— 2 —
The Care —
I noticed that most of the directresses, 'aunts,' and nurses who run the Home are graduates in their fields; and beyond that, courses are held for them in which they study the arts of education, administration, and discipline in theory and in practice, and it is on the basis of this study and attainment that they receive promotions and raises... Hence their care for the waifs exceeds all description, and anyone whosoever can sense it at once...
When I asked the 'aunts' whether they did not fear the children would be spoiled if they went too far in making them comfortable, they answered me: — You may be right in what has struck you, but Dr. Barnardo wants it so.
And this answer, or this phrase, has an echo ringing through every corner of the Home; for whenever you ask one of the supervisors or nurses the reason for anything, she answers you at once, and in complete innocence, with the very same answer: 'Because Dr. Barnardo wants it so.'
Among the Doctor's other important injunctions was his insistence that his project not be called an institution or the like, but simply the word 'Home' — for it is no secret what a lofty meaning the Home carries in advanced societies. He likewise directed that the waifs be trained to call the supervisors 'my aunt' instead of 'my mother,' so as to be rid of everything of motherhood and of the feelings that word stirs in the hearts of those who have been deprived of the sweetness of natural motherhood.
Another example of the Home's care for the waifs is that it does not bind itself to any special system of dress, but makes the clothing varied in color and cut, so as to match the life of other
children of families and private homes. Among the things I also noticed was that the children's washbasins are set low, so that they grow used to washing their hands and faces by themselves from earliest childhood.
The Waifs and Their Future —
Barnardo was not content merely to feed and house the waifs; he laid down for them a precise system covering every side of their life — psychological, educational, and religious — and covering their future as well... He required that they be classified according to their inclinations and sent to vocational and technical schools, so that the boys learn carpentry, weaving, commerce, metalwork, shoemaking, drawing, and building, and the girls learn nursing, the domestic arts, work in libraries and printing houses, secretarial duties, shorthand, and the like...
Nor does the Home's task end at this point, or when the waifs graduate from it; we find it following its children and taking them by the hand in their working life. It places them at once in posts and factories, and after they have settled into the new work it keeps them under observation for a further period, during which the necessary reports on each of them reach it. In this way it can remain in constant touch with its pupils on the one hand, and take those reports as a basis for correcting faults and raising standards on the other.
Barnardo gave special attention to forming the waif's character and to planting patriotic and honorable principles in his soul, that he might become a useful citizen, capable of bearing responsibilities in his public life and for the sake of his country... At the same time he did not forget the spiritual side, free of fanaticism for any creed or sect: he composed for
his pupils a special prayer drawn from the various denominations, so as to avoid hateful bigotry and sterile controversy..
On this basis, everything the Home's chapel contains by way of furnishings has been stamped with the stamp of complete simplicity, and the pictures and stained glass in it are the work of the waifs themselves... Even the tablet that immortalizes the memory of Dr. Barnardo was made by the hands of the waif girls.
It is worth recording that this chapel was built through the donation of a wealthy lady who did not wish her name to be announced, contenting herself with a memorial tablet on which was written this sentence: 'This chapel is a memorial from a lady who donated its construction.'
The Hospital
Since the Home does not receive the injured or those with permanent infirmities, its hospital has been equipped to serve sudden illnesses of every kind...
It is a
'Norge' Washers
Capacity: 5 kilos
The wash comes out dry