Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1870-01-07
BEFoRMATIoN or coNvIcTs.


A large. proportion of the conYicts,
when admitted, are quite young. The
age of about one-third does not exceed
tWenty-one years. More than two
thirds OF the inmates of the prison are
nop-under thirty years of age. It will
occur to any one who considers these
facts that, under our system OF prison
discipline, too little effort has hereto
fore been made to reform these young
men. Al high authority has said, IN o
human being is SO debased and wicked
that he cannot be reclaimed" 1t is
believed that, under aWise system, the
young, at least, can be reformed and
prepared for useful and worthy citizen
ship. The present system has two
capital dsfeets-the mingling in inti-
mate association of the young with the
hardened criminals, and the failure to
educate the conYicts in habits of thrift
and se1f-ceutrol. The defects are IN
the system. The convict, when he
leaves the Penitentiary, is exposed to
greater Temptations than ever before,
anelsthe result of his prison life is that
be has less power to resist evil IN
fluences, and, toQn often, less DISPOSE
ton to resist them i do not enlarge
upon the objections to the present sys-
tenn 1t is not claimed to be reforIna4
tory. In recent report, the Directors
said: sssFhe great mass OF seonyicts still
leave the Benitentiarys apparently as
hardened ana as dangerous to the state
as, when they were sentenced 1he
vital question is, how to remove TINS
reproach on our penal legislation. In
Z considering it, Z commend to you the
| remarkssof the Board of State Chari-
| ties on the Irish convict SYSTEM. The
distinguishing merit of that system Is
1 that cit enlists the co operation of the
/ prisoner in his own amendment, with
out Withholding from him the punish
ment due to his crime." If the adop-
tion of that system, with such modIh-
cations as our condition requires, Is
deemed an experiment which 1t IS m
expedient for the State to try until its
advantages are better understood,
submit that the least that ought now
to be attempted is to AproX1de for
classificatiOn of cOnvicts, so as to sep
arate beginners in crime from harden
ed offenders. Whether this can best
be done by alterations and an extern
sion of the present Penitentiary or by
the erection of a new one, is for your
wisdom to determine.
In several other States voluntary as
| sociations have been formed to provide
| for. encourage, and furnish employ
ment to discharged convicts, ami then
| efforts have been of 1ncalculable ben
1 eft to this unfortunate class. If a sim
! liar association should be formed by
/ the benevolent citizens of Ohio, they
/
er assistance from the General Assem-
bly,, and in that expectation 1 trust
they Will not be disappointed
COMMON SCHOOLS.
The total number of persons o
school age in the State in 1869 was of
ficiallv reported at ], ,O28, ,675, an increase
! of II, los over the previous year. The
total number enrolled in the public
/ schools in 1869 was 740, 1882, an increase
i of S,6l0 over the year 1868. The aver
/ age daily attendance IN the public
schools in 1869 was 434, ,S65, an increase
i over 1868 of "a, IA.
i The total taxes for schools, school
| buildings, and all other purposes, the
present fiscal year, is $6,57S, 1876 50, al
/ increase over the taxation of the pre-
vious fiscal year of S6I6, 795 6S. OF this
i increase of taxation, the sum of Sl7,-
/ S33 Sc is in the State taxation for schoO
! purposes, and the sum of $598, ,961 81 Is
the increase of local school taxation.
L The State Commissioner of Common
Il Schools. in his report, will recommend
Il the adoption of county superintendent
i cY, the bstitutiOno OF township boards
i of education for the present system o.
L township and sub-district boards, {
i Icodification of school laws, and Other
/ important measures, to which your at
tention is respectfully called.
BOARD OF STATE CHARITIES
Is Priorto the organization of the Board
t.of state Charities in 1867, there was ne
tproYision for a systematic eXamina
i tiOn of the benevolent and correction
llal institutions under the control of the
State and local authorities. The mem
bers of the Board serve without pecun
iary- compensation. 1t is simple JUS
Etice to them to say that they have
! faithfully performed the thanklesl
flask Of Investigating and reporting thS
i defects in the SYSTEM and in the 0d
/ 1ninistrationa az our charitable anC
penal laws, and have furnished in theil
reports informatio and suggestions o
great value. If it is true that an abus,
exposed is half corrected 1t would bl
difficult to oyerestimat6 their work
bThey shave, their reports show discov
lered abuses and 5crueltiRs practieed
undercolor of laws tna the midst Q
communities noted for intelligence ant
virtue, which would disgrace any age
Let the Board be granted increased
Epowers and facilities for the discharg'
Of their duties, and it will afford Sc
curity-perhaps the best attainable-tC Il
1.-The people of the State, that yth'
Emunffcent provision which the laws
make for the poor and unfortunate
will not be wasted or misapplied by
the officials who are charged with iii
distribution.
THE CHRONIC INSANE.