Deaf and dumb children are placed in institutions of other States. There are 25 now provided for.

Insane and feeble-minded in State Asylum, 431; in county almshouses, 522; in Massachusetts School for Feeble-minded, 4; total, 957.

New Jersey.-The sum of $41,000 has been appropriated for the necessary cottages for the State Village for Epileptics and the administration of the work. The sum of $15,000 was appropriated the previous year for the purchase of land.

An act has been passed creating a State Board of Children's Guardians, being a nonpartisan board of seven persons, of whom two are women, who are appointed by the Governor and serve without compensation. All children who are or become public charges are the wards of this board. The children are to be placed in families

vania, $8,881; blind children, placed in New York and Pennsylvania institutions, $13,355; imbeciles, placed in Connecticut school, $394; deaf-mute children, in New Jersey School for Deaf-mutes, $40,096; insane, at State Hospital, Morris Plains, $323,080; at State Hospital, Trenton, $252,359; county almshouses, $204,714; Home for Disabled Soldiers, $20,500. The total number of defectives is shown to be 5,290, maintained at a cost of $702,820. The total number of dependents is given as 9,139, maintained at a cost of $509,853.

New Mexico.-No official statement procurable. It is learned from unofficial sources that the number of destitute children in the Territory is about 200; sick and injured in hospitals, about 125; deaf-mutes, about 50; insane, 75.

New York. The past year has been noticeable for the number and importance of the bills introduced in the Legislature relating to chari

of the faith of their parents, with or without the payment of board. The expense of the maintenance falls upon the counties, and the expense of the administration upon the State.

It is estimated that there are nearly 2,000 poor in poorhouses in the State.

Destitute children are kept in almshouses and boarded in institutions, etc. They number about 500. (There are also about 3,000 children in private institutions.)

The State maintains no hospitals. The counties maintain their sick poor in the almshouses when necessary. The city hospitals are supported mainly by voluntary subscriptions, with a small city appropriation in some cases.

The number of blind in the State institutions is 43; deaf-mutes, 141; feeble-minded women and children, 307; insane, 3,755. It is estimated by the managers of the Epileptic Village that there are about 2,000 epileptics in the State.

From the latest available detailed report of New Jersey State charities, it is learned that the following expenditures were made for State institutions during a recent year: Institution at Vineland for feeble-minded women and girls, $20,000; feeble-minded children, placed in Pennsyl

ties. Among the more important bills which passed both houses are the following:

A bill conferring upon the city of New York authority to make appropriations to private charitable institutions, and to increase or decrease the amounts which have been fixed by the Legislature in the past to be appropriated annually to specified institutions. This law confers practically unlimited "home rule" upon this city in this particular, and will put an end to the constant legislation authorizing the city to appropriate specific amounts to particular institutions.

A law repealing the special law under which Montgomery County has cared for its poor by the contract system. This plan had given rise to great abuses in that county, and was forbidden by law in all other portions of the State.

A bill providing that officers and employees of State charitable institutions shall be classified into grades, and their salaries and wages fixed by the president of the State Board of Charities and the Comptroller, subject to the approval in writing of the Governor.

A bill requiring plans for all new State institutions and all alterations and additions to ex

isting State institutions to receive the approval of the State Board of Charities.

A bill authorizing cities of the first class to establish hospitals for consumptives outside of their corporate limits.

None of these measures were opposed by any of the prominent charitable societies or institutions of the State; and all of them are therefore presumably in line with the enlightened charitable sentiment of the community.

A bill for the establishment of a State hospital in the Adirondack mountains for the treatment of incipient pulmonary tuberculosis, which was championed by the medical societies of the State and by the leading charitable organizations in New York city, failed to pass.

Among the bills introduced which were opposed either by the State Board of Charities or by the leading charitable societies of New York city, or both, and which failed of passage, were the following:

A bill to re-establish the free distribution of coal to the poor by the city of New York. The defeat of this bill in two successive years may justly be regarded as a signal triumph for charityorganization principles.

A bill for the creation of a local board of public charities in the borough of Queens, New York city, and re-establishing a system of public outdoor relief in that borough. The purpose of this bill was to restore the borough of Queens, so far as the relief of the poor is concerned, to its position prior to consolidation with New York city. The so-called destitute mothers' bill, authorizing the payment of public funds in New York city to widows for the support of their children instead of committing them to institutions. This was the third year in which this project had come before the Legislature, and on every occasion it has been defeated by the united efforts of the general charitable agencies of the city.

In New York city the system of caring for destitute children is through public support in private institutions. In the revised Constitution, taking effect Jan. 1, 1895, the State Board of Charities is directed to establish rules and regulations concerning the reception and retention of such inmates, and public money is to be

paid only for the support of inmates received and retained under such rules. The rules established by the State Board of Charities led to a decrease in the number of juvenile dependents throughout the State, but more particularly in New York city, where the number decreased from 16,858, Oct. 1, 1894, to 15,745, Oct. 1, 1897. During 1898, however, there was a considerable increase in the number of children who became public charges. A special committee of the State Board of Charities is now investigating the cause of this in

crease.

Several advances have been made in the care of destitute children. Perhaps the most important of these is the establishment of a system of co-operation between the Charity Organization Society and the Department of Public Charities as to the commitment of destitute children as public charges. An agent of the Charity Organization Society visits the office of the Charities Department twice daily, and considers all applications for the commitment of destitute children to institutions. Whenever it is found that the parents are of good character and should be enabled to keep their children at home, the Charity Organization Society takes the case under its charge and provides such material relief-groceries, rent, fuel, clothing, etc.-as may be needed. The Charity Organization Society is strongly supported in this work by the Society of St. Vincent de Paul and the United Hebrew Charities. From July 1, 1898, to May 1, 1899, of 1,126 children whose commitment had been applied for, 327 were taken under the charge of the Charity Organization Society.

In 156 cases the commitment had already been decided upon, and was prevented by the direct intervention and offer of assistance by the Charity Organization Society. It is certain that most of the remaining 171 cases would have been committed had it not been for the newly established system of co-operation. A similar plan is being put in operation in Brooklyn by the Brooklyn Children's Aid Society and the Bureau of Charities.

There has also been an increase in the efforts

to place out children in families. Most significant is the establishment of the Catholic Home

Rome State Custodial Asylum..

350

State Women's Relief Corps

Home..

52

75,735.77

81,735.77

6,041.73

Total

82.588.07

Bureau for Dependent Children, the object of which is to provide homes in families for destitute Catholic children. The State Charities Aid Association has also extended the work already carried on by several of its county committees in placing children in families, and now has two agents whose time is devoted almost wholly to this work. The Children's Aid Society has also undertaken the placing out of children in New York State to a larger extent than formerly. The Training School in Practical Philanthropy, conducted by the Charity Organization Society during the summer of 1898, was extremely successful. An interesting account of the school is given in the Review of Reviews for February, 1899. A similar school will be conducted during the summer of 1899.

In Buffalo, through the active efforts of the Charity Organization Society, the city appropriation for outdoor relief has been reduced from $118,585 to $85,900.

There has been a steady and satisfactory development of the system of State care and maintenance of the insane. The appropriation for the support of the insane, as fixed by the Legislature of 1899, is $4,795,100, as compared with $4,902,201.37 in 1898. A second homeopathic hospital for the insane has been opened during the year, with accommodations for 300 patients. Additional accommodations for about 1,200 patients have been provided during the year, and buildings to accommodate 2,200 patients are now in course of erection at Central Islip. When all the buildings now in course of construction are finished, the overcrowding, which was extremely serious when the New York and Kings County asylums became a part of the State system, will

be relieved.

The census of charitable institutions in the State of New York on Oct. 1, 1898, as detailed below, is given at the close of the report of Homer Folks, State corresponding secretary, from which the above statements are taken. As compared with Oct. 1, 1897, there is an increase of 2,357 inmates of charitable institutions, and of 703 in hospitals for the insane.

The number of aged and friendless persons cared for by the State is reported as 6,627; almshouse inmates, 11,788; blind, 723; deaf, 1,721; dependent children, 31,090; disabled soldiers and sailors, 1,354; epileptics in almshouses, 193; epileptics in Craig colony, 322; hospital patients, 9,622; idiotic and feeble-minded in State institutions, 1,288; insane in private asylums, 855; insane in State hospitals, 21,531.

;

The insane asylums and hospitals include: State Emigrant Insane Asylum, Ward's island: nominal capacity, ; daily average number, Binghamton State Hospital: nominal capacity, 1,300; daily average number, 1,249; Bloomingdale, White Plains: nominal capacity, 375; daily average number, 318; Buffalo State Hospital for the Insane: nominal capacity, 1,631; daily average number, 1,519; Hudson River State Hospital, Poughkeepsie: nominal capacity, 1,970; daily average number, 1,813; Long Island Home (Limited), Amityville: nominal capacity, 114; daily average number, 95; Long Island State Hospital: nominal capacity, 2.075; daily average number, ; Manhattan State Hospital: nominal capacity, 5,619; daily average number, 6,713; Matteawan State Hospital, Fishkill-on-the-Hudson: nominal capacity, 550; daily average number, 662; Middletown State Homœopathic Hospital: nominal capacity, 1,068; daily average number, 1,218; Rochester State Hospital: nominal capacity, 462; daily average number, 553; Sanford

Hall, Flushing: nominal capacity, 36; daily average number, 29; Utica State Hospital: nominal capacity, 1,133; daily average number, 1,014; Willard State Hospital: nominal capacity, 2,270; daily average number, 2,256.

Buffalo General Hospital reports as follows: Total receipts, $56,401; total expenditures, $61,713; number of beds, 154; daily average number of beds occupied, 127; number of in-patients, 2,087; number of out-patients, 0000; cost per inpatient per day, $1.30.

Other general hospitals are: The Presbyterian Hospital, New York city. Total receipts, $82,736; total expenditures, $167,323; number of beds, 330; daily average number of beds occupied, 178; number of in-patients, 3,048; out-patients, 20,105; cost per in-patient per day, $2.48.

Roosevelt Hospital, New York city. Total receipts, $139,957; total expenditures, $163,469; number of beds, 223; daily average number of beds occupied, 161; number of in-patients, 3,134; number of out-patients, 25,738; cost per in-patient per day, $1.95.

St. Luke's Hospital, New York city. Total receipts, $143,837; total expenditures, $165,399; number of beds, 300; daily average number of beds occupied, 225; number of in-patients, 2,656; number of out-patients, 3,741; cost per in-patient per day, $1.77.

North Carolina.—According to the State reports, the appropriation for two years, 1897-'98, under the heading of deaf, dumb, and blind was $227,500. For two insane asylums the appropriation given was $190,900.

The principal changes made by the General Assembly of 1899 pertain to the insane. The whole body of the statutes as passed and amended in various years was codified, rearranged, simplified in the direction of less publicity in cases of inquisition for insanity, and all the institutions for the insane given one law instead of operating, as heretofore, under different acts.

Provision was made for the first time in this State for the licensing of private institutions for the insane; also for private homes for the feebleminded, epileptics, inebriates, etc. License is to be issued by the Board of Public Charities, such institutions to be operated under rules and regulations of said board; to render reports Jan. 1 and July 1 of each year to the Board of Public Charities; and to be subject to its frequent inspections. License revokable before the Superior Court of Wake County (in which the capital is situated), for willful violation or neglect of said rules.

The Board of Charities now has inspecting and supervising power over all county institutions for said classes or municipal asylums, and also retains former privileges in regard to all State charitable institutions.

The institutions for the insane, deaf, blind, orphans, and veterans are all providing for an increase in numbers, are doing better work, and are more fully appreciated than ever before. The percentage of cures upon admissions has reached about 60 per cent. in the asylums for the white race. New buildings for schoolroom purposes, costing $25,000 each, have been erected for the deaf-mutes and the blind at Morganton and Raleigh, and large improvements have been made to the Colored Deaf-mute and Blind Institution.

For dormitories $5,000 additional was voted to the Deaf-mute School at Raleigh, and $5,000 additional for improvements to the Soldiers' Home, and an increase of its annual appropriation from $8.500 to $10.000.

The Oxford Orphan Asylum contains: White, 214; colored, 134 (separate institutions).

The deaf and dumb and blind are taken care of at Raleigh, where there are 316 pupils; deaf and dumb, Morganton, 200.

At the time of the last report the State was caring in their own institutions for insane: At the State Hospital, Raleigh, white, 413; State Hospital, Morganton, white, 906; Goldsboro, colored, 430; total, 1,749.

The above returns do not include several hundred insane and feeble-minded in county homes. Criminals deemed dangerously insane-i. e., persons committing or attempting to commit homicide, arson, and the like while insane and of previous good character-are now taken to special divisions in the State hospitals, instead of to the Penitentiary, as heretofore.

It is difficult to arrive at the correct number

of persons living upon public alms, as all the counties are not provided with homes for the aged and infirm, some preferring to pay monthly sums to the poor or their friends. But, as far as can be ascertained from the returns made by the county visitors, the number in the homes may be estimated at 1,550; and those provided for wholly or in part outside of the homes, formerly "poorhouses," may be estimated at 3,625.

The State provides for 105 Confederate veterans in the Soldiers' Home, and expends over $100,000 annually in pensions to her veterans in addition. North Dakota.-The State appropriations for charitable institutions for fifteen months ending July, 1898, included the following: Deaf and dumb, $19,250, with 50 pupils in one institution; insane, $109,750, with 353 patients in one institution; Soldiers' Home, $12,200, with 29 inmates.

There is no board of charities and corrections in this State. The buildings occupied by the School for the Deaf and the Hospital for Insane are inadequate in accommodation. Additional appropriations have been asked for.

Ohio. The poor laws were codified by the Legislature at its last session. As at present arranged, they have met with general approval, and continue to grow in favor. The results, briefly stated, show a better care for the poor, indoor and outdoor, and a large reduction in the amount expended for outdoor relief. Two hundred thousand dollars is a conservative estimate of the annual saving under the new system in the State.

A united effort on the part of the Board of State Charities, infirmary officials, and boards of county visitors will be made to secure adequate and early appropriations for carrying into effect the requirement of the new law relating to the care of the insane and epileptic. On and after June 1, 1900, it becomes unlawful to receive or maintain these people in the county infirmaries.

The new State Hospital at Massillon was opened for the reception of inmates Sept. 6, 1898, and now has a population of about 400. New cottages are being built, and by the close of the present year (1899) accommodations will be ready for about 800 inmates.

The Board of State Charities has renewed its recommendation, frequently made heretofore, for some provision for crippled and deformed children. A census recently taken by the secretary of the board shows a large number of such children in county homes and infirmaries. A small number of these children have received treatment either in the children's hospitals or in the several homes. The general success attending their treatment has been sufficient to demonstrate the wisdom of providing in some way for the earliest and best treatment possible for this class of defectives.

Another matter that is crowding attention is the total lack of any provision for discharged prisoners. Nothing tangible has been accomplished up to this time; but a public sentiment is growing and forming on this question, and there are those who are not without hope that something will be done for these men in the near future.

The present condition of the State charitable institutions is highly satisfactory.

The following statement shows the distribution of destitutes and defectives:

The poor in poorhouses or county infirmaries (89 in number), 8,933 inmates.

Destitute children are provided for: In children's homes (42 homes reporting), 2,017 inmates; Ohio Soldiers' and Sailors' Orphans' Home, 922; House of Refuge, Cincinnati, 445.

Sick and injured are cared for in the Ohio Soldiers' and Sailors' Home, 1,202 inmates.

The blind are kept in the Institution for the Blind, 298 pupils; deaf-mutes in the Institution for the Deaf and Dumb, 470 pupils; feeble-minded