Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1921-03-16
BOARD OF CHARITIES
WORK FOR TWO MONTHS
Twenty-six Children Have Been
Committed and Thirty-twO
Found Homes

The Board of Charities held its
March meeting yesterday afternoon at |
the Office of the Board. The February |
meeting was omitted, owing to the
illness of Chairman Pierson, so that
Secretary Jeffrey's report covers the
months of January and February.
Some very interesting figures are CIV
en- in the tabulations made.
During the period covered by the
report eighty cases were received on
probation and parole and forty were
discharged, so that on the first day
of March 726 probationers and par
oilers were under the supervision of
the State Probation Officer.
In commenting upon the dependent
and neglected children division OF the
Boards work, Mr.. Jeffrey says:
"Since our last meeting there have
been committed to the Board twenty
six children. Thirty-one children have
been placed in free homes or in homes
by adoption, and one has been re-
turned from a free home and placed
upon expense. This is certainly a
very gratifying two months work in
this particular department.. One hun
dred and fifty visits have been made
to our committed children during
two months, ten children who have
been committed to the Board have.
been given medical and surgical treat
ment and twelve of the committed
children have been discharged from
treatement. In addition to this we
have Investigated seventeen physical
ly defective children who were not
committed to the Board and approved
fourteen for hospital treatment. Nine
have been discharged from the hos
| pital and their bills paid from the
so-called Graham Fund"
In directing the Boards attention
! to House Bill 800 providing for a
| Shelter Home, now pending before the
| legislature, Secretary Jeffrey says:
81 am very glad to be able to re-
port that the bill seems to be meet
ing with general approval and much
favor.
"Suitable provision for the care of
dependent and neglected children
when they first come from the courts
is absolutely necessary if Vermont is
to maintain and successfully operate
| a placing out system for these chill
dren. In a very large percentage of
cases children come to us wholly unfit
! to be placed in private homes. To illus
! trate, last week l was called to in
vestigate family and found father
and mother and seven children rang
ing from one to fifteen years of age,
boys and girls. This entire family
of nine persons were compelled to use
one bed or no bed at all. There was but
one chair in the house, not a sheet,
| pillow case, blanket or quilt. just a
soiled old mattress and few dirty
rags. These children were indescrib-
ably dirty-their heads were filled
with vermin and such clothing as they
had was ragged and extremely filthy
Notwithstanding this condition, these
children appeared to be very bright
school when they have had sufficient
clothing and care to get to school 1
have been unable to move these chill
dren. We have no shelter home in
which such children could receive first
care. To take this considerable class
of children to private home for
board or otherwise is unfair to the
child, unfair to the family, and unfair
to the community.
"Children committed to our State
Industrial School as delinquents even
though they come from clean and
satisfactory homes are placed in lso-
lation at Vergennes for a period of
time to be sure that they are in a
healthy and proper condition for the
safety of other children. Can Ver-
mont give to the dependent and ne
elected child, whose sole need is food,
clothing, shelter and clean environ
ment, less consideration than it gives
to it's delinquent children.
During the past two months thirty
dependent and neglected children have
found free homes in our State-homes
that have been carefully investigated
and inspected and found to be salts
factory. In many instances these
homes could have been used months
earlier had we been able to give to
our children that care, attention and
examination which would have been
had in a shelter home Without rea-
sonable and proper equipment, months
of time is lost, much added expense
is made and many failures result
by children being returned as un-
, satisfactory, simply because they did
not first get the care necessary to
make them acceptable, thus denying
them a square deal and fair chance
to become self supporting. self res
pecting and useful citizens for our
State"