The Washington herald., 1921-05-15

thought. turn into Klingle road and
run up to its junction with Rose
mont avenue. There you will find
the House Of Mercy. for over twenty
years in charge Of Deaconess Yeo.
The House Of Mercy is a refuge
for unfortunate girls of from IA to
"a, and their equally unfortunate
and entirely blameless children.
The surprise promised in the nrst
paragraph will greet you in the at
mosphere Of the home You expect
to ind poor, subdued. Shrinking lit
the mites; instead they swarm about
you, not forward or pert. but with
entire confidence that you will be
kind to them that you like little
children and are interested in them
and their toys. 1t will warm the
heart of any parent who loves his
own children.
You expect to find them dressed
alike, and in some drab costume
that will not show the Dirt" you
find each in q different kind Of dress.
all simple but very pretty and show
ing love in the making. For the
distinctive feature of the home 10
that the mother Is received as well
90 thC INC AOtihth LoH fNWo
years, or until disciplined and
trained to make her way in life: the
latter till 1 years of age, unless the
mother marries or makes a suitable
home in other ways, or the child is
adopted with the mothers consent
AS far as the child is concerned.
the basic principle is that it shall
have everything done to compen-
safe for the handicap with which
it's life'~is started. In those forma-
tive years. during which squalor
and neglect breed degenerate and
criminal impulses. while love and
happiness lay the foundation for
that confidence in ones fellow
creatures without which no fine
sense of citizenship can develop, the
necessary for the latter are amply
in evidence here.
Where the mother herself has the
true instinct Of motherhood she Is
given a fairly free hand. though
under supervision; In those in
stances where the mothers early
life has been such that she has not
developed the necessary qualities,
the deaconess and her assistant
(who also has devoted her life to
the work. NIL the gap. No child
is permitted to miss the personal
care, attention, the petting, the
mothering that all little ones are
entitled to and without which their
lives are empty indeed.
STRICT THOUGH KINDLY "
DISCIPLINE PREVAILS.
~ UT there are no signs that the
X petting is carried to an ex-
.Dteht threatening to "spoii- the
child. On the contrary 1t is evident
that a strict, though kindly, discip-
line prevails. In good weather the
children from to 5 are to be found
in the playground outside, in, bad
weather in their play room. and
always In charge Of one or more
young women trained to allow free
play to every healthy normal in
stinct but to check undesirable i'm
pulses. The dormitories with their
rows of cribs (for the mothers.
though permitted to so to their
children at night. sleep separately,
the bath rooms and the dining
rooms are models of neatness.
So much for the children. The
mothers are a harder task. Many
of them are entirely undisciplined
and unframed when resolved many
are bitter at life and resentful;
many are shamed. Hbroken and
hopeless. Il. =
With them two objectives present
themselves: First, to teach, and. II
necessary enforce. self control; sec
ond.y to, build up hope. To accom-
piish the former without appealing
to fear and without physical re-
straint. requires control by q char
acter Of rare strength to bring to
these unfortunates that hope. with
out which no progress toward re-
generation isp possible. requires an
unusual instinct of psychology It
is fortunate for the House of Mercy
and its occupants that the Snanager