BENEVOLENT INSTITUTIONS 27 



chiefly of an educational nature, are naturally for the greater 

 part of public origin. The pul^lic institutions for the deaf and 

 blind contain more than 70 per cent of the inmates of all such 

 institutions, and show more than 86 per cent of all admissions. 

 The number of deaf and blind under the care of ecclesiastical 

 institutions is almost a negligible quantity. It is true, how- 

 ever, that the deaf and blind under institutional care are far 

 less in number than any of the other classes. 



Statements were sought from each institution covering: 

 (1) the amount of annual subsidies from public funds; (2) the 

 amount of income from pay inmates during 1903; and (3) the 

 cost of maintenance during 1903, exclusive of improvements. 

 Entirely satisfactory responses could not always be secured. 

 A total of 43 institutions did not report the amount of annual 

 subsidy from public funds, 225 omitted to give income, if any, 

 from pay inmates, and 241 failed to supply cost of main- 

 tenance. Aside from a not uncommon 'reluctance on the 

 part of institutions to give even the general facts con- 

 cerning income and cost, it appears that some institutions 

 actually keep no adequate records, while others depend chiefly 

 upon donations of all kinds, the value of which is not easily 

 translatable into dollars and cents. It must not be under- 

 stood, however, that the absence of statements greatly in- 

 fluences the totals. As a matter of fact, most of the institu- 

 tions from which financial statements are lacking are among 

 the smallest of their kind. For general purposes the statistics 

 of the extent to which institutions are subsidized out of public 

 treasuries may be considered complete. The cost of mainte- 

 nance as given is probably an understatement of from $200,000 

 to $500,000. 



For the whole of the United States the gross cost of main- 

 taining benevolent institutions in 1903, exclusive of improve- 

 ments, was $55,577,633, or, excepting the cost of institutions 

 for the deaf and blind, $52,053,950. Deducting the income 

 from pay inmates, the cost of maintenance was $40,729,125, 

 and, exclusive of institutions for the deaf and blind, $37,306,- 

 135. 



The above gross cost of maintaining all benevolent insti- 



