A FIGHT FOR A WAIF.

North Otago Times, Volume XXXIV, Issue 6976, 27 February 1890, Page 4

A FIGHT FOR A WAIF.

Dr Barnardo bas recently beei> ordered to produoe tbe body of one of his obildreo saved from ibe streeta, before an English court. Tbia is how be explains bie position ; " A little bo;, aged eleveD, alter an experience of long drawn oat cruelty and negleot, was twite deserted, and eventual!) so d by tin inhuman mother for a tew sbiilingts to two organ griuden. Tbt Itttttr »e»t, balf-btarved, nod final;, •Undone d tbe child near Folkestone in tbe Mtiettv ot wh eh t»wn be wadiscovered at uuidni^bt, id September, 1688, by tbe j olice, and alter some coirebpondence was tent to me. Affidavits filed in couit proved that tbt> wretched mother, who 18 nominally a Romanibt, bai been lor many years, and is, to thin boor, of drunken, profiigate, and notoriously immoral habits Yet, notwithstanding her monstrous ill-treatment if her eon, she was induced ly others («be herself being pei> fecny mtiifleienc *•« 10 wbat beoame ol him) to apply for bis transfer, not to ber o*n custody— she dota not want htot or care one whit for him— -but to that of a Eonuan Gatbolio invitation. In refuting this application, 1 was tail aenced by foar oooftidtrationi. First, tbat tbe immoral and ornel conduot ol the mother satiified me she harsell would uerer bare pr*setd this olaim, whila the manifest indifference to tbe boy's fat* convinced me tbat «he was not now in any way solicitous concerning bis religious futar*. Second, tbat tbe Application was not really made by tbe ouotber at all, but by other persona who did not present any authorisation from ber, and I did not believe tbat 1 was oilled upon to give any information wba ever to unauthorised persons who bad some putcly private ends to aerve. Tbiid, tbat I had aheady placed the bey in a good home u> Canada, wb^ro he was adopted by t* Cbrblian gentleman of independent rutantj as hiu son. Fourth, thai tb> hoy'u father had lived and (Jimd a Webleyan Methodibt. and that I bad learned from tbe teitimony of tbe man's telativey, still living, that b» bad desired bis child to be brought up in bis faith.

A Round Sum of Money.— A penny. How To Remote We§d«,— Marry the widow. 1890 Almanac f or Funny Dogi.— Evidently » Wbitty CW Almtnto. A Vtry Moob OTtr.rtted Pertoß.— Ibtl^ottdoo oitiz«o»