Intake in a Children’s Institution: A Comparative Analysis of Admissions to St. Joseph’s Home of Peekskill, N.Y., 1951 – 1961
Abstract
As sirens wailed, horns tooted, thousands shoved and pushed and milled together at Times Square to view the little white ball descend from atop of the New York Times Building; people throughout the country from all walks of life herded together to celebrate the coming of the New Year, 1962. However, all was still at an institution which overlooks the majestic Hudson River. The children had long since been asleep, the last of them having returned from their vacation at home during the holidays. The devoted Sisters of St. Francis had completed their Divine Office, and had checked their children "that one last time" before retiring themselves and before the loyal nightwatch brigade commenced their rounds. Another day, another year - its 83rd - had ended at St. Joseph’s Home for Dependent and Neglected Children in Peekskill, New York. Yes, during that worldly night when millions of people throughout the world are wining and dining, and thousands of local citizens are viewing Guy Lombardo from the Roosevelt Hotel on television and exclaiming over the zany antics of some of the aged participants, 357 children - dependent and neglected - were asleep in their comfortable and nicely decorated apartment - type dormitories. Some of these children experienced nightmares and had to be consoled; some were awakened from their sleep to be assisted in overcoming their problems of enuresis ; some had to be changed to drier clothes ; some lay there quietly but awake wondering what they had done and why they were here ; and some were fast asleep, tired from the day’s activities.
Subject Area
Social research|Social studies education|Social work
Recommended Citation
O'Leary, James D, "Intake in a Children’s Institution: A Comparative Analysis of Admissions to St. Joseph’s Home of Peekskill, N.Y., 1951 – 1961" (1963). ETD Collection for Fordham University. AAI30670837.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/dissertations/AAI30670837
