Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1875-08-24
For Il e o. ~oGo DEMocrh'.
4 Visit to the State Reform School.

The readers oil the DeD.Ocrat may he
interested with briet account OF visit
to the Reform School last week. BY
ioint invitation from Mr.. VIM. L. Gould.
president of the board oil trustees, and
Mr.. Eoen Wentworth, superintendent,
we rode out from Portland. q distance OF
four miles, arriving at the school at I.
NJ. After waiting few minutes in the
office. one of the officers politely invited
US to 60 through the building.
We were shown into the school-rooms
first. which are three 10 number. thus
accommodating tae three grades into
which the boys IRE divided. The two
lower schools are taught by female
teachers. The third, by the assistant
superintendent, who also has the super
vision OF the whole. subject 10 the
superintendent. The schools ard IN
session four hours day. from 80 L. Nj.
to 5 80, two recesses being allowed oil
twenty minutes each. Although the boys
found here could not be expected to show
great progress. yet the superintendent
informed US that some OF them were
bright and quick TO learn. and would
make fair show at any grammar school.
From the school rooms we !passed to
the sewing.Ioom, where we found boys
employed in sewing, darning and mend
inp. One of them was running machine.
This department under tho direction OF
lady makes all the clothes worn by The
BOYS, and does all the mendlng.
From the sewing-room we went up
stairs into the sleeping apartment when
is large high hall furnished with iron
bedsteads, large enough for one person
This part OF the building has been en-
tirely remodeled under Mr.. Wentworth's
administration. Formerly the boys slept
in cells. and were locked in at night, but
now The iron CRATES are removed. which
makes Il look less like prison. and con-
tibutes greatly to their health and pleas
urc. Passing down the main stairway
we watched the boys at playing the yard
and at quarter past six we went below 70
the kitchen in the basement adjoining
and off the kithen is the wash room and
laundry. All OF these rooms are caPa'
cious, arranged for convenience, Kept y
good order. and most of the work is done
by the boys.
The order of the week day Is as follows
Rise at a quarter past five; breakfast al
six; play until seven; work from seven
till q quarter OF twelve; dinner at tweiVe
play until 80; school from l ~ 70 So'
with two recesses in the meantime oil ~
minutes each; play thirty minutes; sup
per at six; play tor an hour and a hall +;
evening prayers at eight. Alter prayers
the bows are taken to their sleeping
hall and 90 to bed. All lights In their
quarters, except the watchmsn's lantern
are out al twenty minutes past eight.
There are four industries in which the
BOYS are employed. The farm. brick
ward. shoe shop and chair shop. The
farm contains a hundred and sixty acres
of land. 1t is under good cultivation
/ and well stocked. Fifteen COWS. siA
horses, and two or three yokes OF oxen
are kept on the place. Nearly all the
work on the farm and in the brick yard Il
done by the larger boys, five or six mer
being employed out OF doors as oVerseers
About dozen work in the shoe shop
and seventy or eighty in the chair shop
The shoes made there are heavy COW
hides. The work in thu chair shop II
bottoming cane seated CHRIS. And ner'