Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1859-09-08

times the ground id0cy and of deficiency excess
Trustees So lately as in the report for 1891 IT IS
said that boys have been to the School $50 young,
that they better fitted for the than for the
more rigid discipline of a Reform school,
the consideration whether candidate for admission
had such bodily strength to require greater Ysenee
erage number This has greatly enlarged the
number of commitments; a fatal error IN the syStsnl1
ike error in the other extreme has diminished the
Correctional power 1t the wise suggestion Of the
founder that boys over fourteen years o. age should not
very dcpraved disposition should be made exceptions to
the sener, rule Of a5S tS isT nd ndS e DSen
port OF the trustees The average age Of pupils mas been
for year over thirteen years and twelve years and
teuaTters for the whole term OF the existence OF the
school.
srtesn years Of age The Legislature upon the urgent
recommendation Of the trustees to remedy this evil arts
ing from inadvertence of magistrates misreprcsenta
ton Of required that the mmus should tn
required, in judgment, entirely to remove this diff
Guilty In the very last report of the trustees the serious
attention of magistrates called the question: wheth
err after three arrests and convictions and espe
cay when the boy is advanced the age of fourteen
years ne Is Mt subject for our school, whether me
probabilities OF his reform are not so small and his nu
younger and less vicious boys deleterous,
to properly exclude him from the institution"
The short term of sentence is another constant COM
weIve VI running 1Oaeh 'em raj
than short one" The second report, in 1919, calls
1851 the trustees in complaining of the large number of
boys committed during the preceding year ION short SEN
uo"tt -
that the tendency of such commttals is almost Vhoy
to Illustrate the original design othe founder of the inst
uton, 1t is probable thai the large number of boys
from the Reform school, conycts in the state Prs
judgment term of sentence. It's influence
extends it changes entirely the character of the nstitu
punishment and reform 1t is departure from the
pose of the law from that of the founder Of the school,
lie required that boys should remain until they
considered fit to be restored to society.
The class of offences for which commtals to the Re-
form school were Intended to be made has entirely chang
ed to the detriment OF the institution 1t intended
as refuge for juvenile offenders against law, who, eX-
cept for its establishment would have been consigned TO
prisons and penitentaries punishment alone and with
employment reformation. That this its purpose,
Is readily gathered from every record of the institution
the law creating it. the reports of commissioners, trus
tees and officers from the instructions of its founder and
the expressed object and purpose of its establishment as
suggested by Mr. Lyman, by the commissioners who
ganized it, and also indicated by the liberal donation
from the estate of Mrs Lamb. Instead of this has been
made very considerable extent support for
INDECENT children, and substitute for parental authority
This is in single fact, running through every
years experience of the institution. OF two thousand
four hundred nine boys received previous Septem
Der 80 1883 one thousand and twenty-eght were
fenced for sa6bonness and you add to this number
900, it constitutes class numbering Q2l5) more than
one half the entire population of the institution 1t
forindigent idle wandering, and stubborn boys but
ought mover to be done in the State Reform School which
with the objects merely of support nstruc
tion and family government. Nothing could be great
rdeparture expressed views of the the
institution ought to be said also, that every Board of
| Trustees, well of the Supe intendents and
Chapains have called the attention of magistrates and
legislators to this fact No boy should be this
school upon the sole charge of subbornness 1t would
not answer to imprson every stubborn man stubborn
ness and nes are divided by very gh and sometimes
is capable of indefinite extension and application, and
"o6stinacy saws Mr. Burke lis certainly great vice
and frequently the cause of much mischief 1t happens,
of the great masculine virtues constancy gravity
magnanimity fortitude fidelity and rnness, closely
Just abhorence and i'll their excess all these virtues very
hardly forbear the citation of religious autfori-
ty upon the same subject not wholly disconnected with
the civil and religious education of our fathers. Sir
Thomas Moore, in denouncing the alleged hereses and
setting forth the opinions OF Tindale, says, f anye
Prince would be arye lave or commandment compel hys
people to of these things then Tndalle here plain
techerh that they may and must stey withstand hys
tyranny SO that lynally concerning obedience Iindaes
9Sy d9etrns is that the people should in defense hs
! iyto withstande their Prince"
1t not my purpose to encourage recognize
faults of this character but call The attention of the
Legislature to the impocy blending them the
destroy its capacity for the bg6 duties marked out for It
in the phiianthropc economy Of individual generosity
and state legislation If any duty is unperforned any
law violated any right mtrnged let the offenders be pun
shed for the act donenot Tor quality of mind which
may color good well bad actions do appreei
ate the necessity at great expense and by extraordinary
measures, of wedding every element of rmness of
the character of the youth of state 1 world espe-
caly call the attention of the Legislature to the history
of the statutes i'll virtue of which this large number
commitments has been made, and to the very wide range
of oenses covered not only by the act but the
1t is only when stubbornness leads to criminal viola
|
cognized by the institution at Westborough stubborn
ness IS less incentive to crime than ignorance;
but Ignorance is never advantage. 1t is clear that
considering Ignorance as an incentive to crime could
not mprson every ignorant boy; and is equally
clear in opinion that boy should be the Re
through ignorance ideness vagrancy stubbornness
he has been led into crime let the record Of his convic
ton set forth the crime as well as the cause This
the original intention and the wide departure from this
purpose has been in many respects fatal to the usedl-
1t was serious and important question in the
ception of this institution who should be invested with
authority to sentence criminals 20 the School Cor Reform
SHOULD commitments be made by Couts a.ole- OF by
by THE COURTS ALONE, answered the fourde OF Che
school rhe stiluton should be considered place
wise do little good The statute Of i847 approved ApS
nounced by any Court Of Justice For the create; part
OF the time, therefore, there have been ent thos
and committing magistrates. The Ihird Reooct inc
Trustees makes special eluson tn subject (pa3e y
in connection win the charge of stuboo 'lness.
Lyman, that the Institution School and Farm
where boys were only Obliged to learn and to work; and
boys Were willing to 60 and parents because OF the want
OF means of support or instruction. on account of family
reasons, neicency of parental authority fear OF
msI0rtune nave Deen content to send them here The
result OF this facility of commitment has been, that in lit
were Obliged to give public notice of the inability to re-
ceve more boys and this notice has been repeated since
the last year at one time six hundred and thir
tynine pupils 6S9 and an average of five hundred and
ninety (59O) through the year.
There can scarcely be doubt if the views of him who
so muncenty endowed the school had been close
y followed, the authority commit limited to "the
alone the list offences for which commitments
made reduced that class tried courts pun
shed In prisons and penitentaries that the number of
boys would have been reduced oneha to their advan-
faye ana 10 the reputation Of the school, This would
have reduced the number of pupils to three hundred,
which was the number contemplated by the law erecting
In the reconstruction of this institutions it seems i'm
peratve that we should to the views of those who
were its creators and following their views guided by
the light of twelve years experience, may happen that
last month.
1t seems to me that it is clearly impotc for the
monwealth to reestabsh the school upon its present
tenn VIII be far better te return to the ideas upon
which it founded the correctness of which has been
SO compely shown in the experience of the past Espe
cay should regard the necessity of bringing it,
as numbers concerned to the moderate and limited
hundred boys should be brought together in building
and that should be constructed to admit OF
classification as regards instruction. amusement employ
ment ana also temperament, propensity and character
laton, necessary ncogsible boys The annual ex
penses OF the institution be greatly reduced by tine
introduction of greater variety of employmens and
secure both to the public and the pupils ce lain
and Important advantages than have been yet de.ved
The present time affords favorable opportunity for
the consideration Of the subject of nautical schools In
the great national interest OF commerce. in which Massa
chusets ranks as pioneer and still maintains an honor
which arise from scarcity Of American seamen In our
ships engaged IN foreign trade Is stated upon high
seamen Americans Memorial of r. Is. Forbes Esq.
to Congress the subject of Floating Schools the
education Of seamen1 other nations making great
exertons to increase the number of efficient seamen.
England pays them liberal bountes entering her
vice, and France has encouraged this branch her
Time interests by paving bounty equal to % per cent to
those employed in her fisheries In our country
service one of the most important to which be
Called either as regards the prosperity of the country
alike to the derment of and the strength OF
the navy whichs in men rather than in ships engines
American seamanshp, in contradistincton from other
caoSct Inc sberes te eariy ana prp SI
American seamen are rapidly declining, and upon the
fail long to contend against English and French compe-
tlton There Is no institution OF the General Govern