By October 31, 1898, children had been placed in 18 of the 38 homes that had been fully investigated and approved. The children were received from the following sources:

Brooklyn Industrial School Association and Home for Destitute Children

German Catholic Orphan Home....

German Odd Fellows' Home and Orphan Asylum...

Infants Hospital on Randall's Island...

Boarding in Borough of Queens....

From individuals.......

11

1

2

1

2

18

The children have ranged in age from two baby girls of 7 months to a boy of 16 years. The 6 boys placed-out are all over 10 years of age; of the 12 girls, 5 are 10 or under. With the exception of one or two of the older girls, the children are in every case received as members of the family, sent to school and to church and Sunday school, and in every way treated like sons and daughters. In the case of the younger children, the families are very anxious that it shall not be known that the child comes from a charitable society, and many harmless fictions are resorted to as to the "friends" from whom the children come.

The families taking children are generally well-to-do farmers or shop-keepers, who have no children or whose children have grown up and have left home, or who have only sons and want a daughter. Their chief motive in taking a child is to have some young life in the house, "for company," as they express it. "I want a child I can love," many of them say. Children are always taken to the homes by the employees of the Association; never sent in care of the conductor, or allowed to go with persons not connected with the Association.

In placing-out children, the Association reserves the right to remove the child at any time if, in its judgment, such a course should become desirable. The family is at liberty to return the child if at any time it should decide to do so. The child must be treated in every way as a member of the family; properly clothed, sent to school, to church and Sunday school, taught to be useful, and fitted for a life of self-support. Boys are to be taught farming or some trade, and must receive some remuneration for their services, after they leave school. One crippled

boy of 14, who is learning the printing trade, and living in the family of the editor of the newspaper, will be paid a small sum yearly while in school, and the amount will be doubled after he leaves school. A 15-year-old girl, the oldest girl placed out, does not attend school and is paid wages for her services as nursery governess, but will be sent later, if she desires it, to the Northfield Academy, or some other similar institution, at the expense of her employer. The children of school age will attend regularly, and monthly reports of their attendance will be secured from the teachers.

In each case an investigation was made by us of the circumstances and character of the parents or relatives of the children for whom it was proposed to provide homes. If they were found to be of good character, they were fully informed as to the proposed home and their co-operation was enlisted. In one case of a girl 12 years of age, whose only relative was a very worthy sister who was at service, the Association paid the expenses of the sister to visit the home, and she was so pleased with it that she readily gave her approval. In another case the grand-parents of a little girl 10 years old who were in reduced circumstances, but were very respectable and very anxious for the welfare of their granddaughter, were visited, and after a week's consideration, gave their full consent to placing their orphan granddaughter in a family whose circumstances were fully explained to them.

Without stating further particulars, we have, perhaps, suggested the spirit in which the work was undertaken, and the degree of success that has been attained. It was our effort to secure children who would not otherwise have been placedout, and to act in fullest co-operation with the public officials, the managers of the institutions, and the parents or relatives of the children, if of good character.

There is every reason to believe that none of the 18 children for whom we have found homes would have been placed in families, had it not been for the work undertaken by us. The original aim was kept clearly in mind--that of supplementing any and all existing placing-out agencies, and not in any degree of undertaking the work which they were already performing.

Through the visits to the families of children in institutions, a considerable number of parents were found who were able and willing to support their children, and were in every way proper persons to do so, so that almost as many children were returned to their own parents as were placed-out in families. As the results of visits to 13 families, whose children were being supported by the City in the Borough of Brooklyn, 10 children were secured for placing in families, and 6 were taken home by their parents or relatives, who had been found to be proper persons to care for their children and were willing and able to do so.

Without exception, the Association has found the institutions entirely ready to co-operate, when our methods and purposes have been fully explained, and in no case has there been a radical difference of opinion as to whether or not a child should be placedout when all the facts in the case have been brought to light. The hearty co-operation of the Managers and Superintendent of the Brooklyn Industrial School Association and Home for Destitute Children should be particularly mentioned, as also that of the German Catholic Orphan Home, and German Odd Fellows' Orphan Asylum. The Commissioners of Public Charities of the Boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens and of the Boroughs of Manhattan and the Bronx have shown every desire to promote the welfare of children who are public charges, by placing them in homes by adoption, whenever suitable and carefully investigated homes are offered.

It is the hope of the Association that before the close of the present year a special agent may be employed to carry on this work, and that we may be able gradually to extend our co-operation to a larger number of institutions in various parts of the State. The experience of the past summer shows conclusively that a considerable number of very desirable homes can be found. in this State, and that many children, who, on account of having parents or relatives whose character is such as to entitle their wishes to respectful consideration, could not be sent to the West, can be placed in families in this State. We do not in the least question the wisdom and necessity of sending many children, particularly boys from 10 to 16 years of age, to more distant localities, but, in addition to this, there should be carried on in

all parts of this State the work of finding homes in worthy families for destitute children, until the resources of this State are ascertained and fully utilized.

BOARDING-OUT IN QUEENS (NASSAU) COUNTY.

In that part of Queens County which on January 1, 1899, will become Nassau County, the boarding-out of children is carried on by both the County and the townships. During the past summer the Association undertook the visitation of these children, in co-operation with the Superintendents and Overseers of the Poor: At that time 8 children were boarded in families by the county, 24 by the Town of Hempstead, and 12 by the Town of Oyster Bay. The county charges and most of the Hempstead Town charges were visited by this Association in their boarding homes before the 1st of October, and the others are now being visited. The county charges were, with one exception, found to be boarding in good homes where they were treated in every way as members of the family. In the case of one doubtful home, it was found that the child could not be removed on account of legal rights gained by the foster-parents from the deceased parents of the child. Promises of improvement were made, the house was enlarged, and the payment of board was discontinued. One of the county charges was found to be boarding with her own mother, and, on our recommendation, the payment of board is about to be discontinued. The County of Nassau will, therefore, have only & children boarding in family homes.

The 24 children who are boarded in families by the Town of Hempstead are in homes which are, on the whole, somewhat inferior to those in which the County and the Borough of Queens board their charges. Of these 24 children (11 girls, 13 boys), 8 (4 girls and 4 boys), were found to be boarding with either parents or grand-parents. This of course is not boardingout in any proper sense, but is simply an indirect and very undesirable form of out-door relief. Six (2 girls and 4 boys) of these 24 children are colored. While some of the homes are excellent and others fairly satisfactory, a few are undesirable, and the children will undoubtedly be removed by the Town Overseers upon our recommendation.

AGENCY FOR DEPENDENT CHILDREN OF NEWBURGH.

The Agency for Dependent Children, established in October, 1894, by the Committee of this Association for the City and Town of Newburgh, has continued its admirable work for the destitute children of that locality during the past year. The two principal objects of the Agency are a careful supervision of children placed in families from the City of Newburgh, and the finding of such additional free homes in families as may be needed for destitute children who are charges upon public or private charity, in that locality.

At the beginning of the year, October 1, 1897, the Agency had under its supervision 75 children, of whom 57 had been city charges, 8 came from the Home for the Friendless, and 10 from individuals. These children were visited in all cases at least once, and some of them several times during the year; monthly reports were received from the teachers of the public schools attended by the children who are of school age; and correspondence was maintained with the foster-parents and with many of the children. By all these means the Agency has kept itself informed as to the treatment, education, and moral and religious training of these children, and is able to give positive assurance to the citizens of Newburgh that the children to whom that city stands in the position of legal guardian are not neglected or abused, but are receiving the kindly treatment and educational opportunities that in an American city, in these closing years of the 19th century, are recognized as the rightful heritage of every child.

The second object of the Agency is to find additional free, permanent homes for children who become dependent upon public or private charity. By advertisements and other means, 46 applications from families desiring to receive children were received during the year. Applications are carefully investigated by correspondence and by personal visitation. As a result, 20 were, after full investigation, approved, 20 were disapproved, and 6 had not been fully investigated at the close of the year. Of the 20 homes that were approved, 12 were provided with children, of whom 6 had been city charges (5 directly from the Children's Home, and 1 replaced), 3 were from the Home for