Senator MCMILLAN. About alike?

Dr. LORING. Yes, sir.

Senator MCMILLAN. You make no distinction as to whether they are colored or white?

Dr. LORING. No, sir. I would like to state that the death rate, or mortality, is large, as Mr. Mattingly has stated, with respect to the other institution, and it is large at St. Ann's for another reason that does not affect the other institution as much as it does St. Ann's, and that is that the colored children brought there by the police are brought there in baskets. They come from a much lower class than the children of white people do, and from a class of society that knows little of cleanliness. They are thrust into the world hurriedly, without any care, and when they arrive at St. Ann's Infant Asylum they are often in a very desperate and distressing condition. But I can speak in the highest terms of the health of the children that survive. Of course, there is a large percentage that die on account of want of proper treatment before they arrive at the institution, and the rate is much higher among colored children than white.

Representative NORTHWAY. Your institution, in a sense, is doing the same work as the Washington Hospital for Foundlings?

Dr. LORING. Yes, sir; except that we take colored as well as white children.

Representative NORTHWAY. What is the cost? How does it compare with the other foundling hospital?

Dr. LORING. To be frank, those are questions that I am not able to answer. Sister Agnes, the matron, could give you the exact figures, but how it would compare with kindred institutions I could not tell. Representative NORTHWAY. Can you tell what proportion is paid by Congress?

Dr. LORING. Can you answer that question, Dr. Bovee?

Dr. BOVEE. I do not know about other institutions, but here the annual expense is about $13,000, and the appropriation of Congress is 85,400.

Representative NORTHWAY. Is this institution incorporated?
Dr. LORING. It is incorporated, is it not, Dr. Bovee?

Dr. BOVEE. It is incorporated by act of Congress and approved by President Lincoln. Sister Agnes asked me to appear here, but inasmuch as Dr. Loring has covered the case so well, it will not be necessary for me to add much. The location of the asylum you are no doubt all familiar with. It is at the corner of K street and Washington Circle. Its real-estate holdings to-day are valued at $100,000, on which there is no incumbrance. That money was collected entirely from private sources; that is, to secure the site and erect the building. The United States Government has not contributed one cent toward the erection of the building or the purchase of the ground. It was incorporated in 1862 by special act of Congress, which was signed by President Lincoln. The CLERK. February 11, 1863, according to the report of the asylum.

Dr. BOVEE. That is correct. For some years it was supported by contributions from private sources, without any assistance from the United States Government. In 1877 it received its first appropriation, and from that year up to the present time it has been receiving appropriations by Congress. From 1877 to 1887 the appropriation made for its support annually was $5,000, after which it received $6,000 until 1891, when it was $6,500. In 1892 it received $7,079; in 1893, $6,500; in 1894 it was cut down to $3,840; in 1895 it received $5,400, and an

equal amount has been appropriated annually since that time. The annual expenses are as high as $12,000 to $15,000.

The CLERK. As given here, the total cost of maintenance in 1896 was $10,989.86.

Dr. BOVEE. You probably have the figures better than I have. We claim that the asylum is essentially a nonsectarian institution, for the reason that neither the religion or race of the parents are inquired into. A child brought there by the police or left on the doorstep is received. Senator FAULKNER. How is the board of directors constituted? Dr. BOVEE. The asylum is under the charge of the Sisters of Charity. Senator FAULKNER. You have a corporation? You have a board of directors, have you not?

Dr. LORING. There is a medical board.

Dr. BOVEE. It is an incorporated body under the title of the St. Ann's Infant Asylum.

Senator FAULKNER. There must be a board of directors. I understood Dr. Loring to say that most of the board were Protestants. Dr. BOVEE. Not the board of directors, but the medical staff. Representative NORTHWAY. Who has control to select these physi

cians?

Dr. BOVEE. The medical board by vote fills vacancies as they occur. Senator MCMILLAN. Who appoints the medical board?

Dr. BOVEE. I do not know who did originally, but now the medical board fills the vacancies. Three members of the medical board were of the original staff.

Representative NORTHWAY. Then I suppose the asylum is under the absolute control of the Sisters of Charity?

Mr. WELLER. Yes, sir; those who offer their services for the love of God and who receive no compensation. I would ask your committee to consider this fact, that if this institution did not exist the care of these children would be a very serious burden on the people.

Representative NORTHWAY. Is there any endowment?

Dr. BOVEE. None whatever. They depend upon pound parties, such as they are having to-day, and festivals, etc., the proceeds of which go to the institution. The appropriations of Congress would not be suffi cient to maintain it, and they are absolutely dependent upon such things. Sister Agnes asked me to extend to you an invitation to make a personal inspection of the asylum, and they will be glad to see you. The asylum is maintained in the very cleanest way, and just as clean and neat as houses in the best of families are. It would carry conviction with it if you would make a personal inspection of it. If you would like to ask Sister Agnes anything she is here and will be glad to answer any questions.

Senator FAULKNER. I think the ground has been pretty well gone over already and that will not be necessary.

Dr. BOVEE. There is this feature about the question of the Government doing this work itself, and that is, the necessary buildings would have to be erected and the ground purchased, and the interest on the amount that would have to be invested would be considerably above the amount you now contribute for the maintenance of this asylum.

Dr. LORING. I would like to add only a word. Before I became connected in a professional sense with St. Ann's I became somewhat acquainted with the work of the police in regard to foundlings, and my attention was called to the absolute cleanliness of St. Ann's and the mathematical precision with which the work there was carried on, and it is conducted in a thoroughly business-like manner. I have never heard

a murmur of complaint from any of the sisters over a fretful child. They are always kind and pleasant; and, I may say, it is the most healthy set of children I have ever seen in a hospital of the kind.

Representative NORTHWAY. You say there is $100,000 worth of real How is that vested?

estate.

Dr. LORING. I am not familiar with those things.

Mr. MOORE. As shown in Return A of that institution, "in an incorporated body under the title of St. Ann's Infant Asylum."

Senator FAULKNER. In the name of the institution?

Senator MCMILLAN. We will take up the next question. I think that will be all we need from this institution.

Dr. BoVEE. There is one point that I wish to speak of, and that is as to the mortality. I would say that the mortality in all foundling asylums, no matter where they are, is very high on account of the reasons which have been mentioned. Children are brought in in all kinds of conditions-many in a distressing condition-and many of them die within twenty-four hours after reaching the asylum. They may be picked up, as they often are, on a rainy night by a policeman and brought there, and they may not live three hours. I asked the sister to make me a list concerning mortality covering two years--1895 and 1896. For instance, during the year 1896 the mortality was 62.

Senator MCMILLAN. Sixty-two per cent?

Dr. BOVEE. No, sir; 62. The average daily number of children is 130. I do not know just the total number treated. I take it for granted that it would be something like 200 cases. They are coming in all the time, and being sent out at the age of 6 to St. Joseph's and St. Vincent's Orphan Asylums, male and female. The average daily number has been about 130; so I take it for granted that it is about 62 out of 200, but the statistics are not complete on account of not having the total number treated. In 1895 the mortality was 74. Of this number 30 died at the age of 1 month and under; one child at the age of 14 months and one at the age of 17 months. The remaining number at an average age of from 2 to 9 months. In 1896 the figures are about the same-mortality, 62; of this number 23 that died were 1 month of age or under, and 34 from 2 to 9 months. They usually die in the first few months, or in the summer time, from diseases peculiar to the weather. Another thing, you know in these institutions you can not give a child any food so strengthening and healthy as a mother's breast milk; it is pretty hard to get a valuable substitute for breast milk, and in these institutions they have to be fed with artificial food, though they do get wet nurses and put children out in the heated term with wet nurses, and to that is particularly attributed the small mortality they have.

Then as to visiting children. That is limited, of course, to visiting children who have been placed out with nurses, and they are visited two or three times a week. If they are not doing well they are taken away from the woman who has charge of them. They have, so far as they can, the physicians of the hospital staff go out to see the children when they become sick. At the age of 6 the children are sent to St. Joseph's and St. Vincent's Orphan Asylums, down at Tenth and G streets, where they are trained in different directions until they get to be about 15 years of age; and here is the best thing. They send them out into the country-get them homes in the country. I think if we had less people coming from the country to the cities we would have fewer people in the cities to take care of. The farmers are hunting to find someone to work for them; so they are sent out into the country and secured homes there. If a girl shows any aptitude for S. Doc. 185-9

needlework she is sent to St. Rose Industrial School, which is at the corner of Twenty-first and G streets, to be trained in that kind of work. Other girls are also found homes or go out working by the day. I do not know whether you would be interested in knowing about the variety of diseases from which the children in the St. Ann's Asylum die.

Senator MCMILLAN. No, sir; we do not care for that.

Dr. BOVEE. I thought you would not be. I think that is all, then, that I have to say. I will leave these few papers containing statements prepared by Sister Agnes with you, so that they can be filed. The statements referred to are as follows:

ST. ANN'S INFANT ASYLUM, WASHINGTON, D. c.

St. Ann's Infant Asylum receives from Government $5,400 toward its support. The asylum has no other income only charity. It never refuses to admit a worthy object of charity, and there is no question of religion when the case is deserving. It receives all children at any hour of the day or night from the police, many of whom are colored. These children are generally in a very neglectful condition. We have for years received children also from the Humane Society. The children in the asylum are mostly orphans and half orphans. We also keep children for a time of worthy parents who are out of employment and have no means. These are generally the cases sent us by the Humane Society.

The mortality of the infants may seem large, but a moment's reflection on the condition these infants are in when they are brought to the asylum will convince one instantly that the number of deaths is not so great. We seldom ever lose a child over 2 years of age. Our children, we can say, are among the healthiest in the city. During the year 1896 we had daily an average of 130 children.

Number of deaths in St. Ann's during the years 1895 and 1896.

a Of this number, 30 died at the age of 1 month and under, 1 child at the age of 14 months, and 1 at the age of 17 months; the remaining number average from 2 to 9 months.

b Of this number, 23 were 1 month and under; 34 from 2 to 9 months; two 1 year, teething; one years, consumption; two 2 years, complication of diseases.

Pay roll of employees of St. Ann's Infant Asylum of the District of Columbia for the month of April, 1897.

We, the undersigned, acknowledge to have received from Sister Elizabeth Relihan, president, the amounts hereunto set opposite our names, respectively, in full payment of our services for the time specified.

Pay roll of employees of St. Ann's Infant Asylum, etc.—Continued.

I certify that the services charged in the above roll were actually performed, and that the compensations paid were just and reasonable.

SISTER ELIZABETH RELIHAN, President.

THE BOARD OF CHILDREN'S GUARDIANS.

Senator MCMILLAN. We will next hear the officers of the Board of Children's Guardians.

Mr. WILLIAM REDIN WOODWARD. I have a paper which I would submit. It was prepared by Mr. Lewis, our agent and executive officer. It has been considered by the Board and unanimously adopted by them.

Mr. Woodward proceeded with the reading of the paper referred to. Representative NORTHWAY (interrupting). Does your paper deal entirely with the internal workings of the institution?

Mr. WOODWARD. No, sir.

Representative NORTHWAY. Do you deal with the business part of your affairs in the paper?

Mr. WOODWARD. Yes, sir; further along.

Senator MCMILLAN. I do not think we care anything about the rules; it is not necessary to read that. You can just file it.