Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 3.djvu/797

 THE RELIEF AND CARE OF DEPENDENTS 783

be considered, we find that they have all adopted more or effective methods of placing children with families to be cared for and educated. The child is placed with a family upon a written contract. This contract specifies how much schooling, etc., it shall receive, and provides for its treatment as a member of the family. The parties to the contract are the officer or agent of the institution placing the child, and the head of the family receiving it. This contract may, in all cases, be abrogated by the former party whenever the child's welfare may be thereby furthered. When the care of a child placed with a family is not paid for, it is said to be "placed out;" when paid for, "boarded out."

In accordance with her "children's act" of 1875, New York removed all her normal children from the almshouse and placed them in private asylums at public expense, the law providing that, in the selection of institutions, preference should be given sectarian institutions of the child's religious faith. This sub- sidy system led to great abuses. As a result of these a law was enacted in 1884 providing that no child should be supported at public expense until the case had been examined by the court and it had been found that there was no relative under legal obligation to support the child in question. 1 Further control over the institutions was secured in 1894, when a law was enacted providing that they could be incorporated only with the consent of, and upon the conditions imposed by, the state board of char- ities. 2 Most dependent children are thus sent to these institu- tions at county or town expense (New York has both county

'Ch. 438, Laws of 1884.

Ch. 171, Laws of 1894. The section of the law referred to reads: "No in tion [caring for children] shall be incorporated for any of the purposes mentioned in this section except with the written consent and approbation of a justice of th< supreme court, upon the certificate in writing of the state board of charities appi the organization and incorporation of such an institution. The said board of charities may apply to the supreme court for the cancellation of any certificate of incorporation previously filed without its approval, and may institute and maintain an action in such court, through the attorney general, to procure a judgment dissolving an corporation not so incorporated and ( ts corporate rights and privileges and

franchises."