 |
To
care for homeless children, turn of the century Americans relied
on orphanages. Many of the children who lived in turn of the century
orphanages were not true orphans. Rather, they came from two-parent
or single-parent families that were unable to support them. Many
remained in orphanages temporarily, during a family crisis. Here,
Michael Sharlitt describes conditions in the New York orphanage
in which he was placed in 1887.
Contagion
played havoc with the life. Ringworm of the scalp, trachoma (we
youngsters called it "soreheads" and "sore eyes")
almost annually paid their mean visit one or the other, and sometimes
both. Such contagion would sweep through in wild fashion, making
for prolonged quarantine in a most restricted way. Schooling was
out; play could be enjoyed only under most limited conditions.
It was a case of large groups at a time going into a kind of social
shell hole. Nobody seemed to give a thought to the obvious need
of compensating recreation for the isolated group. And to add
to the depressing picture, closely shaven heads, topped with a
miserable ointment unpleasantly visible, was the only treatment
applied that I can recall. Occasionally, there would be a dysentery
attack going through the place like a swamping tidal wave, and
at night the toilets would be the meanest kind of spectacle .
. . .
Food
was hardly a featured element of the day; breakfast and supper
were alike: a couple of pieces of jelly bread with dubious coffee
at breakfast and sickly looking tea at supper. An extra slice
or two of bread was apportioned among the older children. The
crust at the end of the loaf was always in demand. The noon luncheon
had a show of heavily watered soup, a suggestion of meat, with
a vegetable menu depending on the day of the week an inflexible
arrangement. There was a slight addition on Friday evening in
recognition of the Sabbath eve: a piece of herring broke the monotony
of the bread and tea program.
Michael
Sharlitt, As I Remember, 20, 21
|
|
