That's right,in 1912 a raffle was held in Paris,France with babies as the prizes. In those days orphanages were called foundling hospitals and even though the idea of giving babies as prizes in a drawing is unthinkable today,at that time it was a means to place the children in homes. Until the 17th and 18th centuries there were no institutions to provide care for unwanted babies,they were either abandoned in the streets and left to die or killed outright. The raffle enabled the hospital to find homes for a large number of children and raise money to keep the institution's doors open. The winners of the raffle were investigated for their suitability as parents before the children were handed over...I guess you could call it a win-win situation.
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