Author:
Holt, Marilyn Irvin, 1949-
Imprint:Lincoln : University of Nebraska Press, c1992.
Description248 p., [14] p. of plates : ill. ; 23 cm.
Bibliography Note:Includes bibliographical references (p. [225]-236) and index.
Note:Holt, a free-lance researcher, has written a welcome scholarly study of <"placing out,>" a program that began in the 1850s and continued until the late 1920s. More than 200,000 urban children and adults were moved under social programs that put children into rural homes whenever their parents were deceased or were unable to care for them. New York City reformer Charles Loring Brace created the first US program that sent children from cities to farms. It served as a model for other religious and philanthropic efforts. Resulting myths said that these children were orphans placed in homes for their own benefit, but many had at least one parent and siblings living. Some placements were not advantageous to these children. Although placement was regarded as an easy means to resolve city problems of the industrial era without cost while giving poor children opportunities to live wholesome rural lives, journals and the history of the frontier suggest a very different reality. Idealized images of women and childrens' lives were strengthened by organizations such as Brace's Children Aid Society. Holt's research includes comparative experiences of girls and boys, demands made on the host families, and relevant philosophical issues, especially the rationale for the successes and demise of the program. -- Choice review
Note:Recommended in Best Books for Academic Libraries
