CHARITIES OF THE UNITED STATES. 



143 



Three hospitals, to be known as miners' hos- 

 pitals, were provided for, and $22,000 given to 

 each. One is to be located on the Monongahela, 

 in the Fairmont coal region ; one in the Kanawha 

 valley; and the other on the Norfolk and West- 

 ern Railroad, in the southern part of the State. 

 Under certain conditions patients other than 

 miners may be admitted to these hospitals, small 

 fees being charged for treatment. The Children's 

 Home Society, which has been doing such excel- 

 lent work as a private institution, is now recog- 

 nized by the State. A board of managers has 

 been appointed by the Governor, and a small ap- 

 propriation made to assist in its philanthropic 

 work. 



No statistics are available concerning poor in 

 poorhouses, but it is believed this class will aver- 

 age 15 to each county in poorhouses. 



The Children's Home Society, recently incor- 

 porated, finds homes for destitute children, and 

 makes temporary provision for them. 



The sick and injured in towns and cities are 

 cared for by the municipal authorities, and in 

 country districts the county court usually makes 

 provision when those benevolently inclined fail 

 in this duty. 



The number of blind cared for by the State 

 includes 32 males, 31 females; total, 63. Deaf 

 and mute, 125 ; deaf or mute, 15 ; total. 140. 



A home is now being erected for feeble-minded 

 children at Huntington. 



The insane of the State are in two hospitals, 

 one at Weston and the other at Spencer. The 

 total number of patients in these two institu- 

 tions is 1,373. 



Wisconsin. Public sentiment, as expressed 

 through the Legislature, continues favorable to 

 liberal provision for the wards of the State. The 

 estimate of the Board of Control for $895,000 for 

 the maintenance of the State charitable and penal 

 institutions for two years was appropriated with- 

 out any reduction and without a dissenting vote. 

 Liberal special appropriations were also made for 

 extensions and improvements, among which were 

 $161,000 to complete the Home for the Feeble- 

 minded. 



The Home for Feeble-minded at Chippewa Falls 

 is full, and several hundred applications are on 

 file. This institution, organized three years ago 

 and opened two years since, has about 400 in- 

 mates, embracing all grades of mental deficiency. 

 Room will be provided for 200 more at once in 

 three dormitory buildings, and in addition an 

 administration building and a schoolhouse will 

 be built. 



The poor remaining in poorhouse at the last 

 report was 882, of whom 595 were males, 287 fe- 

 males. Of this number, 467 were over sixty 

 years old. 



Very few children are in poorhouses. Only 37 

 under sixteen years of age, none of whom were 

 of sound mind and body, had been in almshouses 

 during the year. 



The State Public School, the Children's Home 

 Society, and religious orphanages take care of 

 every sound destitute child. 



The State does not maintain hospitals, most 

 of which are supported by churches, benevolent 

 corporations, or mutual-aid societies. 



The number of blind in the State School of the 

 Blind during the year was 144. 



At the State School for the Deaf the attendance 

 was 232, while about 100 attended the day schools 

 for the deaf, to the support of which the State 

 pays $150 for each pupil. 



The number of feeble-minded children in the 

 Home for Feeble-minded was 399. A large num- 



ber of idiots are still in poorhouses and county 

 asylums. 



On Sept. 30, 1898, there were 1,314 insane in 

 the two State hospitals and the Milwaukee 

 County Hospital, and 3,230 in the 20 county asy- 

 lums, which constitute what is called the " Wis- 

 consin system." 



Wyoming. The expenses of the State in 1898 

 under the heading, of deaf, dumb, and blind 

 amounted to $1,950. The amount estimated 

 under the heading of insane for the year ending 

 October, 1898, was $42,000, with 77 patients. The 

 estimated expenses for hospitals, 1898, is given 

 as $25,000, with 313 patients. An item of $16,000 

 is shown as expended for the Soldiers' Home. 



Almshouses. Cities. In the Federal report 

 prepared by the Commissioner of Labor in com- 

 pliance with an act passed July 1, 1898, and pub- 

 lished during September, 1899, appear valuable 

 statistics concerning charitable institutions in 140 

 cities of the United States. Under the heading 

 of almshouses, it is reported that these institu- 

 tions exist in only 49 cities out of the whole 

 number. New York and St. Louis possess 3 

 each. Boston, Charleston, S. C., and Newport,. 

 Ky., have 2 each, and the following cities are 

 credited each with a single almshouse: Albany, 

 N. Y.; Allegheny, Pa.; Baltimore, Md.; Bridge- 

 port, Conn.; Brockton, Mass.; Cambridge, Mass.; 

 Cincinnati, Ohio; Covington, Ky.; Dayton, Ohio; 

 Duluth, Minn.; Elizabeth, N. J.; Fall River,. 

 Mass. ; Gloucester, Mass. ; Hartford, Conn. ; Ha- 

 verhill, Mass.; Holyoke, Mass.; Lawrence, Mass.; 

 Louisville, Ky. ; Lowell, Mass.; Lynn, Mass.; 

 Maiden, Mass.; Manchester, N. H.; Newark, 

 N. J. ; New Bedford, Mass.; New Haven, Conn.; 

 Norfolk, Va.; Paterson, N. J.; Pawtucket, R. I.; 

 Philadelphia, Pa. ; Pittsburg, Pa. ; Portland, Me. ; 

 Providence, R. I.; Richmond, Va.; St. Paul r 

 Minn.; Salem, Mass.; San Francisco, Cal.; Scran- 

 ton, Pa.; Springfield, Mass.; Springfield, Ohio; 

 Taunton, Mass.; Trenton, N. J.; Washington,. 

 D. C. ; Williamsport, Pa.; and Worcester, Mass. 



Taking the cities by States, it will be seen from 

 the above that there is an almshouse in every 

 important municipality of Massachusetts, there 

 being a total of 17 in 16 cities and towns. Next 

 in order of numbers comes Pennsylvania, with 

 5 almshouses in the 5 leading cities. Kentucky, 

 New Jersey, and New York have 4 almshouse* 

 each; Connecticut, Missouri, and Ohio have 3 

 each; Minnesota, Rhode Island, South Carolina, 

 and Virginia, 2 each; and California, District of 

 Columbia, Maine, Maryland, and New Hamp- 

 shire, 1 each. 



There are, according to the report above quoted,. 

 4,247 paupers in the city almshouses of New York 

 State; 2,701 in those of Massachusetts; 2,293 in 

 those of Pennsylvania. In number of paupers in 

 city almshouses, the other States rank as follow: 

 Missouri, 2,101; Maryland, 1,250; California, 961; 

 Connecticut, 807 ; Kentucky, 348 ; New Jersey,. 

 344; Virginia, 317; District of Columbia, 211; 

 Ohio, 210; South Carolina, 157; Maine, 146; 

 Rhode Island, 125; Minnesota, 119; New Hamp- 

 shire, 3. 



Orphan Asylums. Cities. The reports from 

 the 140 cities referred to elsewhere show that in 

 7 only are there orphan asylums supported from 

 municipal funds. These institutions are located 

 at Charleston, S. C.; Columbus, Ohio; Lynn, 

 Mass.; New York, N. Y.; Pittsburg, Pa.; Spring- 

 field, Ohio; and Washington, D. C. The largest 

 is in New York city. It contains 1,181 inmates. 

 The next largest is the asylum at Charleston, 

 S. C., having 275 inmates. Then follow, in their 

 order, Washington, D. C., 104 inmates; Spring- 



