Orphans find homes

• New York children placed in good Iowa homes

According to schedule time, a party of 12 orphan children ranging from two and a-half years to the age of 14 were brought to Osceola by the New York Children Aid Society.

Mr. H. D. Clark was in Osceola in advance with two little boys brought from Corning, Iowa, and as the train was an hour late getting into Osceola, he interested the waiting crowd at Touet’s Opera House in a talk upon the work of his society.

The New York Aid Society was founded in 1851 by a Mr. Bruce. It grew until it had a wide scope and cared for more wards than the largest state institutions. He began work in New York City by taking the boys from the streets.

There were industrial and farm schools, baby missions, home for fallen girls and other branches. The system grew until there were 25 of those schools over the city.

There were 90,000 children in New York City who could not get into public schools. The city was so large and growing so fast it was impossible to furnish school room.

A half million emigrants landed on the shores each year, all with but little money. In numbers of cases, parents died leaving their children at the mercies of the world. Often drunken parents beat their children.

In large cities second marriages often resulted in children by the first marriage being thrown into an orphan home.

The society was supported largely by contributions from the wealthy people of New York City that saw the need of taking the children out of gutters and giving them benefits of good Christian homes.

Mr. Clark told how the children lived in hovels of one room, perhaps 10- by 12-feet with parents, all huddled together. They grew up like plants out of sunshine. One of the good works of the society was fresh air mission’s homes on the beach where the children could play in the sand and enjoy the sunshine.

Mr. Clark wanted to place the children in farmer homes as that was the ideal place in which to bring up children.

About 11:15, the train came directly from New York with a party of 12 children, placed in the charge of a society worker and a nurse.

They had ridden for 48 hours, but were still a presentable lot, and looked as bright and cheerful as any children. There were nine boys and three girls direct from New York and three boys brought from other places.

The applications made to the committee numbered more than 30. After due consideration of the applications by the agents of the society, the children were given homes. Five were taken by families in Murray and the Murray area. The rest to families in Osceola and the Osceola area. 1904.