Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1872-05-13
THE VERMONT REFORM
SCHOOL.

Ahio iHoVieutc Ids uOW Ouc uuuuIcu
and twenty-four boys. Sixty-four have
been received since Jan. lst. lS71-or
since the law as changed took effect re-
quiring all commitments to be during
minority. The boys are from eight to
nineteen years old-about one half of
them of foreign parentage.
The school was opened nearly six
years ago, having received its first boys
(two or three) in July 1866. About
800 boys have been committed in the
six years. Of the 22l committed pre-
vious to the issue of the last published
report 48 had lost fathers SO had lost
mothers, "a had lost both father and
mother, 99 had Incorporate fathers, 81
had used tobacco, 45 had used intoxi-
eating drinks, and nearly all were most
ly idle previous to commitment. In
the 221, every county save Essex had
one or more representatives. Grand Isle
had l, Bennington and Orange each 3,
Franklin 32 and Chittenden SO.
One had come only six years of age
another only seven, 10 more under ten
years, 46 more under twelve years, 3
were sixteen and one was seventeen
years old at commitment None are
received now over sixteen years of age.
The principal causes of commitment
were, larceny l49, vagrancy %, breach
of peace "A, burglary II. Yet as we
sat in the school looking into the faces
of the boys we could not think them
1.-The greatest sinners among all' the
boys in Vermont, or that these boys are
worse than the boys Of our younger days.
The general division of time is, four
hours of study, six hours of work, five
hours for meals and recreation, and nine
hours sleep. The boys rise at five in
the summer, and six in the winter.
The boys are found all over the insti-
tuition, answering the bell, sweeping,
mopping, washing and ironing, cooking,
sewing. doing all sorts of work on the
farm, and for shop work bottoming cane
seat chairs. In each department is a
experimenting officer, working with and
directing the boys.
The boys make and mend all of their
own clothes. save shoes and stockings.
Shoe making has been done in the in
stitution and will soon be introduced
again. The principal business which
brings an income is bottoming chairs.
At recent visit we found So boys in
the shops. This work is not hard, re-
quiring some skill and very nimble fin
gers. The average earnings of the shop
boys are little more than % cents per
day of six hours each.
A large force was employed last sum-
mer in the erection of the new building
and removing the old. The coming sea-
son much of the boys labor will be re-
quired in finishing up" the grounds
about the institution. When the neces-
sary expense of the present building is
met, and the school is thus fairly estab-
lished and the boys can all be employed
in necessary house or farm work, or in
the shop, it will be reasonable to expect
the institution to be largely self support
ing. No similar institution anywhere
is altogether self supporting.
With the increase of the school there
comes an increase of expense differing
the institution. At present there are
IA officers and teachers. Besides the
superintendent and his wife, there is a
nurse, tailoress, laundress, man
anu HIS Wllo III lHo hloCHeu, tWo ledCH-
ers, farmer, a man of all work, &c
The possible capacity of the institution
is from $50 to 800. And the present
number of boys can be doubled without
requiring more than three additional
officers, to wit, two teachers and one
lady assistant in the shop. The aggre.
gate salaries of the officers and teachers
now employed are about $780,
One cannot look over the brief history
of the Vermont Reform School and con-
trast its former buildings with the pres
ent stately edifice without seeing thai
like Topsy the institution was mot made
but "growed." And .'whereunto il
would grow" very few had any concep
tion six years ago. At first it was al
experiment. Similar experiments hao
become successful in other States Bu
Vermonters are disposed to try any new
thing on their own soil before they pro
nounce it good And probably some
still refuse to be convinced of the utility
of this school among US. But it ha
become fixed fact, and is praisewor
thy monument of the intelligence ant
humanity Of the lawmakers of the State
A few months ago the old buildings
too small and lily adapted, gave plac'
to the present substantial. commodious
we'll planned edifce. 1t stands 200 fee
from the road, has front of % fee
with maximum depth of So feet, ant
two Is. running back each 81 l2 feet
1t has stories above basement in tn,
main part. 1t is 90 feet to the top o
cupola-to the top of flagstaff l3O feet
In the basement we find kitchen, laun