Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1875-02-16

of the Legislature there is none which
presents stronger claim than the State
Industrial School for Girls, at Hallowell.
In view of the important work for the pub
lie welfare It has on hand, none is more
modest in its requests. The practical
workings and marked success wherever
maintained, place these institutions be-
yond the boundary line of experiment and
amply vindicate their position among the
necessary and economic agencies of civil
lied society and wisely administered gov
ernments. While other educational and
reformatory institutions may have had
greatly varied and sometimes doubtful sue
cess. the Industrial School for Girls has
uniformly resulted favorably to the
States and communities which have main
tanned them. There is little doubt that
this Is largely owing to two causes;
First, to the fact that the young girls are
specially susceptible to the influence and
kindly care of those of their own sex
their 7matrons and teachers. Secondly,
because these schools are organized and
conducted on the family system.
The extensiveness Of the successful es-
tablishment of these schools is unknownto
many. Since 1856 Denmark has had such
institutions, and the result has been highly
beneficial. Italy has Mirty-tsree Reform
and Industrial institutions. Of which nine
are for girls and twentytour for boys, and
Twenty-Five of these are Industrial. Switz-
erland, with a territory one half. and a
population four times, that of Maine, has
seventy Reformatory and Industrial
schools for little delinquents, organized
on the family plan. and maintains in them
an average of 1475 boys and 100 girls.
Of these ten to fifteen per cent. turn out
badly-the remainder become good citi-
gems in after life. France has such schools
on an extensive scale, with wonderfully
beneficial results. England began the es-
Enlistment of these institutions in 1854.
From the date Of their beginning to Jan.
/ 1871 she had in her Retormatory schools
1881 children and in her Industrial
Schools 14,46l She has now GA Reform
and 81 Industrial schools. For the annual
support OF these institutions the English
government appropriates 1862 ,0S6 in gold
or 1906. 436 present value Of United States
currency. Carefully gathered statistics,
running over nearly twenty years and en-
bracing this large number of children,
amply vindicate the financial economy
and the moral wisdom of this government
expenditure.
Various States of this Union for years
have maintained such schools with like re-
suits. Rhode Island exPends about s20. 900
per annum on her reform institutions for
boys and girls. Michigan and Minnesota
are liberal in the same direction. New
Jersey has an institution OF this character,
and New York has several. Maryland
established her Industrial School for Girls
in 1868. and Connecticut has one on a
scale three times as expensive as ours at
Hallowell Massachusetts established her
Industrial School for Girls more than eigh-
teen years since. This institution has five
separate building and as many families,
while the State preventive school at
Monson provides quite extensively for a
class of very small girls. She appropri-
ates about go. 900 per annum for her Girls
Industrial School at Lancaster, and not
far from $4,000 per annum for all her
Reform and Industrial Schools.
Should Maine appropriate according to
her population the same ratio as England,
Scotland and Wales, the annual sum for
our Reform and Industrial Schools would
be $23, 400. The Committee on the Re-
form School reports sls, 900 as necessary
to the support Of that institution, while
the amount asked for the Girls School at
Hallowell is but $1,000. The reasonable
ness of this srn must commend itself to
the practical .se of the Legislature and
to the mors ympathies and sober judg-
ment Of the public. 1t would be extreme
ly unwise to strange this institution by
the want Of financial support just as its
mission of usefulness is ready to begin.
Speaking OF the bad spirit manifested in
Congress by the democrats. also in the
South, the Machias Republican remarks:
I'VE do not doubt but these demonstra-
tons of disloyalty in both north and south
by democrats, will tend, as it ought to do,
to the laying aside all minor differences
of opinion by republicans and every other
friend of good government, and during
the next two years to settle for all time,
whether or not the spirit of slavery shall
rule this fair land.-The republican party
is in q majority in this nation, and there
can be no way found for its defeat but
through internal dissensions. =
Let every republican do his duty; have
more regard to the good of the country
than to personate in any form, prcjudices
or local iealousies making the good of