light furniture, such as tabourettes,
book shelves, sewing stands, etc. Dur
ing the coming summer Mr.. Snyder
expects to branch out into the wooden
toy field and teach them to prepare
a good Christmas stock for sale in De-
cember. Some of their work can be
bought at any time by those inter-
eSted.
THE trouble is" said Mr.. SNYDER.
whimsically, that our visitors do not
seem to understand that they are not
violating any penal code by buying
the things we make"
The home receives some State and
some county appropriations, but Is de-
pendent for the sum of $4,000 an
nually upon the city churches, indi-
vidual gifts and bequests. Total or
phans without any source of support
are cared for entirely by the home,
but when a mother puts her child in
she is expected to pay so cents a week
for its maintenance. If father is
responsible. he is expected to pay 81
per week.
The home accommodates about so
chlldren, some OF them only few
years old. Great credit is due to Miss
Alice Lohn, who is the only teacher in
the school of 60 pupils. She has the
work of seven grades to conduct. She
acknowledges her children do not have
the same chance as the average public
school students because of the con-
ditions. Naturally expenses in an in
stitution of this kind have to be very
carefully watched. but better results
could be obtained could the services OF
more instructors be afforded.
There is no studying done outside
of school hours as the housework is
waiting for the young hands to do
In natural aptitude she finds them
about on a par with the ordinary
child.
AS they grow older, homes are found
for the girls as domestics or "moth-
er's help" The boys are in great de-
mand for farm work. The natural do
nestle instinct of a girl child makes
her of use at a very tender age about
her own home or that of some rela-
tive or friend. 1t is probably for this
reason that there is so much
smaller percentage of girls always in
the home than boys.
-Four Deaths i'm 81 Years
1t speaks well for the natural, clean