Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1876-10-20

gennos last Friday. The Senators and
Representatives were taken to Vergennes
in special train, and after dinner were
driven over to the school, where an hour
or moro was spent in inspection Of the
buildings and grounds. These last are
spacious, and exceedingly pleasant. The
play grounds, with their pleasant slope TO
otter Creek, their hardwood groves aud
stretches Of green sward; the pond with
its facilities for bathing in summer and
skating in winter, and other attractions,
are IN very strong contrast with the bare
and barren stretch of gravel which sur
rounded the school building in its former
location in Waterbury. The old arsenal
building of stone, three stories high, has
been rettled for the work shop which &C.
cupies the second story; aud school rooms,
two of which, with folding doors between,
occupy the upper story. These are light
and pleasant rooms, ceiled with wood,
lighted by gas, warmed by furnace In
the basement and supplied with improved
school furniture, maps on the walls, an Or
rcry for Astronomical illustration, and all
needed conyeniences.
The old officers quarters Of the arsenal
have been rehttod for the girls depart
meut. Ii has accommodation for fifteen
girls, with the matron, assistant and cook.
A new building, GO by 40 feet, three stories,
with mansard roof, and a two.story wing,
40 by 80 feet, gives rather scanty quarters
for the boys durmitory, which occupies
the upper story; the hospital, the dining
room, the chapel, and the family rooms of
the superintendent. An adjoining build
ing, which used to be known as the "green
house, 100 by 80 feet, connected with the
main building by a covered way,-con-
tans the steam boilers which warm the
whole Of the main building, and furnish
steam for cooking, the bakery, the wash
and bathing rooms, and the covered play
ground, used by tie boys in stormy wealth
err. The var ions rooms were the picture of
cleanness and neatness, and the ventilation
and draining are ample and excellent. 1t
seems somewhat surprisins-or would
seem so, If il were not remembered that
the appropriation available for building
purposes made by the last Legislature was
quite iimited-that the State should not
have built little larger, while it was build
ing. The building is already full. There
is room in the dining room for but three or
| four more stools, every stool there having
its occupant at meal time. The dormitory
is already too small. II has room for ZIG
single beds, arranged in double tiers. But
there are now 121 boys in the school, and
as a consequence five have TO sleep in the
hospital, which now fortunately has no
other occupants. About a hundred boys
have been "furloug hed"-that is reformed
and placed out in well ordered families, in
various parts Of tho State-since August
lst, 1874. The health and general cJndi-
ton of those remaining in the school seems
excellent; and in drill and in the school
room, they certainly appeared exceeding
| ly'well. The boys were exercised by As
sistant Superintendent Healy, in their sim
| pie gymnaslc drill, aud then by Overseer
| Wheeler, in the fire drill. Starting at the
alarm, squad Of the boys ran quickly 10
he hydrants, ran ont the hose, and in an
| Incredibly short space Of time had three
streams Of water playing on the building
two from the hydlants attached 10 the pipes
|
steam pump, in the main building. The
boys had the hose out aud pipes in readi-
| ness to play in twelve seconds from the
ne Arrest hydrant, and in seventeen seconds
from the more distant ones, and the wafer
followed in five or six seconds more. The
| boys we're then marched into the school
room, and, amer singing, with q lady teach
er accompanying on the reed organ, were
examined by Mr.. Healy in geography, and
in oral arithmetic, in which they showed
re markable efficiency. They then march
ed TO the workshop and showed their skill
in seating. cane seat chairs. This furnish
es the chief occupation for the boys, though
a few--less than dozen-are employed or
the farm. II is clean and easily learned
trade and it is pity ii could not be more
remunerstive. There is one boy who viii
finish chair scat in less than an hour ant
will seat six chairs in five hours but ever
he can earn but about 10 cents day fol
the State, AMI The earnings Of the boys av
erage moi ever half that.
The giIls are more profilably employed
There are nine girls Of apparently from
eight TO eighteen years of age, now in III,
girls department, and, besides making
their own clothing, they make all the cloth
ing for the boys, and do most Of their owl
cooking aud the housework OF their build
ing. They devote the first hall of each day
beg ming at six in the morning, 10 sew
ing by hand aud with the sewing machine
and the last half, ending at eight in th,
evening, 10 their studies In the schoo
room, with ample intermssions for meals
and recreation. They take turns in tn,
kite hen and are thus fought plain sewing
use of the sewing machine, cooking, house
work, and the branches Of an ordinary
common school education, grammar ex
copied, which they are left to acquire by
absorption, If at all. The girls looked
clean and neat in their persons, and arr
doubtless far better off in the school than il
tho wretched homes from which the,
como; and the same is true of the boys.
The Legislators could not but be impress
ed with the good order and excellent con
diti on of all the inmates. To many of then
the Reform School was new revelation
They obtained new ideas of the good-no
to be valued in do!lars-that may be ac
complished in well ordered reformator,
institution. They left satisfied that the Re
form School is in good hands, as it certain
ly is, under the experienced charge of Su
perinte ndent Fairbank, The motherly car
of Mrs. Fairbank, and the capable service
of their assistants.
A BRAVE ACT AND QUICK THOUGHT
"A few days since, as an excursion trail
of ei ghteen heavily loaded cars on the Yer