The advocates of the institutional plan and those ulto favor the plaeing-out system have lowg been at swords' points. Each has claimed that the other system did not produce the best results. There i. taking place in .1merieas however, a gradual amalgamation of the two systems. It is now admitted that the institution fosters a pride v.hieli tends to develop the institution at the expense of the child; that life is cult lutes dependence rat her than independenee, Iln the other hand it is admitted that stone children need for a time the training in obedience and in respect for authority which institutional liseipline tires: that ehildren in had physical condition often receive better care in an institution than is possible in the average home; that the work of placing out children must be most carefully done to avoid putting children in bad homes; that it is sometimes hard to find the proper place for a particular child. •o-day institutions are placing out many chil dren, while placing-out agencies arc sending chil dren to institution: for temporary (-are. Both agree that the home is the normal place, and that the place of the institution is to give the neces sary training to tit the child for home life. It has so far been possible to find free homes for most of the children placed out, and the board ing-out system has been in use only in the East.
The general interest in the subject has led to the active participation of the State. In New York, California, Pennsylvania, and, to a lesser degree, in other States, subsidies have been granted from public funds to private societies. The result has not been satisfactory. Large in stitutions have been built up which tend to re ceive children not really dependent for the sake of additional revenue. The result is plainly seen
by comparing New York with 1 dependent child to 200 of population: California, I to 225: Pennsylvania, 1 to GOO, with Ohio. 1 to 1000; Indiana, Ito 1110; Michigan, I to 12,500. Ohio and Indiana have systems of county homes, the various counties individually or in combination maintaining institutions. They plan to place out the children as rapidly as possible. Alichi g,an in 1874 opened what is known as the State Public School (q.v.). All children becoming pub lic charges are sent to this school and are placed out as soon as seems best. The result has been an actual decrease in the number of children de pendent on the State. This system has been adopted in Rhode Island, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Colorado. In Massachusetts and Pennsyl vania the boarding-out system has been largely developed. In the remaining Northern States this work is chiefly left to private initiation. The State homes for the orphans of soldiers and sailors, started soon after the Civil War, have been generally abandoned or turned into orphan asylums. There is now a strong movement to ward State control and supervision of the work for dependent children. New Jersey has organized a State Board of Children's Guardians. Indiana has appointed a State agent, and other States are considering similar proposals. Consult: Wines, Prisons and Child-Sa•ing Institutions (Cam bridge, Mass., 1880) : Hill, Children of the State (London. ISS9) : Folks, care of Destitute, Yeg leetcd, and Delinquent Children (Albany, 1900) ; Henderson, Introduction to Study of Dependents, Defectives, Delinquents (Boston, 1893) ; Report of Committee on History of Child-Saring (Bos ton, 1893). See FOUNDLING HOSPITALS: PUB LIC SCHOOL,