Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1870-02-25
From the Toledo Commerciai, Feb. l4th.
THE reform SCHOOL FOR

No LITTLE embarrassment IS felt by the
management of the State Reform and IN
/ dustrial School for Girls, owing to the
mistaken notions and general lack of in
/ formation in regard to its design. From
/ these come not only indifference but
many predjudices which threaten serious
i ly to affect the usefulness of the enter
/ prise. These causes are not confined to
| section or class, but seem to exist in all
localities and among all people. Intel
| hgent business and professional men,
Probate Judges, Legislators, State off
cials, and Editors, even, with noble ex-
ceptions), need enlightcning. This evil
IS felt specially at the very time when,
for its fullest success, it needs directly
| the opposite experience. In its very IN
fancy, without opportunity for the DEM
onstration of its ability to meet the ends
of its establishment, whereby it might
be placed onea footing with older char
table institutions of the State, it has just
and special claims upon the liberality Of
the people, lest being dwarfed in infan-
cy, it may take long years to reach al
healthy growth and development.
One serious obstacle in the way Of
the speedy success of this School, and
having its origin, too, among its profess
ed friends, may be thus presented 1T
is an.experiment. " Now, iudicious men,
men of forethought, have learned by OBJ
serYation, if not by experience, to in-I
vest cautiously in experiments, and
this prudence has its influence here. I'M
deriving this-and no doubt giving it
much Of its foree-is the question, Can
this class of Girls be reformed p Here,
with many, IS the great difficulty often
expressed, but oftcner felt. In reference
to this point, It may be stated that those
who have taken pains to inform them
selves, are well aware that many females
whose recovery was far moro hopeless
than any anticipated inmates of this in
stitution, have been restored, and are
now being restored to virtue, friends and
usefulness. ZHiS is no longer an Eek
pertinent. Very low, indeed, must be
the estimated value and efficiency of
moral and religious. instruction, of regu-
lar industrious habits, and the influence
of the Christian family as reformatory
agencies; and to what untold depths of
dePravity must these young girls, many
of them mere children, have fallen in
the eyes of such judges :
s Another notion prevalent, that needs 1
to be ventilated, is the one that this in
stitution IS designed as receptacle for
those so far gone in sin that every effort
for their recovery has failed; and as a
last resort, they are sent there, if not for
reformation, at least for confinement
That occasionally one Of this class may
find her way there, is quite probable; but
that such are not to form the character /
Of the institution, any one at all familiar
with its design or with the character of
the present inmates, needs not to be
told The School was designed as a Re
forInatory, and those who are proper
subjects, are such as can be reached by
the reformatory influences there eXered: /
others would not only be in the way Of
those more promising, but would prove
positive hindrance, by their example |
and other influence. For such the in
stitution was never designed as asylum. |
AS long as there is to be found any reas- 4
enable ground of hope for reforming an
applicant, she should, most assurediy, !
have the full benefit of it; butwhen that
has been swept away, why retain NOR
al ulcer to cat out what IS left of hope or
promise in. others There are, at least
there should be, suitable asylums for
such frail ones-for their own and the 4
common good-where they can be re-
strained, if not reformed.
The greatest hope of success, is with
the youngest of the three classes eligible |
for admission; for, as years advance,
waywardness also progresses and be-
comes incouigibility, and incorngil1ility
sin and almost hopeless ruin.