AN ABOMINATION.

Marlborough Express, Volume III, Issue 117, 16 May 1868, Page 5

AN ABOMINATION.

BABY FARMING ADVERTISEMENTS. Orly the other day we counted five or sis advertisements of this character, one after the other, discovering in them several interesting acquaintances made in the course of our inquiries, and tracing their connection with each other, and the whole round of business in which they are engaged—accouchement in concealment (“ all necessaries provided”), hiding places previous to childbirth, disposal of the wretched little creatures afterwards. The most frank and innocent of such advertisers are as deep in the business as the more audacious ones who advertise their calling—three or four of them —from the same address. Take this advertisement: — Temporary Retirement. —A superior home, piano, all requisites found, and the service of a highly-trained, kind nurse. Ladies receive the greatest skilled treatment known to the world. Established twelve years.— E. H., College-street, &c., &c.

Now E. H. is also a person provided with babies to be disposed of by adoption. A letter of that person’s lies before us (her .card enclosed like another lady’s), offering a “very handsome boy of good parents, very healthy, blue eyes, now nearly a month old, and can be entirely given up.” Another advertiser shows how this may happen, and does happen.

Apartments furnished, for a lady in delicate health. Physician or midwife found, or baby can be left. —F. T. 8., &c,, &c.

Baby can be left by the person in delicate health, on agreement with the advertiser; advertisers get rid of it to the best advantage—sometimes by feigning to be the distressed mother herself. Or take another advertisement from the same sheet : Apartments or Bedrooms for ladies ; resident mid wile and nurse. Jistablished 22 years. Recommended by physicians. Gas and all requisites found.—Mrs. &c., &c., Camberwell.

If you put yourself in communication with this person, and at the same time with some similar advertiser who may live three miles off, you will probably find that you have to do, not with separate benevolences, but with a gang. You discover that there is some speedy means of underground communication between the benevolences, for the purpose of inquiry, conference, comparison of notes in your particular case; and you will not be very wrong, perhaps, if you suspect that this system of association, this bond of sisterhood, has been formed more for the protection of the secrets of the business than for security against immoral customers. In other cases the association of various branches of the trade is not disguised. The business is largely carried on at Camberwell. Prom 666, Camberwell Road, Mrs. A. offers retirement to ladies in delicate health, guaranteeing that all shall be snug and confidential. Prom 666, Mrs. B. publishes her readiness to adopt children, which, for a consideration may be “ entirely given up.” From 666, children are transferred for adoption by another lady—or at any rate in another name. The systematic way in which the traffic is carried on appears by this single illustration. Mrs. A. only advertises a retreat during confinement, which might be innocent enough, and in some cases is so, no doubt. But other advertisements from the same house announce that Mrs. 8., for a consideration, will take the entire responsibility of the child’s future career; and see how convenient that is for the lady who seeks the elegant retirement offered by Mrs. A.! The lady departs for the country in delicate health ; she returns from the country still delicate, but improving. At 666, is concealed the cause and consequence of her illness—the poor little consequence, who is left to be disposed of on condition that it is never to be heard of again by the delicate lady, its mother. Is not this a moral business ? Is it not, at any rate, an expedient and consoling one ? And is it not clear at a glance how catholic may be the operation of such a system, extending as it does not only to women who in the time of their trouble like to have the solace of a piano, and are able to pay well for the mercies of Mrs. A. and 8., but to the servant girl and semptress who, on the production of say £l2, can get rid of a burdensome baby for ever ? How the poor little wretches are disposed of is not a difficult thing to imagine, either. This is done upon system too ; and that so neatly that the prime agent is able to carry on his operations in a back parlor. He — (for gentlemen as well as ladies find themselves adapted for the trade) —is an accoucheur, say, duly qualified. He issues two sorts of advertisements, one expressing a desire to adopt children, another offering children for adoption; and so earns an honest crust by trafficking with vicious or unfortunate mothers on the one hand (a score of their letters lie before us), and with benevolent old ladies or enterprising persons in the wholesale line, like Mrs. daggers. His pretty penny is made with deduction in the case of those who adopt as amateurs, and by a sort of commission when he has to transfer the poor children to those whose trade is adoption. He does everything in due form—by agreement drawn up by an equally honourable 'member of another profession ; and his principle is to accept full responsibility for the children when he takes them, and to exact full discharge of that responsibility when he transfers them. "What we have not quite made out to our satisfaction is, whether there is ever any considerable stock on hand ; and how that stock is disposed of when the market is dull, Hot that the inquiry need be pushed so far to find how pitiful is the lot of the little helpless human creatures who are the subjects of this inhuman trade. Here are one or two letters from the various heap before us ; they are in answer to an adoption advertisement, “ child to be wholly given up:”

Madam, —Seeing the enclosed in the newspaper I have taken the liberty of informing you that I have a male child that would answer the description every way with the exception of the eyes, which are dark instead of blue; it is ten weeks old, and is a quiet healthy child. An answer will be expected as soon as possible. Please direct, &c. Madam,—Seeing your advertisement in this morning’s Telegraph, desiring a male infant to adopt, providing a suitable home could be found, a very handsome boy, of good parents and blue eyes, and very healthy, now nearly a month old, can be entirely given up and every explanation afforded you in the matter, should you favor me with a personal call. I enclose you my card, and in the

meantime beg to remain, &e. Madam, —Seeing your advertisement in to-day's Daily Telegraph, wishing to adopt a male child, I beg to say that I know of a very nice blue-eyed boy, six years old, an orphan, and who would be entirely given op. He is a healthy child and very genteel-looking. You would be doing a great charity if he is not too old. Could you have any influence.in getting him into some school, provided you would not adopt him ? He is a very genteel nice-looking boy, &c. Noticing an advertisement in this morning’s Telegraph that a lady is anxious to adopt a little boy, I am expecting to be confined about Christmas, and would be very glad to part with my infant under existing circumstances, if I knew it would have a good home; as I have one little boy, a very fine little fellow, two years old, but h ive only my own industry to keep him. So if Mrs. thought of taking my unborn one, I could not give any money with it The child would-in all probability be a boy, and fair, and the whole affair must be private, but Mrs. could have any reference as to respectability. Some of these tender letters are from members of the profession; others are from the mothers themselves. In either case (for it must be remembered that the professionals buy as well as sell) how dreadful it is to think of the poor little boys, healthy, and handsome, and unconscious, bargained away in this manner! They go from their mothers’ arras—fourfifths of them—to steady neglect and organised starvation.— Pall Mall Gazette.