Curious Foundling Hospital in Russia.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume I, Issue 29, 2 December 1879, Page 3

Curious Foundling Hospital in Russia.

As long ago as the time of Peter the Great, the enormous .mortality among children was recognized in Russia as an evil requiring legislation. The Russian poor are famous for their large families, and a custom haa grown up among the laboring classes of leaving their children unprotected during the day, merely placing a huge “quid” in their mouths to keep them quiet and afford them a little innocent amusement. It was found, however that an enormous percentage of these perverse little atoms insisted on getting the “ quid ” into their throats, and so quietly choked themselves out of existence. A huge hospital or foundling was therefore started in Moscow by the Government, to which any child might be admitted upon one condition, viz. —that its future should be entirely at the disposal of the State. From that day to this the hospital has never lacked inmates ; and it still forms a wonderful feeder for the army and navy, to say nothing of the scores of female servants that are annually turned out of its doors. Among Pic curiosities shown at this wonderful institution is an order signed at Moscow by Napoleon in 1812, to admit two children to its privilege.

The Kelly Gang. -The “Australasian ” says:—Attention has been called this week in the Press to the humiliating circumstance that we have passed ths anniversary of the day on which PoliceSergeant Kennedy and his two fellow troopers were murdered by the Kelly gang. That terrible outrage gave a great shock to the feeling of security previously felt by the colony, but how much greater would have been the blow had it been forseen that within the year these daring scoundrels would twice mako raids on neighboring towns and plunder two banks, and that the efforts of the police to effect their capture would up to the end of the twelve months be utterly without result. If the occurrence of such a crime was felt as a degradation to the colony, how much more -degradation is involved in the fact that it was committed with the most total impunity.