Norwich bulletin., 1920-10-14

New London County Home annual meet ing was held. Wednesday morning at the Home on Smith avenue The meeting was l called to order shortly after II. o'eleck and the various reports were heard and accepted.
 Mrs Frank A. Mitehells a member Of 1 the state board of charities and mem i Der of the county home board of mans agement presented her usual interesting 1 report on the activities of the home dur. l ing the year ending June Soth.
 Mrs Mitchells report was as follows:
 With the swift rolling of the months 1 and days, the annual meeting has again | come, at which your secretary is expect l ed to tell you something of the work l both in the home and among the children | placed out in family homes.
 The year has been noticeable in sev- eral ways, especially in the small number 1 of commitments During the nine months from October 1st to June S0th the num- Der was S4. while in the full year up to June Soth, 1920, only IT were committed. The effect of this shows plainly ins the number in the home, which is e7. while last year at the same date it was Ss.
 The reason for this is not plain, but
 it is obvious that prohibition must have played some part in the desirable result. Another noticeable figure is that ! boys were sent to the state school for boys, 6 at one time. The reason for this is not so difficult to trace. One or two boys who were confirmed runaways before they came to the home, spread. the conta- gious disease in the minds of others un- til repeated runaways were the result bringing in their train other evils inci- dent to the first. County Homes in this state are expressly for normal children. TTfey have Ho high walls nor bolts and bars and when boys cease to be amen able to kindness and firm discipline, their place is not in one of these homes, but in an institution where they can be restrain ed.
 The health of the family has been ex- cellent in spite of the fact that, owing to | the unusual amount of snow and ice both 1 in the yards and out on the streets the children were deprived of any out of door exercise for many weeks. Fortunately, the old scheolrooms were available as | playrooms. During school hours these l were freely aired, ready for occupancy in play-time.
 It was particularly noticeable that
 there were no coughs or colds during all this trying time, nor were there any ac- cidents such as were so common an oe-
 currence on the icy walks.
 Mumps appeared this summer in the lnu1Hcs- dCtlIS III LueH OMH pcCul1HI way. beginning in, June and lasting until the last week in September, and then, quite contrary to expectation, only a baker s dozen of cases had developed. Perhaps just to emphasize general good health, three children were sent on the ssame
 day to the Backus hospital-one with a
 low fever, one who had stepped on a
 piece of wire and a boy who had broken
 his arm while sliding down an inaprovis-
 ed toboggan.
 There have been a number of changes
 in the schools There was no session oi the summer schools but young woman was ngattd who spent every afternoon ot the week with tn children. supervisins
 their play, in the yards. and also enter. ! taining them part of the time in th<
 schoolroons
 As Miss St. John was obliged to re. sign to make her home in another city i. and put all children over six into tht second class room and employ only two ! teachers. A responsible girl in the home
 who wishes never to leave it. gives hel time to caring for the nine children thu, kept out of school. As Mary is loved by all the children who delight to pleas, her, this plan not only seems to youl
 board very desirable, but meets with th' approval of our state supervisor, who il ! adding a bit care to Mary and he, 2 lambs"
 Much to the satisfaction of all con cerned, including the children Mis- < Leach has come back, and we record ou i debt of gratitude to the two friends :. former teachers, but now home-keepers- : who have so freely given their best ef
 forts in the schoolrooms Turing the en
 forced absence of two teachers.
 At the close of the school year tn
 teachers. with. some of their friends al Y ranged a merry time for the childreI 4 who knew this was a real party becaus 7. in addition to the other goodies they ha l. ice cream. Thanks to the teachers an 4 to several of the home Blatrons, the chi 1t dren have had country walks, which the 's enjoy exceedingly. 70 MT Brownell.. the state supervise k gives constant and painstaking attentic 'p to the schools, which insures their beiT le kept up to high grade.
 IS To the commissioners, who as nnajo oe ity of the board of management, is d, the fact that the equipment of the hou a- and of the schools is on liberal seal 9' And to Miss Gibson is due the fact tn N: the house is run so carefully and pf eil dently that no other home can have u- better record for health, nor for the le r1' cost of maintenance. This latter is tho D. oughly understood and much apprecsat .o' by the board of management, who gi ,o' her every opportunity to exercise her u ti 1s usual ability in all directions. Under h O. care the garden haS been very producti7 ss The home is indebted to the Hon. Ric ,o' ard P. Freeman for an abundant supr ls of government seeds. Some of the oh 'e- dren had their little patches of ground
 which they planted some of these see r of different kinds and from which tn
 raised what in their opinion was a z 'IC perior quality of vegetables which tn ,en brought in to be cooked separately ft the.r own delectation.
 sf Perhaps there is new map of co- world extant and it may be that u len County Home is marked on it. otherw der how is it that so many new friends hs he found it cut:
 the Of all years since the existence of t oke home, 1920 must surely be called 'friei The ly year" Perhaps the war has son ng- thing to do with it. So many have asi :. '|what can we do for the childrel
 Whatever the answer that thing u @ have done.
 Friends from different churches hi
 come each Sunday afternoon to inter
 a' the children. to sing and read and D h' to them and with them. This is a IT heif highly appreciated service.
 mt In spite of the high cost of sugar Lee turkey at Thanksgiving and at Chirstr MIG time, MT. Carroll made it possible nest the family to have turkey and then la ren' when candy was still a scarce article. wit- all around treat of that sweet. twice my Christmas too. the B. P. o. F. LoC
 430, sen bo eKfcs eji.o ETAOIN H.