The Lansing state Republican. [volume] (Lansing, Mich.) 1855-1874, 1860-12-05

and in mans moral elevation, desires TO express
a few thoughts through the columns of your jour-
nal, upon the subject Of RsFoRMAroRY EDUcA-
TON.
cannot, of course, be expected TO give in
one article, not even brief history of this inter.
estng work in this country and il. Europe.
The first school was organized for the purpose
If the reformation of the criminal and vicious
youth, in The wear l7ss, seventy-two years since.
This >cto,l was established first as a private
charity, u. The i'Li,r''hrnpic Society OF Lon
don. There aj !i,s,, ti.,o or four Cottages,
ard IN each about dOz-n at criminal and neg
.yrl.,i ho.s. la the year $40 this school was
reno. ID iiom oI.ion 10 Erd IL, Rcga;e, near
by the X 1; lea ia. from London to Doycr.-
Al its removal it re"rga'.ized aud made after
the model of the Mettray Agricultural School
near Tours, in France Up To the year 1852, no
less than >, 500 boys who had been travelling in
criminal and vicious paths, had enjoyed the adj
yautagcs which this school afforded This school
owes mIch ri H. pres 1T efficiency 20 the pres
ent l,borious Insp.cturof Reforms stories for the
the first Governor q! the Rcd Hi School at the
time of its re-ofgaI.iz alton. This School at Red
Hill is established on the family plan. There
are in connection with this Institution, five hons
parts Of a fine farm Each family has its own
school and officers, while the whole five families
arr, under a general supervision 81 Governor
who a;-U acts as Chaplain OF the institution
appcuiagcs, no bars, locks nor fence-in fact, the
houses appear like the ordinary fam houses
Thu. number in the variou. houses, Sept. ith,
1856? was go.
As to the success and present prosperity Of
the Red lIill School, viii quote from the last
port of the Government Inspector:
1.-THE farm schools" he say, I" rctair,- it, plIce.
as on the whole, the best organized aud most in
dustlious of English Reformatories Ia each Of
i;s departments order and regularity are steadily
enforced without any approach to harshneSs or
severity, and the working spirit steadily encour-
aged without any neglect of mental instruction
or any coaxing and bribery by peculiar privilege
or indulgence"
In France too the inc'pient steps towards re
;ormatoFy education were taken by the Govern
nent at an early day. As far back a. the year
1910 We fni the following article incorporated
into the Criminal Code o! France which looks in
the direction of the noble Rcioru!atory which al
forwards was founded ut Mettiay, saws the article
above mentioned "Where the person arrested
shall be under sixteen years Of age, If it is deci
tied that he has acted without assortment he
shall be acquitted, bat he shall, according TO the
circumstances be either restored to his family,
or taken 10 a House of Correction, TO be there
educated and detainedlor such number Of years
a. shall be determined by the Judgment, but shall
liz Lo ease exceed the period at which he shall
have completed his twentieth year" Twenty
seven years alter I'll, above law found its place
on the Criminal Code Of France, the Government
appointed COMMISSIONER Ia make personal
examination at the transatlantic system OF. Prs-
ON discipline, and man OF peculiar qualifications
suste De Mitz, Judge of the Court of Appeals
ut Paris. In relation TO this mission to the Uni.
ted States, to its results, | will quote from
lecture delivered before a Literary Society OF
Leeds, England, in Tia" year 1851, by Robert
Hall, Recorder Of Dorchester, Engllnd-he saws
in his lecture But while this commission attach
ed their full value to the systems there devel.
oped as applicable 10 cOnyicts in general, he felt
that the grand problem Of eiiecting sensible
in the floating mass OF criminaty had
still to be solved aud that The solution could be
looked for only in the mode OF treating Juvenile
Offenders, il was by mere accident that his at:en-
ton was called to the Rdaie Haus at Hambur..
a private Reiormatory for the education OF VIC
ious children conducted on the principle OF
breaking up the total number into families of
twelve, under Superintendent discharging the
duties of father, with distinct Institution of
brothers in training, who were engaged in cob.
slant assistance and supervision. N. De Metz
proposed to apply this principle to
the education of the young persons acquitted for
want Of discernmen:, and detained in CUSTODY
for purposes OF education. All experience, both
them the difficulty Of adapting any building to
destination different from those of it's original
construction. They were determined not to be
dictated 10 by any existing arrangements Of brick
and mortar, but at all events have the full ben
eff of buildings specially constructed for this pur.
pose" The first nine Colonsts as the inmates o.
this school are called, We're received on the llth
Of January. This Institution has accomplished
in the 20 years of its history, all, aud even more
than its most enthusiastic friends had hoped for
and expected.
But of European schools, must rot omit the
great Model School Of Gernany-yea, more the
Model School of the World This School in the
-eformatory world, has made its mark for good,
he world over. This school is called tie
. Rauhe Haas" and is located near to Hamburg.
Germany, in the village of Horn 1t was estab
ished in quiet way BY l. II. Wichem, a young
9 candidate Of Hamburg. This gentleman,
having become impressed with the criminality and
rice Of large portion of the juvenile class. en-.
ieavored TO DO all in his power TO avert or check
his progress tosaFlis crime, vice and ruin, by !
aking into his own house three mos, uppromis. |
ng aad vicious boys. Having well succeeded in |
his. his first undertaking, he gradually added to
heir number until dozen families are now in |
'ealthful moral trimming, ard from personal OBJ