Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1880-03-26
The Reform School.
Correspondence Rutland Herald
NERGENSEs, March 4, lSSl


Editor Herald and Globe Your issue of
the Sd ult contained an article on the Re
form School, to which should be added a
more extended statistical showing, lest the
many readers of your paper should form
some erroneous conclusions concerning the
past record of the school and its future pros
poets In your article it is stated of the boys
found in the school in January, 1879, quite a
number of them had been there long time !;
from three TO ten years" Your readers will
gain from this statement wrong impression
concerning thelength of time boys are retain
ell ut the school, 1t would have been equal
ly true had it been stated that of the fifty
eight boys leaving the school after December
|, 1878, quite number of them (22) had
been in the school less than three wears, or
from eleven months to three years. No one
of the fifty eli hit boys leaving the school had
been retained eight years; the longest time
of detention being seven years, eleven months
and twenty-five days. Some of those who
had remained long at the school had been
previously furloughed, or had ran away and
been returned. The impression may also be
conveyed that previous to December l,
1878, but little effort had been made to fur
Tough boys from the school. 1t may be well
to go back to the first year after the removal
of the school to Vergennes, and take the re-
ports of the school from year to year, dating
from August LIST in each year. the time each
annual report is made. The figures concern
ing the numbers of the school for the above
named time are rs follows: Whole number
in school August 1st, 1875, %; number COM
mitted during succeeding year Al; number
furloughed discharged, escaped and died, % :;
number in school August |, 1876, ZIG num-
Der committed and returned during succeed
ing wear, As number of boys furlouehel,
discharged escap ii and died, Al number of
boys in school Aug. /, 1877, III numb r
OF boys committed and returned during sue
Ceedng year, 40 number furloughrd dis
charged, escaped and died. 80; number of
boys in school Aug. l, 1878, 132; number
committed and returned during succeeding
year, IS number Of boys furloushcd, escaped
and died, Sc number of boys in school Aus.
l, 1879, 10l. 1t will he seen from the
above figures that previous to the past year
there had been sent from the school on the
average each year nearly one-thiri of the
number OF boys in school at the first of the
year. Ii will also be seen that the number
received last year was but 10 less than the
largest number received in any ono of the
three preceding years, and but less than
the number received the previous
year Again, although extraordinary
measures were taken 10 iurlough boys last
year allowing boys 10 leave the school be-
fore giving as desirable evidence of reforma-
ton as had been required in the past-the
number leaving the school in all amounted 10
but IL more than left the school in the year
ending August /, 1877. Thus. by compar-
ing extremes, it will be obvious that there is
really no well-foundcd reason TO expect that
the numbers can be much further reduced
unless bows are to be sent from the school