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240, must be faced and prevented, and experience showed that when a child was taken, promises of payment were broken, and the mother not infrequently disappeared when she had got rid of her child. I know people are very sensitive as to the admission of this class of child; however, the Society feels that it is dealing on sound principles.”

“But what of children deserted before being handed over to the Society?”

“With regard to that type of case, the Poor Law Guardians alone have the power to put the requisite machinery in force for tracing the parents, and therefore, if the desertion be of recent date, the committee recommends that the child should be placed temporarily under the care of the Poor Law Guardians in order that they may use every effort to trace the parents. Should, however, these efforts fail, the Society treats the application as though it were one relating to an orphan. You will see that our Society is endeavouring to deal with every class of child requiring help, with the exception of the blind, deaf, dumb, weak-minded and imbecile. For these there appears to be sufficient special provision already; but should this not prove to be the fact, it would be quite within the province of the Society to establish special homes for such cases.”

“How are the cases reported to you?”

“Through the local committee—more generally through the parochial clergy, who are attached to the local committee. The parochial clergy