Babe Ruth

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On February 6, 1895, Kate Schamberger Ruth gave birth to her first child. George Herman Ruth, Jr. was born in the house of his grandparents in Baltimore, Maryland. He was the first of eight children born to Kate and George Herman Ruth. Unfortunately, most of the children died in infancy, and only George, Jr. and his sister Mamie survived to lead a full life. Ruth's father worked as a bartender and ultimately opened his own tavern. He and his wife spent little time with their son because they worked long hours. Contrary to popular belief, young George was not an orphan. For the first seven years of his life he was with his parents, but he survived without guidance on the dirty, crowded streets of the Baltimore riverfront. Young George experienced little, if any, real love from his parents who made no time for their son. Ultimately, they felt that they could no longer care for their son. On June 13, 1902, George Herman Ruth took his seven year-old to St. Mary's Industrial School for Boys. Not only did he place young George in the school, but he also signed over custody of the boy to the Xaverian Brothers, a Catholic Order of Jesuit Missionaries who ran St. Mary's. St. Mary's was both a reformatory and orphanage that was surrounded by a wall similar to a prison with guards on duty. There were approximately 800 children at St. Mary's. The reformatory had four dormitories that housed about 200 kids each. George, Jr., who by the age of seven had already been involved with mischievous altercations, was classified as incorrigible upon his admission. For a few brief periods he was returned to live with his family, but he was always sent back to St. Mary's, and no one ever came to visit him while he was there. Ruth with one of the Xaverian Brothers at St. Mary's. © The Babe Ruth Museum Perhaps the one positive thing stemming from his time at St. Mary's was meeting Brother Mathias. Brother Mathias was the main disciplinarian at St. Mary's. He spent a great deal of time with George, Jr., providing the guidance and support that the youngster did not receive from his parents. He even helped young Ruth develop as a baseball player. It is because of his difficult childhood and the positive influence of Brother Mathias that Babe Ruth came to love children.

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