The following communication from Charles F. Coffin,, of Indiana, who was unable to be present, was submitted on Thursday morning by the Chairman of the Committee on Preventive Work Among Children:

In accordance with the request of your President, I beg leave to submit the following report on the "International Congress for the Protection of Children, held at Paris, France, from the 15th to the 23d of June last. Mrs. Coffin and myself had the privilege of attending as delegates from Indiana. It was a dignified and interesting body composed of "Members of the Diplomatic Corps, accredited to the Government of France/' "Delegates of Governments," and "Invited persons." The sessions were held at the "Palais du Trocadero," in a conspicuous and beautiful room, hung with drapery and ornamented with flags of different nations, amongst which our own "Stars and Stripes" were conspicuous. AH the arrangements were of the most elaborate and complete kind. The attendance would average five hundred (more than one hundred of whom were delegates), and the numbers kept up to the last, notwithstanding the Congress was in session ten days, and the closest attention was given to all the proceedings. The President was George Bonjeau, judge of the Tribunal of the Seine, and amongst the officers and "reporters" were several Senators and prominent public officers. The work was divided into five "Commissions," viz., (1) Little Children, (2) Children .Abandoned, (3) Apprentices, (4) Eefractory in School, and (5) Young Prisoners. Upon "each of these subjects there were carefully prepared reports from distinguished specialists, which were read in the Congress and discussed in the separate Commissions— the forenoon being devoted to the latter, and the afternoon to the sittings of the former. The discussions were exceedingly full and elaborate.

Reports from many countries were printed in elegant style by their authors, presented and circulated, but not publicly read. I had the privilege of-reading my own report in person. A full printed report of the "Vote adopted by the Congress International" is herewith submitted.

RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED BY THE INTERNA-
TIONAL Congress:

FIRST COMMISSION.

QUESTION I.

First Resolution—In order that the Societies of Maternal Charities,, the Societies for the Protection of Infancy, and the other associations of Charity which have for their object to prevent the abandonment of children and to encourage mothers to nurse their children, by assisting women at confinement and nursing mothers, may be able to extend their aid to a greater number of women and raise the standard of these reliefs; that the State and the municipalities should come to their aid by larger appropriations.

The same resolutions for the Creches; see questions V, VI, VII and VIII of the programme.

Second Resolution — That the large manufactories which employ women should establish relief funds like those which M. Dolfus has established at Mulhouse to assure to the working women who become mothers temporary aid, to relieve them from work during the weeks which precede confinement and those which follow.

Third Resolution — That Societies for mutual relief should assure to their members the same advantages; that they should, if necessary, be encouraged to enter upon this course by special appropriations from the State.

Fourth Resolution — That indigent women who are confined in Maternity Hospitals, and who keep their children, should receive at their departure a sufficient relief to assure them for some days a home, nourishment and repose.

Fifth Resolution—That the law should permit the mother of an illegrfcimate child to demand support from the man who should be proved to have had relations with her at the time of the conception, unless he proves misconduct of the woman at the same time.

QUESTION II.

First Resolution — That children of tender age sent out for wetnursing, for weaning, or for keeping for pay, away from the home of their parents, should be, placed under the inspection of public authority.

Second Resolution — That no woman should be authorized to take a nursling until her fitness, her morality, and the healthfulness of her dwelling shall have been ascertained by competent, authority.

Third Resolution — That nurses should be placed under inspection for the purpose of proving that the nursliDgis properly taken care of ^ that as soon as possible the state should exercise "this inspection through associations, or private persons.

Fourth Resolution — That some measures should be taken,

1st. To facilitate nurses in recovering their pay from the parents of the child.

2d. To make the nurse certain that she will not have to pay the cost of physician and medicine, in case of the sickness of the nursling.

3d. To distribute to nurses and to all mothers instructions on the hygienic care of children.

4th. To give pecuniary encouragement to deserving nurses.

Fifth Resolution—That reciprocal international treaties should assure the inspection of nurslings, and the recovery of expenses of this inspection, in case where a child is placed out to nurse in foreign countries.

Sixth Resolution—This Congress, convinced by the discussion of the above resolution, that the most efficacious means to protect children of tender age, is to avoid sending them out to nurse, renews the resolutions that the state should encourage all institutions, such as Maternal Societies, Societies for the Protection of Infancy, Relief Funds, Creches, etc., which under various forms aid poor mothers to keep with them, and themselves nurse their own children.

QUESTION III.

First Resolution — To maintain the system of temporary relief to the mothers of illegitimate children in order to prevent their abandonment; not to exclude from these reliefs married women; and to give a larger sum to a mother who nurses her own child.

Second Resolution — First part — There is no reason for re-establishing the "tour." Second part — In the countries where the law does not permit the mother of an illegitimate child to compel her seducer to contribute to the expense of the child, to take the necessary measures to assure secresy to her in case of giving up the child to the managers of a foundling asylum.

Third Resolution—In the same countries to'establish Maternity Hospitals where secresy shall be guaranteed to women who may come to be confined there.

Fourth Resolution — That special Hospitals for sick children should be established in all large cities.

Fifth Resolution — That states, charitable associations, and private institutions should favor in all countries the establishment bf hospitals and of stations on the sea coast and in the neighborhood of warm springs for the treatment of rickety or scrofulous children.

Sixth Resolution—To multiply as far as possible in the poor quarters of large cities dispensaries for children and institutions of relief.

Seventh Resolution — To make special hospitals for epileptic, idiotic, !)lind or infirm children.

Eighth Resolution — To forbid, by international measures, the exhibition at fairs, and other public places, of children afflicted with monstrosities.

QUESTION IV.

Single Resolution — To organize in each country a Health Commission, centralizing under one single authority, the various sanitary administrations. To reunite, especially, the gratuitous service of the physician for the poor and the medical inspection of the children of tender age placed for pay away from the home of their parents.

THE INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS. 491

QUESTIONS V, VI, VII, VEIL

Creches.

First Resolution — That there should be established wherever necessary creches in number sufficient to receive the children of women who are obliged to live by labor away from their dwellings.

Second Resolution — That the public authority encourage creches by appropriation.

Third Resolution — That places should be reserved for creches in the municipal buildings, and especially in the school buildings where the creche will find its natural place beside the infant school.

Fourth Resolution—That creches should be established among tenement houses of the working classes.

Fifth Resolution — That the great cities should establish creches as well as infant schools for the children of working women employed • in the manufactories. These creches should be established away from the factories if the nature of the industry renders the neighborhood of the workshops unhealthy for the children.

Sixth Resolution — That whenever possible, and especially when an Orphan Asylum for young girls exists in the same house, the creches should be utilized to train nurse maids.

SECOND COMMISSION.

QUESTION I.

Single Resolution — The Congress expresses the opinion that with the support of all governments there should be established a set Of international statistics of abandoned children.

QUESTION II.

Single Resolution— The congress expresses the opinion that treaties should b« made between states to establish reciprocity of assistance in what concerns abandoned children.

QUESTION HI.

First Resolution — The congress admits the principle of taking away the parental authority of unworthy or incapable parents in certain cases which remain to ba determined by the law.

Second Resolution—That legal power should be given private institutions and societies for the protection of .infancy, to enable them to keep the guardianship of abandoned children, who shall have been confided to them, or whom they shall have gathered.

Third Resolution —That public officers, when they have to appoint guardians, should favor the choice of those persons who are especially concerned for the welfare of the child.

Fourth Resolution — That the control of the state should be exercised in what concerns abandoned children, in the same measure and under tbe same forms, as all other children placed in families, in educational institutions, or in industrial schools.

QUESTION IV.

Single Resolution — All the systems of education of abandoned children having their advantages, the congress expresses'the opinion that they ought always to be adapted to the aptitude of the children, but that what is more important than the choice of the system is the personal character of the managers of the institution, and the choiee of a suitable family for the placing of the children.

QUESTION V.

Single Resolution — The congress expreses the opinion that preference should always be given to individual patronage, and appeals should be made for its exercise at every sacrifice.

QUESTION IV.

Single Resolution—That expenses occasioned by the protection of abandoned children, in cases of insufficiency of resources of persons liable for debts incurred for the care of the child, and of those of the child itself, should be assured by the municipality, and by the state, in a proportion to be determined by law. That the state should favor in as large a measure as possible the extension of individual initiative in favor of abandoned children.

THIRD COMMISSION.

QUESTION I.

Single Resolution— Expresses the opinion that laws protecting the. work of children, conformed to national usages, should be adopted everywhere, and should assure the protection of a foreign child in a manner as complete as that of a native child.

QUESTION II.

Single Resolution — The employment of children in factories under the sanction of the law should be preceded by a declaration by the manager previously made to the public authority.

QUESTION III.

Single Resolution — That the legal protection should embrace not only the children working in the factories, but those employed in agriculture, commerce, in theatres, and in paid handicrafts.

QUESTION IV.

Single Resolution — Considering that the system of apprenticeship can be best restored by the combined application of the principles of protection and discipline, the opinion is expressed that the idea of protection should be applied, by paternal assistance of the apprentice, to the development of his technical and technological instruction given in the syndical course; the approval of meritorious work resulting in a diploma conferred by a competent jury, constituting a recommendation, not an indispensable title, to become a mechanic; finally in the diffusion of trade schools.