The evening Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1918-1920, 1919-03-11
/ BOARD OF CHARITIES AND
PROBATION
Continued from Page One)

these lines by woman deputy pro-
baton officer, a highly educated lady
of rare tact and deep sympathy,
manifold duties in all parts OF the
state include a visit to all won1en
paroled from the state prison or
house Of correction just prior to their
release. She ascertains if they have
suitable places to go to upon their
release; finds boarding places and
employment when necessary; and ac-
companies them from the institution
to see that they are well established
/ in their new start in life. The value
of such Christian work cannot be
measured in dollars and GEMS "Ln-
asmuch as ye have done it unto one
of the least of these, We have doae 1t
unto me-" said the Master.
At the close of one of Secretary
Jeffrey's busy days, and l think he
has three hundred and sixty~fyc of
them, telephoned TO ask ni1n what
he had been doing. The laconic reply
came back from his Montpelier office,
"Washing babies" And this brings
me to a consideration of the other
branch of his work, the care Of de-
pendent children and the investiga-
ton of cases where children are IN
homes which do not deserve that
name. The official records are full
Of cases which have their bright side
as one reads where children have been
taken from novels of filth, drunken
ness, and other evils and placed III
, real homes.
FThe beauty of the house is order:
the blessing of the house is content
ment; the glory of the house is hos
pitality; the crown of the house Is
Codliness." It is the purpose OF this
board to place children in such homes
as these and in this they have been
very successful.
: Figures give but an imperfect idea
Of the work, but I take a few from
Mr.. Jeffrey's report: Children II
E homes investigated, 1895; homes in
vestigated, 279; children placed II
I temporary or permanent homes, q
I There were 80 children committed &C
j, the board; 25 sent to the industrial
school at Vergennes; and 8 sent tx
/ the school for feebleminded at Bran
t don. An orphanage where 81 children
s of foreign parentage were underfef
t was thoroughly investigated, and
. notwithstanding much protesting
n conditions were remedied and the un
5 fortunate children given proper nour
ishment and better care These chill
dren came from all parts Of the coun
o. try, and they were only served mea
p once a week in the form of meat balls
:, the meat being cut from soup bones
!. The children never had any butter OF
their bread; they eked out a bare ex
;, istence by stealing from other chill
= dren's lunch boxes at the ppbli
= schools. This institution is located
- in one of the largest towns IN th
state, and the conditions were no
remedied until Secretary Jeffrey mad
8 his investigation and satisfactory,
= solved the unhappy condition of G.
q children.
- Almost at random turn to a pag
. in the records of d home % visite'
!. by Mr.. Jeffrey whose inmates con
= sisted of father, mother, and elgh
= children, seven of whom were unde
= IS years of age. The oldest chile
was about to become mother an'
= her seven brothers and sisters slep
in a room with two beds. The size o
the room was 12x12.
In one city in the state mothe
and six of her children lived in TIVE
dirty rooms in the basement of
house and for several days before MI
S Jeffrey's visit they had no fuel. Their
II was only one bed in the tenement ant
e this was occupied by the mother ant
: two girls, while the four boys slep
: on the floor. This case was takel
care of by the poor department of thu
e city after their attention had beer
: directed to it by Jeffrey
/. In reviewing the work Of the boart
i in caring for the children Secretar!
Jeffrey says:
: The work with children presented
: to the board not only its greatest OPP
y portunity but also its greatest prob
!. lem. The field of work with depend
t ent children had, before the boards
= establishment, been scarcely touched
in this state. To those few institu-
lions that have in the past beer
doing this noble work the state can
not give too much credit. It is fol
the state now to extend its help to
those not hitherto reached, located
perhaps away from the larger centers.
in the smaller towns, and back on
the hills. Vermont has recognized its
obligation to the dependent children.
That obligation must now be fulfilled.
It is one of the duties of the board
to investigate the poorhouses of the
state, and In most instances these
institutions were found to be well
managed. Where conditions were
found that did not meet with the ap-
proval of the board, or its deputies
i who examined the institutions, the
selectmen or the proper authorities
were promptly notified and the sug-
gestions made by the examiner were
carried out. In one poorhouse in the
(