cared for during the hours of work, the parents bringing them in the morning and claiming them at night, paying five cents a day for their care. The use of a house, originally leased for a ragged school, on Illinois street, near the Lake, was offered to the ladies, and was occupied through the summer, when, the number of children having increased from six to twenty five, a larger building was rented on Market street. In the spring of 1861 another removal was necessary, owing to the increase of applicants, and a house was taken on Ohio street. About this time, the circumstances of many of the poor mothers made it a kindness to supply lodgings for their children, and the plan of the institution was somewhat modified and enlarged to suit the need. In 1862, the large house on the corner of Michigan and Pine streets was rented and occupied until 1865, when the present location was secured. In the meantime, a charter had been granted by the legislature, and the charity had so increased its working, that it became desir able to hire a teacher. For three years, the older children have had the advantage of thorough training in vocal music and ail the ordinary branches of common school education. A Sunday school has been carefully conducted, and during the past year, a sewing school has been formed for the improvement of the girls.

The chief design of this charity is to "help the poor to help themselves;" giving the safety and comforts of a home to the child, while the parent is left free to earn a support. No surrender of a child is ever made, and the hope always remains of claiming it whenever improved circumstances make it possible.

Those placing children in the asylum agree to pay a board, ranging from fifty cents to one dollar per week, for those over eighteen months old; for infants requiring the use of a nurse, the price is from two to three dollars, according to the ability of the applicant, though frequent exceptions have been made to these rules in cases of sickness or extreme poverty.

The average number of children for the year has been seventyfive, taxing, to the uttermost, the means of accommodation, which, in a rented house, built for an ordinary family, are necessarily limited. A large number of applicants have been refused every month through want of room and means.

Attendance at the school averages sixty-eight. The school has been well conducted; the children making good proficiency in reading, spelling, and common arithmetic. The present matron Vol. I-28

has been in charge three years, and has maintained order and good management throughout the house. The sanitary condition of the children was never better than at present, but three deaths, and those infants, having occurred during the year. A physician of skill is in attendance, visiting the asylum twice a week, and oftener if occasion requires. During the past winter, Rev. Mr. Wells has conducted morning prayer in the school room, and, by his efforts, a number of books and other articles have been contributed to the school. A Sunday school has also been under his supervision.

PROTESTANT Orphan Asylum.-Miss Emily Swan, matron. The following statements show the work performed during the year 1869:

Number in the asylum Jan. 1st, 1869 ....
received during the year

66

No. remaining in asylum Jan. 1st, 1870.............

43

153-196

108

20- 128

68

The whole number of deaths have been twenty; of this num-

Diseases arising from defective nutrition, occurring
in infants of from one week to three months of age..

743

Total....

Total receipts, 1869. ..

Total disbursements..

6

20

$11,898 06

8,736 34

"B."

NOTES ON THE CONSTRUCTION OF JAILS.

NOTES ON THE CONSTRUCTION OF JAILS.

1. The common jails of the United States-we speak of the generality of them—are unsafe. They are

(a.) Unsafe with respect to the detention of the prisoners;

(b.) Unsafe with respect to the lives and limbs of the jailors;

(c.) Unsafe (in many cases) with respect to fire;

(d.) Unsafe from the facility afforded to mobs to break into them;

(e.) Unsafe because, from their construction, persons from without may, at pleasure, convey tools, weapons and liquor to the prisoners within.

The great cause of insecurity is, that the jails are so ill-constructed that the jailor cannot see what is going on in the prison, without being seen himself. When mischief is brewing, he cannot get to the scene of it, without giving notice of his approach to the mischief-makers, long enough beforehand to enable them to remove all evidences of the mischief contemplated. In a word, the jails are so constructed that the jailor cannot exercise due vigilance and supervision.

2. Our jails are unhealthy. They are so because

(a.) They are, most of them, wholly without artificial ventilation, and all of them are imperfectly ventilated;

(6.) Many of them are so situated that they exclude the sunlight, which is a most important hygienic element;

(c.) They are generally damp, from imperfect drainage;

(d.) Very many of them are filthy, because it is so difficult to clean them;

(e.) Most of them are ill-supplied with water for washing and bathing.

3. Our jails are productive of immorality and crime, mainly by reason of their defective construction.

(a.) A large number of them interpose no obstacle to the male and female prisoners talking with and seeing each other, thus mutually inflaming the passions;

(6.) Much of the prisoners' time is spent in gambling;

(c.) The tyros in crime constantly associate with the adepts.

If it be asked why the jailors do not keep their prisoners confined separately in their cells, the answer is, that very few jails have a sufficient number of cells to keep them separate, and those where the number is sufficient are o unwholesome that the health of the prisoners would be destroyed, if they did not have access to the corridors in the day time. If it be asked why jailors permit gambling and dr nking in the prisons, the answer is, that they cannot help it. The jailor cannot enter the jail without turning his key and making a noise, which gives the prisoners time enough to secrete all evidences of their guilt before he gets to them.

4. The jails are the cause of great injustice,

(a.) Witnesses, altogether guiltless of crime, are compelled to associate with the vilest off-scouring of creation. The law forbids this, but a large proportion of the jails are so constructed that the lan cannot be obeyed;

(b.) Persons simply accused of crime, many of whom afterwards prove to be innocent, are herded with convicted criminals;

(c) The insane, temporarily lodged there for security, are mingled with convicted felons;

(d) Debtors are also compelled to mix with criminals.

It is not wonderful that our existing prison architecture is a failure, when we consider that the whole charge of building jails falls, in most states of the Union, on the boards of county supervisors, county commissioners, or some similar body.

When a jail is to be built, the board appoints a committee of their own body with power to make the plans and erect the building. This committee usually consists of some merchant, lawyer, or mechanic from the county-town, and three or four farmers from the outlying county-towns. Doubtless they are worthy and intelligent men. They may be excellent and substantial farmers, who would be just the men to build model barns and stables and corn-cribs, because they know exactly what constitutes the excellencies and defects of their own and their neighbor's farm buildings; and they would be able to reproduce the one and avoid the other. But they have not the slightest idea of what is an excellence or what a defect in a jail. They have never seen any jail but that in their own county, and so they visit those in one or two contiguous counties; but they do not know to what points to direct their attention, and therefore fail in gathering much wisdom from the inspection. They have a vague idea that a jail must be a very strong place, with plenty of stone or brick and iron about it; and if they put in these materials in sufficient quantity, they cannot understand why they should not have a perfect jail. Unfortunately, they have not the remotest idea that these materials may be as weak as paper and putty if they are distributed improperly. We have in our minds a jail with ponderous walls and massive iron gratings, sufficient to withstand a beseiging army; but the floor beneath the cell doors consists of flag-stones which can be tilted up with a case knife. This gives the prisoners access to the cellar, which has no other security than glass windows. Another ponderous structure has a privy which has a wall one brick thick, that communicates with an open lot. The prisoners, who love liberty better than clean clothing, can, at any time, by getting into the vault and digging out the mortar around one brick, readily release themselves. Nor are these the only jails of the kind described, which occur to our recollection. In a word, these committees of county supervisors or county commissioners have no idea of what a jail should be, or should not be; and it is therefore by no means surprising that they should utterly fail in accomplishing successfully the work with which they are charged. Sometimes professed architects are employed to make the plans. But this does not mend the matter much, because very few architects have ever had any experience in the erection of jails, and without knowing distinctly, beforehand, what he is to do, and what he is to avoid, an architect cannot accomplish that which it is the main object of a jail to effect, although he may gratify the eye with the finest architectural effects.

In order to obtain a model jail, it is necessary—

1. To have an open lot, which cannot be overshadowed by contiguous buildings. 2. The site selected should not be stony; at least the stones accessible should not be large enough to be used as weapons of offense.

3. It should have good natural facilities for drainage.