Carson daily appeal. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1873-1877, 1876-12-21
A STATE REFORM SCHOOL.

Our State Constitution explicitly
| says that provision may be made by
| law for the establishment and mainte-
nance of House Of Refuge for juve-
nile offenders" We have long be.
lieved that the times demand such an
| institution as the Constitution hints at.
We are glad to note that the Grand
Jury of Storey county have spoken OF
this matter. In the report Of that
body, which We find in Yesterday s
Enterprise occurs the following:
The attention of the jury has been
| called To the increasing vice and crime
in the conduct Of many children in
this county. The magistrates in the
! the several townships are frequently
informed of crime Of the vilest charac
| ter having been committed by child
rem so young in years that they are
often in doubt as to the wisest course
to pursue. To allow such children to
continue in course of crime would
surely prove destruction to them and
dangerous to society. TO commit
them TO our common prison, it is
equally injurious. Most of the States
Of this Union have wisely instituted
Reform Schools or Houses Of Correc-
ton for all vicious and unmanageable
children. and this grand jury do here
by most respectfully recommend to
our representatives in the Legislature
that they use their Influence toward
establishing 4 House Of Correction i'll
this State.
The following, which we quote from
the editorial page Of the Enterprise.
states the case admirably: "The grand
jury recommend that proposition to
create a Reform School should be
urged upon the incoming Legislature.
We are reluctantly constrained to say
that we fear such school has become
almost necessity. The genus hood
lum has developed very rapidly in
Storey county of late. At present it is
almost impossible to attempt any re-
form of bad boys, because nothing can
be done except to imprison yonng
Indicators in the County Jail, which
is simply a degradation which to boy
is what seduction is to young girl
it takes away the sense Of shame
which before was restraint, and COM
pletes the hardening Of their hearts.
Further, it familiarizes them with the
older scoundrels who are daily taken
to prison. After one or two arrests
they are linked with the class called
-" Jail BIRDS" and thenceforth they are
of no more use in this world. 4 Re-
form School, to such, is means
through which better influences are
brought to bear upon boys; the COM
Of an education is given
them therein; the associations are all
the feeling that they have
ever committed great crime is not
given to them: they are made to see
that they have been taken from q path
which would have led them down to |
lnfamy, but that if they are now but |
true to themselves they have full OPP |
to redeem themselves and |
to become useful men. If their ma !
lures are not naturally totally de- |
PRAYED, there is redemption for them
in Reform School. And such a school
would take a wild element from our
midst, and if the school brought no
to its inmates, it would at
east save the boys who are left from
he contamination which comes Of evil
IL is easier to fumigate
IN infected house and prevent disease
han to cure disea Sc after it has become
Epidemic. A city sometimes needs a
moral fumigation as much as disease
districts require the enforce
nent of sanitary regulations. Hood
um boys and girls are one of the af-
lotions of the cities of this coast. AS
rule they were begotteD without af-
ec:ion and have grown up without
estraint, and their management is
mong the most difficult problems
which this generation is called upon
D solve. A Reform School at least in
art furnishes solution, and so, in
leu of something better, we join with
he Storey county grand jury and
commend the consideration of tho
uhject to the Legislature"