, 1877-03-14
WHY WE CANNOT HAVE A REFORM
SCHOOL,

SCHOOL.
The Chicago 7inaes, in It's iasuo Of Sunday
laat, had m appeal for "a school for tho
confinement aud reform Of youthful vagrants
and criminals Of both sexos," and, after pict-
uring tue legree Of crime aud dissoiutoncss
prevailing among news-boys, neus-girls, ap-
ple-girls, and boot-blacks, 1t says:
It IL not merely = matter Of Justice and mercy,
but II ia Of economy, to caro- fos these ctaasca
1t tho time when they arc standing on tho threshold
Of criminal life. As nero matter of dollars
md cents It IL much better 10 handle crime In jts
Infancy. II costs much lcss 10 eradicate evil from
q child by proper rcformatofy pfoccsaaa than 10
attempt to reform and control the child when 1t
has reached maturity and becomo hardened csfm.
inal.
There is no exception 10 DO taken to this
moralizing, md thero is no doubt Of Tho im-
perativo need Of such a refornaatory institu-
ton; but how arc wo to obtain 1t 30 long a.
tho courts stand In tho way It Is but
few years ago that We bad such school,
aud good QUO, e1coltently managed and &C.
complaining benefcont work, when 1t was
summariy broken up and the city Was COM
pelled to abandon 1t. Within Its walls were
gathered waits of every description, young
criminals who could not be cont to tho PEN
itcntiary or Bridswell, children Of dissolnso
parents, md street vagrauts turned loose
from their wrotched homes. They wero
cleaned, clothed, and schooled, and taught 10
work In gardening and mechanical trados.
Their manners mud their morals vore looked
after, They wero happy and contentod, and
bade fnir 10 grow UP usoful men
and women. That school was do
ing "a great mud good work, aud
was In tho very primo Of its usefulness
whom Judge A1cAIt1srEn, by decision in a
case boforo him, struck 1t to Its dcath with d
technical objection. Unless th1s decision
'was warranted by positive law, 1t was ono Of
tho most unfortunate Judgments over rcn-
| derol by Judge In tho State Of Illinois.
Evou IL there were law for 1t, 1t was mono
tho lessapublia mtsfortune, ,-ono that opened
NIL tho Hood. .gasos Of juvenile crime. Ills
docislon was to tho effect that no child could
30 imprisoned In tho Resorn School unloss II
lad first boon guilty Of crime. The stata
hes mn institution Of that kind,-a Juvenile
penitenttary,-hut this was not such school,
It was house Of rouge, rcformatory
school, not place for the punish
n,ent OF criminals, It was IN institution
whose purpose It was 10 tako those
wits Of the CUTTERS, these homeless
abandoned children, teach them morality,
| give them chance OF learning some useful
trade, inspire them with self-rospect, aud
thus keep them out Of tho jails aud pcniten
tiarles. 1t waa doing this work with won
tlorful SUCCESS mud 1t Ind attained such
widespread reputation that committees cant
l,esc from other cities to witness its operation
and study its methods. The decision 0
Judge AtcA1l1aExn, however, closed ita doors
Tho city had to abandon 1t aud return the
property to the county. There has not bee1
auy school Of the kind since that decision
mud, oycu II tho city were disposed to cstat
llsh roformatory school, 1t canuot do
vhitu that decision stands It IL one Of til
most pressing nee>ls Of Chicago that thes
juvonile offenders should be reformed, bu
the Inv, as sxpounded ly tho Court. stand
III tho way. Whom tie decision WAS nude
nv the 1'iotes says, ''tho facilities Of Chtcag
for growing crime wero incroaael trol
20 to 50 per csut."