Chapter XXXIV: What Shall Be Done with Foundlings?

The Need of Shelter for Illegitimate Children--Their Numbers in European Cities--Estimated Number in New York--Number of Still-births--Relation of Illegitimacy to Crime--Statistics in France--Foundling Asylums--Terrible Mortality of London Foundling Hospital, also of St Petersburg and Paris Hospitals--Former Great Mortality of Infant-Hospital in New York--Recent Improvement--Mortality of the Massachusetts Alms-house, and in Dorchester Infant-Asylum--Great Difficulty in Raising a Child without a Nurse or its Mother--Best Course is, "PLACING-OUT SYSTEM"--Great Success of "Bureau of Ste. Apolline"--Mortality Greatly Reduced--Children Scattered over France--The Outlay by the Government--The Moral Effects--This Bureau to be Distinguished from Private Bureaus--The Boarding out in Hamburg, in Berlin, in Dublin--The FAMILY PLAN--Tendency of all Civilized Countries towards this Plan--All the Illegitimate Children in this City might be Placed out in Country Homes--Duties of the Legislature in regard to Illegitimacy--Objections to the French Turning-tables--Too Great Laxness Injurious--The New York Law too Severe......................pp. 404-417