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THOMAS JOHN BARNARDO (1845-1905)

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Originally appearing in Volume V03, Page 411 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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THOMAS See also:JOHN See also:BARNARDO (1845-1905)  , See also:English philanthropist, and founder and director of homes for destitute See also:children, was See also:born at See also:Dublin, See also:Ireland, in 1845 . His See also:father was of See also:Spanish origin, his See also:mother being an Englishwoman . With the intention of qualifying for medical missionary See also:work in See also:China, he studied See also:medicine at the See also:London See also:hospital, and later at See also:Paris and See also:Edinburgh, where he became a See also:fellow of the Royal See also:College of Surgeons . His medical work in the See also:east end of London during the epidemic of See also:cholera in 1865 first See also:drew his See also:attention to the See also:great See also:numbers of homeless and destitute children in the cities of See also:England . Encouraged by the support of the seventh See also:earl of See also:Shaftesbury and the first Earl See also:Cairns, he gave up his See also:early ambition of See also:foreign missionary labour, and began what was to prove his See also:life's work . The first of the " Dr See also:Barnardo's Homes " was opened in 1867 in See also:Stepney See also:Causeway, London, where are still the headquarters of the institution . From that See also:time the work steadily increased until, at the time of the founder's See also:death, in 19o5, there were established 112 See also:district " Homes," besides See also:mission branches, throughout the See also:United See also:Kingdom . The See also:object for which these institutions were started was to See also:search for and to receive waifs and strays, to feed, clothe, educate, and, where possible, to give an See also:industrial training suitable to each See also:child . The principle adopted has been that of See also:free and immediate See also:admission; there are no restrictions of See also:age or See also:sex, See also:religion or See also:nationality; the physically robust and the in-curably diseased are alike received, the one necessary qualification being destitution . The See also:system under which the institution is carried on is broadly as follows: the infants and younger girls and boys are chiefly " boarded out " in rural districts; girls above fourteen years of age are sent to the industrial training homes, to be taught useful domestic occupations; boys above seventeen years of age are first tested in labour homes and then placed in employment at See also:home, sent to See also:sea or emigrated; boys of between thirteen and seventeen years of age are trained for the various trades for which they may be mentally or physically fitted . Besides the various branches necessary for the foregoing work, there are also, among others, the following institutions:—a See also:rescue home for girls in danger, a convalescent seaside home, and a hospital for sick waifs . In 1872 was founded the girls' See also:village home at Barkingside, near See also:Ilford, with its own See also:church and See also:sanatorium, and between sixty and seventy cottage homes, forming a real " See also:garden See also:city "; and there Barnardo himself was buried .

In 1901, through the generosity of Mr E . H . See also:

Watts, a See also:naval school was started at See also:North See also:Elmham, near See also:Norwich, to which boys are drafted from the homes to be trained for the See also:navy and the See also:mercantile marine . Perhaps the most useful of all the varied work instituted by Barnardo is the See also:emigration system, by which means thousands of boys and girls have been sent to See also:British colonies, chiefly to See also:Canada, where there are distributing centres at See also:Toronto and See also:Winnipeg, and an industrial See also:farm of some 8000 acres near See also:Russell in See also:Manitoba . The fact that in Canada less than 2 % of the children sent out proved failures confirmed Barnardo's conviction that " if the children of the slums can be removed from their surroundings early enough, and can be kept sufficiently See also:long under training, See also:heredity See also:counts for little, environment for almost everything." In 1899 the various institutions and organizations were legally incorporated under the See also:title of " The See also:National Association for the reclamation of Destitute Waif Children," but the institution has always been familiarly known as " Dr Barnardo's Homes." Barnardo laid great stress on the religious teaching of the children under his care . Each child is brought up under the See also:influence and teaching of the See also:denomination of the parents . The homes are divided into two sections for religious teaching, Church of England and Non-conformists; children of Jewish and See also:Roman See also:Catholic parentage are, where possible, handed over to the care of the Jewish See also:Board of Guardians in London, and to Roman Catholic institutions, respectively . From the See also:foundation of the homes in 1867 to the date of Barnardo's death, nearly 6o,000 children had been rescued, trained and placed out in life . Barnardo died of angina pectorisin London on the 19th of See also:September 1905 . A national memorial was instituted to See also:form a fund of £250,000 to relieve the various institutions of all See also:financial liability and to See also:place the entire work on a permanent basis . Dr See also:William See also:Baker, formerly the chairman of the See also:council, was selected to succeed the founder of the homes as director: Barnardo was the author of many books dealing with the charitable work to which he devoted his life . His See also:biography (1907) was written by his wife (the daughter of Mr William Elmslie) and J .

Marchant .

End of Article: THOMAS JOHN BARNARDO (1845-1905)
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