Compliments of 
 
 JOHN N. FOSTER, 
 Superintendent of the State Public Schpg^, 
 Coldwater, Mich. 
 
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 TEN YEARS 
 
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 M1LD4AV1M WORK 
 
 IN MICHIGAN 
 
 Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen: 
 
 I stand to-day with uncovered head and unsandled feet in' the 
 presence of you veteran laborers in behalf of better methods in all good 
 vork. For years many who are present at this meeting have sought to 
 present the enlightened sentiments of the present century to all workers 
 among the unfortunate classes. Whatever causes have contributed to 
 iheir misfortunes, the spirit of your work has been to develop plans 
 by which they might be restored to true citizenship, and better yet, true 
 manhood and womanhood. 
 
 I should not have dared to come before this audience to suggest 
 better ways, nor to have presented theoretically ideal plans, but would 
 greatly have preferred to sit at the feet of -wise men—not only from the 
 Last, but from all sections as well—and learn the ways that others have 
 developed in these matters of social science, so important in their bear¬ 
 ings upon the future welfare of every .State. 
 
 I come only to tell the story of our work. Faulty and imperfect 
 as it is, its plan is so in accord with the spirit of your desires, as I un¬ 
 derstand them, that I have the more readily consented to outline before 
 this conference its design and results. 
 
 Ten years ago the “National Prison Congress” held its annual 
 meeting in this city, and throughout its sessions much importance was 
 
 2.GOSI 
 
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attache^ to tbe value of work among children before they had reached 
 the criminal stage. And it was generally conceded, by all who dis¬ 
 cussed the questions before that Congress, that preventive work offered 
 1 the largest returns for the outlay, and must supplant, if effectual work 
 \ was to be done, reformatory agencies. 
 
 rn the proceedings of this Congress, on pages 590 and 591, I find 
 a brief statement of [he establishment of the « Michigan State Public J 
 School’’ from which I quote the words of the secretary, Hon. E. C. 
 Wines, whose life was ever associated with the best possible efforts to 
 build up truer systems of reform, and instil a nobler humanity in deal¬ 
 ing with all conditions of misfortune and depravity, and whose name 
 before these conferences must ever awaken tender memories. After 
 quoting a section of the law, in which the object of the institution was 
 declared to be to provide a ‘‘temporary home only for children, until 
 homes can be procured for them in families”—he said: 
 
 “ School is established upon the family plan, with cottages 
 designed for thirty inmates each. It is a charity of a novel kind, from 
 which the best results may be looked for. Michigan seems to be tak- 
 1 the lead of hei sistei States in social reforms, and it would not be 
 strange, as things look, if she should take precedence of all others in 
 establishing model systems of criminal prison discipline, and of pre¬ 
 ventive and reformatory work. May she have many imitators in her 
 good ways.” 
 
 V 
 
 These pleasant and hopeful words were spoken three days before 
 the first child was received into this novel institution. Ana whatever 
 may have been the hope of its founders, experience alone can deter¬ 
 mine results. 
 
 The children to be cared for in this School were to be such 
 children as were found in the poor-houses of the State, and as are 
 still found in poor-houses, in such States as have made no other pro¬ 
 vision tor poor children; many as bright and lovable as are found in 
 any home, many others with inherited tendencies and acquired habits 
 which made necessary special training and thorough discipline if they 
 were ever to be saved, while for some Divine grace seemed the only 
 hope for a bettered life. The so-called homes then provided for the 
 dependent children have been so frequently described, and are so fa¬ 
 miliar to all of you that I will but quote a word from the report of the 
 State Board of Charities and Corrections of Michigan for the year in 
 which the School opened: 
 
 “In regard to the condition of the children,” it said, “the most of 
 them grow up entirely without education. Those who have the ca- 
 pa< ity to learn, and may attend the district schools in their vicinity, 
 meet with obstructions and mortifications Sufficient to deter them alto- 
 
gether from instruction, or to reduce their acquirements to so low a 
 standard as hardly to be an offset for the damage sustained in having 
 their little hearts wounded by the taunts of wayward but more fortu¬ 
 nate children who cannot fail to remind them of their more destitute 
 condition. In one of the county-houses three small children were- 
 found in a desolate room, one perishing with fever sore, the other two 
 taking care of the sick one—little angels of mercy working in the mire*. 
 Death seemed to be of the party, and the little drama should have its 
 lesson.” 
 
 To attempt, to train children in such places was worse than useless,, 
 and it remained for Michigan to decide what provision she would make 
 for the three hundred then in such places as described above, who were 
 good subjects for a true training school. And without waiting to ascer¬ 
 tain if some other State would not at some future time develop a sys¬ 
 tem more perfect, she at once determined upon a course which would 
 remove every worthy, capable child from surroundings which could 
 onlv degrade, and place it under influences which should elevate and 
 ennoble. 
 
 Children are received into this School, not because they are bad 
 and need restraint, not because they are wayward and criminal, but 
 solely because they are not able to support themselves, and have no 
 one to support them. We do not say to a poor child, hungry, naked 
 and abandoned, “Go and commit a crime and we will then gladly re¬ 
 ceive you into our reformatory institutions, and care for you.” Rut 
 any child, dependent, either wholly or partially, upon the public for 
 support, is admissible. They are formally received upon an order of 
 the Probate Judge, setting forth the fact of their dependence, which 
 must also be accompanied by a medical-certificate stating that they are 
 of sound mind and in good health. 
 
 'The School is established upon the family plan, with about thirty 
 children in each cottage, presided over by a Christian lady, who sus¬ 
 tains to them the relation of a mother, and has much to do with the 
 moral training, and general management of the family. They all go to 
 a common dining-room, where the cottage-manager attends to them 
 at the table, devoting all her time to their needs. 
 
 Five hours each day are devoted to school-work proper — diaving a 
 graded school of fix e departments, to which, in a short time, will be 
 added kindergarten for the younger ones. 
 
 The ..children have regularly assigned tasks, from the little ones, 
 
 ' -five years of age, who assist in dressing those younger than themselves, 
 to the oldest boys, who work on the farm and in the garden. Knitting, 
 sewing, telegraphy, work in the dining-room and kitchen, general clean¬ 
 ing, bed-making and sweeping are all done by the children, so far as 
 
4 
 
 they are able. Some deformed ones have been received and taught 
 telegraph}', so they are not only self-supporting, but are securing large 
 salaries. 
 
 At the institution all holidays are observed, and on Sundays the 
 children assemble in the morning for an hour in chapel where a teacher 
 reads to them, sings with them, and pleasantly and profitably passes the 
 the time, in the afternoon the regular Sunday School is held, and the 
 International Lessons are taught, as to millions of other children 
 thoroughout the entire country. And to many of these boys and girls 
 the name of Jesus was never known until heard in this institution the 
 out-growth of the Christian civilization of the present century. 
 
 The present capacity of the School is three hundred and thirty, 
 and although in 1874 it opened with room for but one hundred and 
 fifty with three hundred seeking admission, during the past year every 
 dependent child of Michigan, needing its care, has been received. 
 
 I realize that the great question in which you are most interested 
 is—what has become of all the children who have been received since 
 its opening? * 
 
 The idea of home life has pervaded every step of progress in the 
 establishment and working of this School. Even the Joint Committee 
 of the Senate and House, of which Hon. C. D. Randall was chairman, 
 in the Legislature of 1871, in submitting their report recommending the 
 passage of the bid for the establishment of the State Public School, 
 said: “In view of these facts, of the sad condition of these helpless chil¬ 
 dren, your committee earnestly and unanimously recommend the pas¬ 
 sage of the accompanying bill by which the State will become the 
 guardian of these children, and taking them as wards into its control, 
 will provide suitable homes in good families, and, until that can be 
 done, will maintain and educate them in the State Public School. 
 While recommending this course, your committee wish it distinctly un¬ 
 derstood that it does not recommend this for a permanent, but a tem¬ 
 porary home for these children. That the children, and any one in¬ 
 terested in their behalf should only recognize the proposed establish¬ 
 ment as a temporary house of refuge, while the child is on its way to 
 its natural place in the family.” 
 
 At a meeting of the American Social Science Association in De¬ 
 troit, May, 1875, Gov. John J. Bagley said: * 
 
 “The institution which was most recently established and which is, 
 to my mind, the most beneficent and the grandest work the State has 
 ever done, is the State Public School at Coldwater. There we have at 
 present one hundred and seventy-five little children who have no home 
 save that the State affords them, whose hearts are as pure and whose 
 
5 
 
 minds as capable as those whose lot is a far different one. These chil¬ 
 dren we have surrounded with everything pertaining to a home, save 
 parental love, and we are teaching them how to grow up to be true 
 men and women and good and profitable citizens. We are satisfied 
 with the experiment, and mean to make the institution a permanency. 
 It is one to whose inmates the State may say: ‘This is your home; 
 here you have somebody to care for you, to work for you, to clothe 
 you, and to make you men and women.’ 
 
 “It is something to be lamented that it is, after all, an institution- 
 The State may do everything for these children in its power, still it is 
 not a home, as we know home. The heart is wanting, and it cannot 
 be supplied artificially. This home, as they call it, is after all only a 
 purgatory—a half vyay house between hell—or the count} poor-house 
 —and heaven, or a happy home. 
 
 “What a noble work for a State to engage in; reaching out a hand, 
 not heavy and restraining, clothed in iron mail, but gentle and with 
 tender clasp folding in its arms these innocents, taking the place of 
 their fathers and mothers, and holding them out to its citizens as their 
 brothers and sisters!” 
 
 So we feel now, after ten years’ work, that the home is the true 
 place for the proper training of children. The homeless man or woman 
 of mature years is in a dangerous condition; temptations beset the man 
 without a home that never come near the home life; the charm of the 
 home-circle lost or unknown makes man weak and helpless, however 
 much he may strive to convince himself of his vigor and Strength- 
 Character can only be developed in soil adapted to it. The true home 
 furnishes just those surroundings that enable men’s best and highest 
 attributes to most perfectly develop. If this be true for mature men 
 and women, what must be the condition of children? No habits yet 
 formed; no true sense of duty to either God or man developed, but 
 buffeted by every storm and carried with every breeze into other and 
 more dangerous surroundings, it is simph wonderful that any child 
 without a home can ever be kept from moral bankruptcy. 
 
 This, then, being the spirit of the School, it became at once im¬ 
 portant to have agencies established to secure homes and properly su¬ 
 pervise and look after the children when placed out. 
 
 Under the laws of Michigan the Governor may appoint an agent 
 of the State Board of Charities and Corrections, who, besides having 
 the care of juvenile offenders, is required to seek homes for the chil¬ 
 dren of the State School, and investigate all applications for children, 
 and no child can be placed in a home in any county unless the county 
 agent shall certify that the applicant is a proper person to have the 
 care and training of such child; that he has a good home, is a person 
 of good moral character, is temperate, does not sell intoxicating 
 liquors as a beverage, and that he believes he will provide for and edli- 
 
^ cate the child, and otherwise faithfully execute the contract of indent¬ 
 ure. 
 
 Having an application thus approved, a child may be taken from 
 the School When so taken, the Superintendent, in behalf of the 
 Board-of Control, enters into a contract of indenture, requiring proper 
 . clothing and food, attendance at school, opportunity to attend public 
 I religious worship, and at majority to pay for the benefit of the child a 
 specified sum of money, or a pro rata amount for the time of indenture 
 
 I provided he does not remain the full time. 
 
 The contract may be annulled by the Board of Control whenever 
 the best interests of the child require it. The contract does not be¬ 
 come operative until the expiration of sixty days, giving, a period of 
 trial; so it will be seen that the first steps are taken carefully. The child 
 
 i is not placed in a home, and investigations made afterwards, but the 
 most careful, painstaking methods adopted to prevent its being placed 
 in an improper home, and many applications in all sections of the 
 State are rejected. 
 
 Having been placed in the home, the question of its remaining, 
 the kind of training received, abuses that may grow up—and how pre¬ 
 vented— removals, and finally the character of the men and women pro¬ 
 duced, become at once interesting and important questions for study. 
 
 The Board of Control of this institution had become so impressed 
 with the importance of ascertaining more definitely if possible, the con¬ 
 dition of all children who had gone out from the School, that they 
 might determine what errors in the system were existing, and perhaps 
 have remedies suggested, that about a year ago the writer was appointed 
 Visiting Agent, and since March last has traveled over the greater por¬ 
 tion of the State, visiting from house to house where children were 
 placed, going as a stranger to most of them, at an unannounced time, 
 and has had an opportunity of seeing the home-life of more indentured 
 children than usually falls to the lot of men who are engaged in this 
 work. And I feel that so far as the work in Michigan is concerned, I 
 I can speak more intelligently of its results from this peculiar and 
 profitable experience. I perhaps can do no better than to reproduce 
 in this brief paper the substance of an official report recently made upon 
 the subject of these visits, omitting most of the tabulated statistics as 
 being of but little interest upon this occasion. 
 
 Since the opening of the School, in May, 1874, to the close of thevl 
 I year ending September 30. 1884, there had been received into the 
 l Schoo l 1672 c hildren. Of these 349 were under six years of age, 604 
 from six to nine, 561 from nine to twelve, and 158 were over twelve 
 years of age. About 70 per cent, were from three to ten years of age, 
 
a period of great helplessness, and needing, if ever, the watchful care 
 of their true parents, the State, or such adopted parents as could be 
 provided; 1120 were boys and 552 girls; 1602 were white, 60 black, 
 and 10 Indians; 182 were orphans, 647 were half-orphans, and 843 
 had both parents living; 702 came from poor s These ^Ujly 
 
 present conditions of childhood so unfortunate as to a(t diA<je commend’ 
 them to our sympathy, and we wonder if i^lie' possibly \t 6 saVe to use¬ 
 ful and honorable manhood and womanhood any large proportion of 
 those who have so many adverse circumstances to contend against. 
 And our interest in the final outcome of the work increases as we learn 
 more of their condition. 
 
 The guardianship of the Board of Control ceases whenever the 
 child becomes of age, is adopted by order of the Probate Court, dies, 
 is returned to its county, or when a girl is married, so that all these 
 children remain wards of the State until one of these circumstances 
 occur. 
 
 September 30 last the record stood as follows: 
 
 Whole ntlmber received 
 Returned to counties. . . 
 
 Died . . . .. 
 
 Adopted. 
 
 Became of age . 
 
 Married . 
 
 On trial. 
 
 In homes. 
 
 In the school. 
 
 1672 
 
 209 
 
 5 * 
 
 9S 
 . 68 
 
 »4 
 
 56 
 
 S94 
 
 278 
 
 Thus have 1 briefly accounted for. all the children received, and 
 will now attempt to give more-in detail their present condition. 
 
 The history Of the 209 returned to their counties is varied. Many 
 of them were unfit subjects for the School—diseased, crippled, some 
 criminal, others without sufficient mental.force to -be trained into any 
 thing that would justify their being placed in homes Others were re¬ 
 turned as a mere formality, having already become self-supporting and 
 no longer needing the care or guardianship of the State. Of this num¬ 
 ber I gather the following information: 5 1. are still in county houses, 
 unfit for homes and incapable of self-support on account of being 
 either diseased or feeble-minded; 34 are in the penal, institutions of 
 Michigan and other States: 115 are self-supporting young men and 
 women caring for themselves, so that they are no longer a burden 
 either upon their counties or the State; 4 have died and are beyond 
 the need of human care; 5 are known to be leading abandoned lives. 
 
 Of the whole number 58 have passed beyond the need of care 
 from either the State or the*best homes possible to provide, and are 
 now, we trust, sheltered in the arms and made happy in the love of our 
 
Heavenly Father, who cares for them, and has long since “wiped away 
 all tears from their eyes.” 
 
 Of the 95 adopted all but two are well situated and doing well. 
 Some have come into possession of property, others are doing the 
 same as other children in the average homes of an intelligent State. 
 
 The L4 girlfenvho are married are as well situated as are generally 
 the wives of laboring men, and those visited seemed very happy. One 
 was a wild, rude girl a few years ago, reckless and almost hopelessly a 
 street girl. Her mother having died since her marriage, she has taken 
 a younger brother and sister and cares for them in her own home as a 
 true mother. 
 
 Of the 68 who have become of age, all are self-supporting and do¬ 
 ing well. 
 
 Fifty-six are now in homes on trial, and most of them will remain 
 to be fully indentured. 
 
 Eight hundred and ninety four children have been placed in homes 
 that have not been accounted for in preceding pages, and much inter¬ 
 est centers in the result of this work. The institution having been 
 founded for the express purpose of placing children in homes and 
 properly looking after them when so placed, and the management of it 
 believing the original idea to be the true one, has constantly 
 sought to perfect this department of its work, and ascertain the prac¬ 
 ticability of placing them in homes sufficiently fast to keep the size of 
 the School within reasonable bounds. 
 
 We have tried not to forget that such institutions are established, 
 because by circumstances over which the inmates have no control, their 
 home-life has been destroyed. They are, by force of these circum¬ 
 stances, out of their normal condition, and the sooner they can be 
 restored to that condition, or most nearly so, the better for the child. 
 
 It is urged, many times, that the homes in which children are 
 placed may be bad ones, that the guardians only desire the children for 
 servants, that they will not send them to school, that they may not 
 properly clothe them, that they may not be taught to properly ob¬ 
 serve the Sabbath, and that many other things may not be right. 
 True, such dangers beset the work, and render it highly import¬ 
 ant that there should ‘be a reserve power in the contract of indenture, 
 by which the Board may at once remove the child from such a home. 
 For this the law wisely provides, and we exercise that power, whenever 
 such cases are known. The important thing is to have such efficient 
 supervision, and watchfulness over each child that we may constantly 
 have knowledge of such homes and remove the child at once. 
 
 To place children in homes without constantly looking after 
 

 their welfare, and knowing what their condition is, is a barbarism wholly 
 unworthy this Christian age, which is developing so much intelligent 
 thought upon this most important branch of social science—child- 
 saving work. 
 
 It seems to me we will do welt to remember that in most states the 
 laws make it easy for children to find entrance to institutions—indeed, 
 it is not at all uncommon for parents even to seek to impose upon the 
 State the responsibility for the care and training of children which 
 ought to be properly done at home. And instead of seeking to multi¬ 
 ply institutions, or enlarge those already existing,*we should strive to 
 lessen these burdens upon the people, and reduce the number of public 
 dependents to a minimum—having in view constantly, ot course, the 
 real good of the child. 
 
 There are in Michigan three State Institutions having in hand the 
 care of children: the Reform School, for boys, which takes them be¬ 
 tween the ages of ten and sixteen, and may keep them till eighteen; 
 the Industrial School, for girls, which takes them between the ages of 
 seven and seventeen, and may keep them till twenty-one; the State 
 Public School, which takes them between the ages of three and twelve, 
 and has the responsibility of their care until of age. 
 
 It will be seen that the State prov ides for girls for a period cover¬ 
 ing eighteen years, and for boys fifteen; thus making it possible for 
 children, from three years of age until majority is attained, to receive 
 all their training in public institutions at ‘public expense. Nearly 
 all her sister States have made provision for the care of their children 
 in some way, for about the same period of time, and it remains for those 
 having such work in charge to see how thoroughly they may reduce 
 the time of detention and care by the State to its least period, lest we 
 rear a class who shall* ever after regard the State as its rightful 
 provider, and increase, rather than diminish, public dependents. 
 
 The statements presented here are the results of the most careful 
 and thorough visits to the children or in their neighborhood, by my¬ 
 self or the County Agent, and in a majority of cases, three reports have 
 been received, one from the guardian, one from the County Agent, and 
 one the result of my own visits; all of these since the first of last Janu¬ 
 ary. Six hundred and eighty-five are now in homes on indenture. Of 
 these, 580 are doing well, giving satisfaction, and constitute parts of so 
 many families, in the family sense; 80 are not doing so well—are doing 
 fairly well—are somewhat discontented and lack interest, but are still 
 remaining in their homes, and most of them will stay, grow better, and 
 become adjusted to their home relations. Twenty-five are still in the 
 homes in which they were placed, but are doing poorly. They will 
 
10 
 
 soon make a radical change for the better or drift away. One hundred 
 and ninety-one are in homes—not on indenture. They have either 
 left the parties to whom they were indentured, and are self-supporting £ 
 in the neighborhood, or are with their own parents or other relatives, 
 whose improved circumstances enable them to care for their children. 
 Many of those who have left guardians have done so by consent, and 
 the most pleasant relations exist; some have even paid for theft* time 
 until of age. Of these 160 are doing well, 18 fairly well and 13 poorly. 
 
 Eighteen have not been heard from during the past year. Of 
 these, ten havegone with guardians out of the State, and their residence 
 is unknown, but at last reports thev were doing well. Six had left 
 guardians, and nothing is known of them, but at last reports they were 
 doing badly. The other two were doing well when last heard from. 
 
 As mentioned before, in case of children returned to counties, 
 adopted, died, married or become ot age, the guardianship of the 
 School ceases. There have been 444 such cases. Of these 92 are 
 either leading criminal lives, or being supported bv the county in which 
 they live, or are living abandoned and vile lives. Four are dead, and 
 the remaining 348 are either self-supporting, or in homes being cared 
 for, no longer burdens upon the public. 
 
 The other children gone from the School are distributed as follows: . 
 
 Present whereabouts and condition unknown,.. 18 
 
 In homes on indenture,.685 
 
 In homes not on indenture,.191 
 
 In homes on trial,. 56 
 
 Total,..950 
 
 Making 950 wards of the School now in homes, of whom 808 are 
 doing well, 98 fairly well, and 44 are doing poorly. 
 
 One thousand three hundred and ninefy-four children have left 
 the School since its organization, of which number 96 are public de- 
 ' pendents, and 1298 are either self-supporting, or being cared for by 
 self-supporting citizens, and are in no sense, either wholly or partially, 
 dependent upon the public. 
 
 Of all the children who have gone from the School, but seven per 
 cent, have become public charges, while 93 per cent, have been saved 
 from public dependence, and very largely from perpetuating pauper 
 and criminal classes. 
 
 Is it unsafe to assume that these figures would have been reversed, 
 „ _had these children been left uncared for by the State? 
 
 It is interesting to note the growth of the work of placing children. 
 The first full year of its history, 69 children were placed out: the second 
 year the same, and not until the fifth year did the number reach too. 
 
11 
 
 * 
 
 In 1880, 140 children were indentured, which was the largest number 
 •until the year just ended, when 220 were indentured, 42 were adopted, 
 and 56 are now on trial, making 318 placed in homes during the past 
 year, or, while 72 per cent, more children were received during the 
 past year than ever before in the history of the School, 86 per cent, 
 more have been placed out by indenture and adoption than ever 
 before, making it seem at present that the opportunity to place 
 children in desirable homes exceeds the demand of needy children for 
 the advantages of the School; which, if proven true for the next de¬ 
 cade, will materially lessen the cost of maintaining dependent children 
 in Michigan; 
 
 The question seems to be practically settled—that children can, at 
 present, be placed in homes as rapidly as they seek admission to the 
 Sch'ooL If this is true, a few questions naturally present themselves to 
 all who are interested in the work: Will this condition be likely to 
 continue, or will the homes soon be so supplied as to finally .cripple the 
 work? Are there not seasons of the year unfavorable to the work of 
 placing children, so that at times, when most needed, the institution 
 will become over-crowded and children have to be refused admission? 
 Do they stay placed, or must the)- be constantly changed? And most 
 of all—Are the homes of such a character as to justify the School in 
 placing the children in them, or would they be better off in the institu¬ 
 tion? I will attempt briefly to answer these questions in the order given. 
 
 The people of Michigan are largely engaged in Agriculture, an 
 employment which affords the best possible surroundings for the class 
 of children with whom we deal. It has an area of 56,451 square miles, 
 with a population of more than 1,800,000. Most of the children so far 
 placed have been placed in the more populous counties in the southern 
 part of the State. For example, 924 of the 1147 children indentured 
 were placed in 26 counties, while in the remaining 52 counties, 222 have 
 been placed. In some counties one child was placed to every 203 of the, 
 population. Were the same ratio to be placed in all the agricultural por¬ 
 tions of the State, it would take more than 6,000 children, which at the 
 rate they have been received since the School opened, would require 
 about 40 years to supply. A societv in Boston recently placed in two 
 counties, one on either side of the city in which the State School is lo¬ 
 cated, 120 children in three days. 
 
 I need not give further illustrations of the possibilities of placing 
 children in the State I am representing. I have no doubt whatever 
 that there are plenty of good homes in Michigan for all her worthy 
 dependent children. 
 
 In regard to the seasons best adapted to placing children, it does 
 
 * 
 
not seem at all unreasonable that during the spring and summer more 
 children should be sought than during the fall and winter. Vet this 
 depends largely upon circumstances. If they are desired to work on 
 the farm, the spring and summer give the advantage to the guardian of 
 having the child on trial when it will easily pay for the trouble at once, 
 while if taken in the winter it can only attend school. Those per¬ 
 sons desiring children to give them true homes, in the best sense, re¬ 
 gardless of their working qualities, are not governed bv times or sea¬ 
 sons. Previous to the past year, 45 per cent, of all children placed 
 went out during the months of March, April, May and June, and during 
 the past year 40 per cent, were placed during the months of December. 
 January, February and March, while one-sixth of all indentured during 
 the past year went out in December. Tike all other work, more de¬ 
 pends upon the efficiency of the system employed and the faithfulness 
 and earnestness of the workers than upon any other cause. During the 
 last fall and winter, more children were placed out than were received, 
 leading me to think that we need not anticipate seasons of such over¬ 
 flowing as will necessitate a turning away of any needy child. 
 
 The question as to whether the children stay is frequently asked, 
 and my only reply can be the history of our work so far. 
 
 The following statement will best present the subject: 
 
 Number of Children indentured once. 7S0 
 
 Number of Children indentured twice . 247 
 
 Number of Children indentured three times. 80 
 
 Number of Children indentured four times. 26 
 
 Number of Children indentured five times. S 
 
 Number of Children indentured six times .. 5 
 
 Number of Children indentured seven times. . . ,. 1 
 
 Whole number indentured. 1147 
 
 Sixty-eight per cent, of all Children indentured have been inden¬ 
 tured but once, and 90 per cent, have been indentured not exceeding 
 twice. There are so many causes leading to a child’s losing its home, that 
 one re-indenture for each child might not count against it. The death 
 of either the adopted father or mother would, in most cases, so change 
 the family as to break up the home for the child. Domestic trouble 
 arises sometimes, to destroy the home life. The return of married 
 children to the homestead, with their own families, frequently results in 
 the child not being wanted. In all these cases it must either be 
 left to care for itself or be taken back to the School, and in 
 ti'me re indentured. The policy of this School is to have none of its 
 wards uncared-for. and no matter what the cause of return, it is made 
 easy for the child to come to its ‘'State home,” when all others fail. 
 Our object is to save not seat ter. 
 
A child may be indentured more than twice and still be blameless, 
 but more frequent indentures show a troublesome child, and is a bad 
 indication. But with some experience in transferring and placing chil¬ 
 dren. I feel like saying,“ Never despair ” There is a fitting niche for 
 every 1 Hvinely-wrought statue, no matter how much soiled and bruised 
 it may have been by its rough contact with life. 
 
 The system of supervision now in practice, by both County and 
 State Agents, contributes much, I think, toward preventing more fre¬ 
 quent changes. The examination regarding the home before placing 
 the child lays a good foundation. A visit at least once each year by 
 the County Agent keeps both guardian and ward assured that the rights 
 and interests of each will be carefuly guarded. And that interference of 
 outside parties, so baleful in destroying harmonious relations between 
 guardian and child, is less frequent in counties having the most careful 
 supervision, 
 
 Then, the more recent addition to the system of supervision, of 
 sending an officer directly from the School to visit the children, hear 
 their stories of good, indifferent or bad treatment, encourage those who 
 need it, advise with them as to the advantages to be gained by honor¬ 
 ably living up to the conditions imposed upon them by their inden¬ 
 tures, and to cause them to feel that after all, we did not simply desire 
 to be rid of them, but expected, after placing them in homes, to be 
 their fathers and mothers, in so far as we can sustain so tender rela¬ 
 tions. It would also lead guardians to consider more thoughtfully their 
 contract obligations to the child, and realize that the State was doing 
 something more than simply sending out children upon a contract at 
 once formal and meaningless. Those who were doing their full duty 
 to the child, would welcome the officer of the School, as a friend, while 
 those who were finding excuses for neglect would be urged to greater 
 faithfulness, and would feel a new and truer interest in the child whom 
 they had heretofore felt was a person of interest to no one. 
 
 The work planned for the Visiting Agent is not with boys and girls 
 m an institution surrounded with all the necessaries of life, and watched 
 on every side that they go not astray, but with the larger family of 
 nearly 1200 boys and girls, placed, each one under circumstances differ¬ 
 ent from the others, all over a great State, living with other boys and 
 girls, attending the public schools, working in the shops and houses, 
 subjected to the same temptations that other children are, with the 
 greater danger of being conscious that they are children of the State 
 father than of the adopted fathers and mothers with whom they live. 
 )t embodies gaining positive and full information regarding every 
 child that has gone out, learning how it is treated in its home: and 
 
14 
 
 how doing, if caring for itself, reporting all cases of improper treat¬ 
 ment, if any are found; encourging both guardian and child; urging to 
 greater patience and more faithful work; inspiring, if possible, with 
 better motives, those who are becoming wayward and restless under 
 the restraints of indenture; meeting county officials, who have some¬ 
 thing to do with caring for the children, thus increasing acquaintance 
 and kindling greater zeal in the work. 
 
 In addition to his duty as County visiting officer the County Agent 
 attends to all cases of arrest of children in his county and has ad¬ 
 visory power-similar to that imposed upon the State Visiting Agent in 
 Massachusetts. The Visiting Agent of the State School is entirely un¬ 
 trammeled so far as the criminal class is concerned, and only deals with 
 the wards of the School. 
 
 This system of supervision, combining both local and State visita¬ 
 tion, seems worthy of the consideration of our sister States, and be¬ 
 lieving that any plan of placing out children that ignores constant and 
 efficient supervision, to be radically wrong, our system is briefly given. 
 
 I could not disguise, if I would, and 1 would magnify, rather than 
 disguise, the fact that securing seemingly good homes, and having ex¬ 
 cellent supervision, do not, after all. make men and women of the chil¬ 
 dren placed out. The home does the work. 
 
 “ Live as long as you may, the first twenty years is the largest half 
 of your life,” said Southey. 
 
 And if these first twenty years are wrong a whole life is blighted, 
 if not wholly wrecked. It is not surprising that the question as to the 
 character of the homes comes to the front constantly as the most im¬ 
 portant of all possible questions. 
 
 1 very much wish all could see these homes as I have seen them 
 and notice the patience of guardians with wayward children, many of 
 whom never understood'the nature of kindness in their home treatment, 
 and always expected abuse instead of humanity, and had very early 
 learned to distrust everybody;—see also the kindly interest all the time 
 felt in doing whatever would promote their welfare, and feeling a keen 
 pain at every wrong act on the part of the child. Many also permit 
 the child to exercise its judgment when getting old enough to care for 
 itself, and if it wishes, work out among the farm neighbors, and be at 
 home Sundays, and live as an own child would do, under similar circum¬ 
 stances. I find our children in the High Schools ol the State, pursuing a 
 classical course, preparingfor the University,—graduating in other High 
 Schools, and at once engaging in active work;—others teaching,- com¬ 
 manding the respect of the community, and-having a strong hold upon 
 the affections of their pupils. 
 
 I 
 
 c 
 
Young men as well, in machine shops, on the farms, and in other 
 places of work. And when their parents are inquired for, they do not 
 think to recall any but their adopted ones. These have made the only 
 impressions that are lasting. Indeed it has not been infrequent for 
 children to ask me to be sure and not let their father or mother know 
 their whereabouts, lest they might try to get them away. 
 
 In one public school, lately I found ten boys and girls, once inmates 
 of the State Scl\ool, all happy, and mingling with other boys and girls, 
 seemingly as full of life and glee as any there, and occupying honora¬ 
 ble places in their classes. 
 
 Some are more common-place homes than those mentioned. 
 Kind-hearted, well-meaning people, in comfortable circumstances, de¬ 
 siring a child to help “mind” the baby, run errands, prepare vegeta¬ 
 bles, etc., allow the children to go more carelessly dressed, and not 
 always as “clean of face” as. might seem orthodox, yet they are trained 
 in good ways, are sent to school, are treated in every way as members 
 of the family in which they live, are taught to work, and are really in 
 good homes; and it adapted to the home are more happy than they 
 would have been in one of liner mold. 
 
 I regret to say that there are exceptions to both these classes. 
 There are men and women, without any apparent touch of humanity 
 in their make up. They take a child simply with reference to its com¬ 
 mercial value. If it is strong and healthy, and can do a large amount 
 of work, they count it a good one. They send it to school only as 
 they must, to conform to the conditions of the indenture, and the gen¬ 
 eral treatment isuhjus.t and inhuman. Whenever such cases are found 
 the child is promptly and unconditionally removed. 
 
 There are, also, many persons taking children who mean well, but 
 have long since forgotten that they were once children. Every child¬ 
 ish carelessness or wrong act is greatly magnified, and the child soon 
 becomes impressed with the idea that it is bad, and cannot recover 
 from the consequences of its conduct, so it goes on from bad to worse 
 until hopelessly lost. 
 
 Then some must necessarily be divorced on account of “incom¬ 
 patibility of disposition.” The child gets into the wrong home. Some 
 other child would be well cared for, but the one selected creates an 
 unpleasant impression, and the guardian never can see any good in it. 
 And the child, after struggling for a while against an adverse late, be- 
 Icomes discouraged and is only too glad tor a change. And not intre- 
 . quently the second home proves entirely satisfactory to all .parties. 
 
 Upon the whole the great mass of guardians strive to advance the 
 best interests of the child and be patient with its faults and have a per- 
 
sonal interest in its welfare, even doing more than simply advancing its 
 material interests, but tenderly loving it and making for it a true home. 
 
 I think we ought to remember in our estimate of homes, that all ( 
 children are not made lovable, and teachable, and desirable simply by 
 being dependent, and children with inherited tendencies to low and crim¬ 
 inal lives, with an early training in the midst of vile compahions are 
 quite likely to have formed habits and acquired manners neither pleas¬ 
 ing nor desirable. Such children are not likely to prove worthy of the 
 best homes. But shall they in medium homes, with kind treatment, be 
 taught to earn an honest living and to be self-supporting citizens, our 
 work will have been well done. 
 
 It seems noble and humane that the State should build strong and 
 high walls about its prisons, and within demand the kindest touches of 
 humanity; that the penal institutions for the reformation of juvenile 
 ! offenders should receive liberal appropriations, and be managed upon 
 the wisest plan possible, to turn in right channels those who are now 
 headed in the wrong way, and, so far as possible, to remove all stains 
 which crime creates; but more noble, more humane, to take the house¬ 
 less, homeless little ones, unclothed, unfed, unloved, tempted upon 
 every hand to what is low, vile and degrading, yet with hearts as pure 
 
 I as we hope are those of our own little ones, and lift them from the dan¬ 
 gerous ground on which they tread, to give them food and clothes and 
 
 hearts and keeps them irom the need of prison walls and penal homes. 
 
 Some will fall by the wayside, notwithstanding home, and food, 
 and love; but so ’tis ever—the plant we move from native soil to a dif¬ 
 ferent clime, withers and droops upon the way, but careful watering, 
 watching, fertilizing and pruning, gives strength to root and branch, 
 and ere long it yields to treatment, and becoming accustomed to its 
 new location, grows strong and gives beautiful blossoms to repay our 
 care; not the same, perhaps, as though trained in its natural soil, but 
 still we find a special pleasure in its beauty, because we knew its strug¬ 
 gle for existence. So if we save the mass of little ones, and have them 
 free from taint of crime, we feel we work in the way to well-please Him 
 who said, “ Of such is the Kingdom of Heaven.”