DEPENDENT CHILDREN. A term ap plied to normal children who must he supported by other than their natural guardians. It does not include the deaf and ehnnh, blind, insane. epi leptic, and feeble-minded, who are classified as icctir.s. nor those Of perverse habits, known as jltrenile del i nqurn Is.
In ancient times the Semites placed a higher 'aloe to children than did the Aryans. Among the .1ryans, however, childless families sometimes adopted children. The father in Greece and Nome had practically power of life and death over his children and could sell them into slav ery. 111f:1111 war (4111)1111111. Yet the children left alone were not entirely neglected, and their adoption was encouraged by decrees making them the slave. of those caring for them. Not until after the introduction of Christianity do we find any special attention paid to child-saving. From that time to the present among Europeans and their and wherever Christian mis sionaries have gone. we find increasing attention paid to dependent ehildren.
In the sixth century came the beginnings of Special in-titotions for sued' children in France, and a little later in Italy. (See rot Nng.ixt; lloserrAt.s.i Front these humble beginnings the great institutions now found in all civilized lands have grown. 'rite state has (',tune to recognize that it is rt-ttonsible for the proper (lire of the eltildren, and is Loath' illy eventing its effort. for the sake of its future welfare, 11s well as for that of the children.
From the practice receiving young children into in•titutions to sive their lives there fintli rally developed the belief that soda institutions were even better places for the children than any family home. Hero children would be kept from the It of the world ; here tlit.y would be cared for l'v skilled matrons and taught by chosen le:teller.: here, too. religious instruction would be planted in fruitful .oil. The l'Iturch, under o hose U11111•11.e these institutions arose, encouraged this belief. 'this is the principle underlying all institutional rare for dependent children. The bighting development of this prin ciple is found in the institutions of the Catholic Church and of the llehrews, in which it is possi ble for a child to pass from infancy to maturity, eonstantly guarded from the world. Europe,
except France. has largely followed this method, and it. is widespread iu .1merica.
The older plan of rearing dependent children in family homes has, however, kept a foothold and is latterly coming rapidly to the front. it exists in two forms. In the first the children are board ed out in families. the board being paid by societies organized for the purpose of caring for children or by the State. This has successfully carried on in Scotland and England, but has found its greatest development in .\ us tratia and France. In France n special depart• m•m of the Government, with branches in the provinces, boards t he Children and supervises them until they are twenty-one years of age. No board is paid after the twelfth year, the children being then indentured. in the second form children are placed tail for adoption or are in dentured to persons willing to receive them and in assume all responsibility for their mainly naill'e and education. After the initial expense of finding mid investigating a home, this system costs the public nothing save the expense of supervision to safeguard the interests of the child. This plan has found its chief field in Canada and the United States, In America during colonial limes children werol apprenticed in families or were consigned to the almshouse. It was gradually recognized that the influence of the almshouse was degrading, and the twitting States forbid the practice. It still prevails in the Southern States. Illinois is the only prominent Northern State permitting it. The movement for institutions began about HOO and rapidly spread in the larger eities. Organized effort for placing children in family homes started with the founding of the New' York Cliihlreti's Aid Society in lti,ii. Similar societies are now found in most cities. the first of the children's twine societies was started in Illinois in 14S3. They now exist in twenty-four states, chiefly in the It'est. Their work has been largely outside the big cities.