VOL. V.

CONTENTS.

[An address before the Summer School in
Philanthropic Work, July 13, 1900.]

Intentionally, perhaps, the subject

upon which I have been invited to

speak to you a few minutes this

morning — “Co-operation Between

Public and Private Agencies in Car-

ing for Children"-conveys to my

mind no intimation whatever of the

manner in which I am desired to

treat it. Hence, I shall feel at lib-

erty to be guided entirely by my own.

inclinations in dealing with this sub-

ject. Moreover, whatever I may

say must be regarded as in no sense

official, but as purely personal; as

conveying simply my own individual

views, and not meaning to give ex-

No. 10.

pression to those of others. Should
I go too far afield of the intended
scope of the subject, the chairman
will undoubtedly call me to order.

For many years, as perhaps most,

if not all, the members of this class

already know, there has been active,

continuous and practical co-opera-

tion between public and private agen-

cies in caring for children through-

out the entire length and breadth

of the state of New York; from the

southern tier to Plattsburg in the

north, and from Long Island to

Buffalo.

This co-operation has been mainly

in two general directions, although
not, heretofore, of equal potency by
any means, which I shall seek to de-
scribe more particularly hereafter.
These movements have been, appar-
ently, somewhat antagonistic to
each other. As a matter of fact
they are not necessarily at variance
at all, if rightly understood and con-
sidered. To the contrary, as I shall
endeavor to show, where properly
conducted, the efforts of the agencies
to which I refer should prove mutu-
ally helpful, each supplemental of the
other in the great work of uplifting
the dependent, the delinquent, and
the neglected child.

One kind of co-operation in the

direction indicated has consisted largely in placing dependent and delinquent children in institutions, while the other kind has been directed towards getting them out of such institutions, or towards keeping them from getting in.

On the one hand, public officials, such as city magistrates, commissioners of charities, and superintendents "of the poor, especially in the larger cities of the state, have pursuant to the authority vested in them by law, committed children to institutions under private management and control, the care and maintenance of such children to be paid for in most cases by the locality to which they were properly chargeable. On the other hand, private charitable organizations have co-operated with public officials, such as boards of supervisors, commissioners of charities, and superintendents of the poor, particularly in the smaller cities and in the rural communities where the tax rate is a more prominent factor, in securing family homes for dependent children who were already in institutions, or who were likely to be placed in them if family homes were not obtained. In another case to which I shall refer more particularly later on, a private society has undertaken to co-operate with public officials in such a manner as to keep family homes together, where it seems desirable and practicable to do so, by securing needed temporary relief from private societies or individuals, or, possibly, by obtaining

employment for members of the family, thereby removing the necessity of placing the children of such homes in institutions.

New York has not been inclined to follow the example set by some of the Western States, of maintaining children in institutions under its own management and control, with the view of placing them in family homes as soon as possible. To the contrary, it early adopted the course, hereinbefore indicated, of providing for their maintenance in institutions under private management, the cost of the children's care being met by the localities upon which they are properly a charge.

The result of this form of co-operIation has been to assist in building up a large number of institutions for dependent and delinquent children. over which neither the state, nor any political division thereof, has any direct control. At the present time, these institutions, varying greatly in capacity, of course,-some having but a few inmates, while others count them by the thousand or more— number about 180, and contain a population exceeding 44,000. ing the year ending September, 1898. the payments to these institutions from counties, cities, and other public sources, aggregated $2,624,000, while they received from contributions, bequests, and other sources, the additional sum of $3,691,000.

Dur

Those who wish to know more in detail with regard to the statistics of these institutions, can find such

information in the annual reports of the State Board of Charities to the Legislature, which will be found in the principal public libraries of the United States.

This system of co-operation between public officers and private institutions for children, is sanctioned by the Constitution of the state, which provides in Section 14 of Article VIII, as follows: "Nothing in this Constitution contained shall prevent the Legislature from making such provision for the education and support of the blind, the deaf and dumb, and juvenile delinquents, as to it may seem proper; or prevent any county, city, town, or village from providing for the care, support, maintenance, and secular education of inmates of orphan asylums, homes for dependent children, or correctional institutions, whether under public or private control.

"Payments by counties, cities, towns, and villages to charitable eleemosynary, correctional, and reformatory institutions, wholly or partly under private control, for care, support, and maintenance, may be authorized, but shall not be required by the Legislature." And it is also sanctioned by Chapter 754 of the Laws of 1895, as well as by the Charter of the City of New York and other statutes.

Co-operation of this nature between public and private agencies in caring for children has its obvious advantages and disadvantages. There can be no question but that,

so far as their physical well-being is concerned, the dependent and the delinquent children of the Empire State are now, as a general rule, well cared for in these private institutions. In most of them they are able to obtain a good education, including in some instances industrial as well as scholastic branches, together with needed moral instruction.

The institutions are not likely to be affected by political considerations to any material extent, although by no means devoid of influence in this direction, and they are, almost without exception, much more economically conducted than are state institutions.

Viewed from a public administrative standpoint, it is, on the other hand, difficult to secure desirable changes of policy in institutions managed in this way; such, for example, as the early placing out of the children in family homes; the introduction of industrial training, and various other improvements in method that might be specified. To secure such changes must therefore be largely a matter of education and persuasion. Truly a difficult task, but perhaps a more beneficent influence than the use of arbitrary methods.

The custom which, before its gravity was fully recognized, undoubtedly prevailed in full force for a long time, particularly in the city of New York, of regarding the dismemberment of the family and the shelter of the institution as the pan

acea for all the ills that dependent, delinquent, and neglected children were heir to, has undoubtedly resulted in weakening family ties to a very considerable extent. This is the case especially, of course, among those most susceptible to this evil, and, in my estimation, has been decidedly immoral in its tendencies. Instead of seeking to build up the family where it showed such signs of deterioration as to come to the attention of the poor-law officials, or, possibly, in some instances, to that of the police court magistrate, the effort has been in many cases to take away the children, and thus to remove from the parents what should be the strongest possible incentive towards maintaining a decent home.

Recently, in looking over the records of Plymouth Colony, as they have been published by the state of Massachusetts, I was surprised to find that this very custom dated back almost to the landing of the Pilgrims, copied in all probability from some English law, for in the year 1658, the government of the colony enacted a statute as follows: "Whereas, it is observed that divers persons in this Government are not able to provide competent and convenient food and raiment for their children, whereby it is that poor children are exposed unto great want and extremity; it is enacted by the court and the authority thereof, that two or three men shall be chosen in every township of this government that all such as

are not able to provide necessary and convenient food and clothing for their children and will not dispose of them themselves so as they may be better provided for; such said children. shall be disposed of by the said men so appointed as they shall see meet so as they may be comfortably provided for in the premises and the sev eral towns shall return the names of such men as shall be deputed and chosen unto the Court." Certainly a very crude and handy statute, and not one encumbered with any red tape provisions, such as keeping a record of the whereabouts of the children thus transplanted, or of seeing that they are suitably cared for after they were removed from their natural guardians.

From this unfortunate and perilous tendency, and owing, perhaps, in some measure at least, to the rapid increase and growth of children's institutions in this state, a reaction has set in, which seeks to keep family homes together, or, where this is impracticable, to transplant dependent children to such homes, and with the principle behind this movement I am in complete sympathy.

Turning now to co-operation between public and private agencies designed to place children in family. homes and to keep such homes together, we find a movement that has made decided advances in New York state within the past few years. This increased interest and effort have been largely due, I venture to say.