The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1869-12-11

ANNUAL VISIT OF THE GOVERNOR AND coUN.
GIL.
Pursuant to the usual custom, yesterday was
the day set apart for the annual visit of the
governor and Council to the State Reform
School, situated in Westbrook. Owing to ILL
ness which confined the Go yernor at home
In Brunswick, he was not able to be pres
ent on this occasion, and consequently the
party Was restricted to the Hon. Messrs. II. b.
Prescott of New Sharon, H. c. Reed of Nor
way, S. X. Whiting of Ellsworth, w. Philbrick
of Skowhegan, and G. w. Randall OF Fort
land, all members of the Council; and the rep
resentatives of the press.
The day was bright and beautiful one, the
snow-crystals giistened and sparkled in the
sunshine, and the fields, dressed in their white
robes, stretched out an illimitable distance on
either hand, broken only by the neat houses on
the route, from whose chimneys the blue
smoke curled upward in the light breeze that
hardly moved the dry twigs upon the trees.
The party started from the city about P.
NJ, and on their arrival at the School were
heartily welcomed by Mr. E. w. Woodbury.,
the efficient Superintendent, DIR. Stinchfeld,
his efficient assistant, and Mr.. W. E. Gould,
one of the Trustees.
After having laid aside their outside gar
ments the guests were invited to make an in
spection of the school departments. The dor
mitories were visited, series of small rooms
arranged in three tiers, each boy having a
room entirely to himself, in which their sew
eral tastes are displayed in the ornamentation
of many of the apartments with illustrations
from pictorial papers, and with trailing vines
Everything about the dormitories was neat as
wax, showing the habits of neatness and order
inculcated in the occupants by the rules of the
school. Next in order was visited the laundry
room, the kitchens, the coal and wood cellar,
the play-room (where the boys were disporting
themselves to their hearts content), the dining
hall, and the departments. We learned that
there were at present 1873 boys in the school,
from nine to twenty-one years of age, the aver
age being fourteen years. This year the
school has only required an appropriation of
$500 on the part of the State, the boys by
their own work paying all the rest of the ex-
pense Of running it. They are employed &C.
cording to their various capabilities, in shoe
making, chair making and other employments,
besides working on the farm and in the brick
yard. Two hundred and fifty cords of wood
are used during the year in the house, and
three hundred and twenty cords in the brick
yard. The establishment also uses seventy
tons of coal annually. Four hundred barrels
of -four are consumed yearly, barrel of -four
being turned into nice bread every day. We
saw great cakes of splendid looking ginger
bread, thirteen in number, each 1890 inches
in size. The dormitory is heated at night
by the hot air from the kitchen, none of
which by this process is wasted We also saw
the boys march in to supper in true military
style, displaying most excellent discipline and
to highly relish their wholesome
supper of bread and molasses, washed down
with good cold water.
After the guests had partaken of an excel
lent dinner they took a glance at the stable
and barn, containing 100 tons of nice hay, six
horses, six oxen and eighteen COWS. 1t is pro-
posed to build new wing to the school for
drying house, some 40x60 feet in size, which
will cause the two sides OF the house to cores
pond and will prevent running away on the
part of the boys.
AS the time was close at hand for the return
of the party to the city, visit was paid to the
school room, where the brightness and readi-
ness Of the boys was noticeable in their answers
to questions in geography and arithmetic, and
showed that they would bear favorable COM
parison with classes of like grade in the city
schools. The boys then executed some vocal
music capitally, after which short addresses
were made by members of the Council and
others; at the conclusion of which tine party
returned to town, much pleased with their
visit.
Mr.. Woodbury. seems to be the right man in
the right place, kind but firm, and appears to
be most ably supported by the members of his
family and assistants.