New-York daily tribune., 1858-07-16
cHsRJI51S JP TIE NEST.
CHIr AGO REFORM SCHOOL.

tvs-y row and :hen, 10 .ts supt-t,,l 81! semsa
lie fire ss, .nsaroes sse xhch seem ain os; II
crscib,e Ak spoc-ypua, showing the power OF the
human sor ,rd the vcriei-l tec. Of tae old p1incl'
pes OF cd-els ard sel:sacriics. We nigh: some
tines smos; l,se fs;h q lie hghes; principles OF
Cbiis..sn:ty i We di no. see :teir application sod
succtss Ia :nese wonderful noiss. Perhaps he evils
Of cities, ard the struggles with ihsn 70 give the
ied ;h, Sc principles .kioh r.s syeo By tie hss'
:h,n wcid in the earliest Gays OF Constantly. Toe
sup-.pc srphcs:icn ofthe hghss.clsxms OF morality
srd re.sCn 20 business SID the relations Of vorkmsn
% employer nsie BY Mr. W.scn 10 ;ae csnde fae,ory
Of Vau1bs., L,r6or, ;he spccsss Of The hImsre ei-
ior.s oIefrm IN Metrai the srarge scd encoaragi's <
yesuts srncIg tie cute asis N L)rdon sud Ns9-iok,
sl e:ve US new ccI6iercs in tie grand power Q: TIE
old plircpss CT lore aud set.sGeryfce. 0ae ess thai
me sublime words Of :elfrenunestion sni ove -tete
eighteen centuries sgo have still sb.o-u,e an.hor =
:,r oar own .ines.
Tie most enco,rssirs ins.srce i, this direction,
h-o5gn cur shoie country are re efo:;s Q: simple
lsbo.er smorg tie poor in me Chicago Reform School.
In November, 1855 a sct ool was opened IN Chicago
for de..i:are and crninsl children, by the Comnon
Council " the cisy sId under chsrge OF the Rev. ID.
B. Nichos. At the opening seven boys were re,eived
from he county jsi. Some Of them hsi been nms,e'
of he IA pauber Of times previous 10 sher present
COZ I'm. nent.
IT sss suggested ssys NJ. Nichols, that lions
had bette. be put on these hardened Juvenile sub
ects in order 10 remove them ssfey t:on the jail 20
tLe ;chool. No one though. :hs: such sorry boxing
subjects csud De sppes'ed TO by principles OF honor.
1t supposed that these subjects were beyond the
"rfuerce OF al such appeals
" In old buildings had cells wherein each boy
was iocked up for tie night. confess that all
"my endeavors 10 make myself bslisve that theee
boys OF prisoners, tbs. the building was 70.
prison, tina. vas no; jaeg, were utterly unsvsl-
"mg. In vain ID tel the b.ys ;hs. after locked
then. !n sboud 60 and lock myself in "But,
ab, ssys one Of the discerning ones, VI. Nichols,
you hold The teys.' The boys sso, when they took
tteir meals, mad msn put to watch them, while the
proiessed fisher OF the family ste 10 smother room.
This die net appear 20 be the family system. There
,eemed % be some defect friction in the wheels
Of the machinery.
Ther wss ordered 70 pu. bars CT tie windows 70
keep me ilDs.es irside.
" This looked still more jail Ike AID confess that
When plscei ;hese bare the windows, began N.Y.
set to lose cOpfience in ny boys. Night aui day
feared ths: they would ireay JdI!. tried to
myself into the belief that it wss necessary thai We
could 10, keep the boys by any other method. Tdis
VISA the aaipersal feeirg. A. frs; thought would
pat on al the birs at night i5r fesred the results
when the boys came 10 see, s.er al, they in
yail or lookup.
Ir van did erdesvor 70 tell them thai We fes.ei
that bad boys NIGH come to the school, wno would 81
require safeguards Ike these, yet saw by their
nnances .aa: mad los; power over their minds ths.
when threw away my confidence in the honor, had
severed the s.ronges. bond by which was TO bring
them back to the path Of dGty, ard to God
" The hoGse was al barred, at length sud the cells
had strong and massive bars snd locks upon the do ors
Blu: the day came when the bs,s bolts and locks lay
,catered in me wdes confusion about the yard. The
tire did this work and lar the TIRE did good uort.
We gathered them together in heaps, and there hey
remain.
" In the occupancy Of the old packing. house we
learned very instructive lesson. We had there no
bars cells fences, yet We lest comparatively few OF
our inmates Some boys did escape from that comfort
les, ABODE and no lees than four csme back Of their
OWE accord, while we yet occupied the packing house.
In this building learned enough OF the confidential
system to give It a far trial in thsnew building
The calamity Of the fire was considered both by Mr..
Nichols and the Trustees, o. q kind OF Proviien.al
sentence on the penitentid system IN Q Reform
school. In the buildings, TO which they removed,
they had fence nor bars nor ockups until finally,
owing 10 the annoyance occasioned by the visits OF
parents the sabbath wooden fence constructed
a,ourd the whole Establishment. The keys to the
gates Of this fence KEEP. by the boys themselves
On the day on which we visited this insti;ution, a Lii.
tie jantor with his bundle OF keys guided through
the various parts of it. He informed Us that there
snurlber Of oEer gate keepers and svperintend
ents among tie boys One Of the boys the Captain
Of tie Police Department, srd If boy escapes they
PERM. him to take his own way to bring back the
fugitive.
THE Chief Of Police remarks Mr.. Nichols in his
report, with is boy who came to little
one year since. He came in irons and a. he left the
cars, by his hands being confined, he stumbled.
met him at the cars and saw him stumble this
ve1ed him, and he gave way to his feelings by the
" use Of profane language. I mildly remarked 10 him
that You cV not use such language here, my soE.
" He looked me in the eye, and saw that his heart
was touched. Those irops, also remarked, will
not be allowed to be on you either Alter went
" to the old packing house, this boy away. He
" escaped on Saturday afternoon, and came back of
" his OWE accord alone, on Sabbath evening. When
" he returned, and wss asked by the boys why he
" returned, he replied, Because l thought l could
lot leave the cd man yet. From that day he began
to rise in tie grades have sent him TO the city
" from ,eveE times to twelve In week have sent
" money by him. and have always found him prompt
10 bis word snd honest al Of his business trsnssc
tiors.'
Tie great principles Of NJ. NichOls's management
are al appeal 10 sEd confidence IN the sense Of honor
ameng the boys, and fssherly kindness on his part
even 20 the extreme Of bearing their penalties for hem