The Portland daily press., 1882-10-21
STATE REFORM SCHOOL.
NOTHING OF IMPORTANCE ELECTED
Emphatic Denials of Superintendent Far
rington.

boys on entering inc school are placed IN the
middle grade of the middle class and their
future advance or decline depends upon their
department. An important typographical
error occurred in the omission of the word
''never" in speaking of boys being made to
stand while the others were eating. 1t SHOULD
have read that they "were never made" sc.
Mr.. Sanford who gave 500 for the library
lives in Manchester, Me-, not N. H., and there
are greater inducements than doughnuts to
reward the stomachs of the first class boys at
the table.
The commission went into regular session
shortly after 3 o'clock. There were present
Frederick Fox, chairman Thos. Ell. Haskell
and VIM. E. Gould; also Councilman Bowers
and o. B. Chadbourn, member of the Board
of Trustees of the Institution.
Superintendent Harrington continued his
statement concerning the school and its
management. The following seemed to be
the principal points elected in long and some
what rambling examination, questions being
put from time to time by the members of tbe
commission:
In gathering information as to the grounds
it appears the I'd and Sd class grades are sur
rounded with tight board fence. 10 feet high.
The Sd class yard is 104 feet by so deep. First
class 165x1S5. The yards are surrounded on
three sides by the fence and the other by the
building The yards adjoin each other and
they are used for recre alton. The boys of the
| first class and sometimes other classes have
| been drilled there IN military tactics during
the past summer: The boys of the I'd class
| have been allowed sometimes to work on the
| farm when there was necessity
| In answer to question by Commissioner
| Haskell as to why the boys of the second and
third classes were not allowed certain privi-
In~ w11as, L.. -
| the trustees who were connected with the
school when he took charge, desired him to
conduct it as a reformatory, and not as penal
institution They wished corporal punish
ment to be avoided as much as possible and
| moral and other measures adopted. To this
| end the q AIDED system was devised which met
| his views and he had done his best TO carry
out the system. Very soon after MIR. f. be-
| came connected with the school blanks were
| provided for the use of the officers whereby the
| dement's of boy were noted ON the same and
| once month the blanks were returned to the
| assistant superintendent who rated the boys at
the end of each month accordingly. The
/ grades were subsequently added to the system
| and monthly blanks provided.
In order to interest the boys, aud teach them
| that their grading depends upon themselves,
| merit was added as we'll as demerit. This
enabled them t understand the value of merit
| and to encourage them IN good conduct The
| improved system continues and gives to each
boy for every day that passes two merit marks.
| No matter what his conduct may be he will
| receive them. Every boy receives &C merits
each month and ii so dement's. 10 merits still
| stand to his credit. For 30 merits they are
| advanced one letter in their grade. There are
! extra merits Tor good department and for very
meritorious conduct or extraordinary good
| conduct. A boy who goes through an entire
| month without demerit is also advanced
| or If boy knows OF any plot or mischief that
is going on aud reveals it he is rewarded.
| The extra privileges granted to the first
ic ivan M hnoa 10 IL.
| in department. Why the boys of the second
| and third classes not permitted such priyi-
| leges is because their conduct has not been of
| character TO warrant it,
Under the present system of conducting the
school, which is called the congregate. it is
| necessary that the boys shond be confined
| within the walls or within the yards.
| The boys have never objected to the system
| of grading.
Boys who work in the building are given
| certain tasks which they to perform in a
| certain specified time. These tasks are invari-
ably considerably within their capacity. When
| those tasks are performed the boys have
chance, if they desire, of working for them
| selves. Some of them improve it and earn
money. They expend this money as they
please, purchasing silk handkerchiefs. neck
ties, etc. One boy bought $l2 watch from
his own earnings. When the boys are dis
charged they are given freedom suit of nice
cloth If they will wait for it.
From fifteen to fifty boys are employed out
side. One of the best inducements he could
| give boy for him to do well was to encourage
the idea that he would be procured place on
farm.
From five to eight per cent of the boys in the
school continually remain in the third class.
There ara boys that reach the first class in two
months and some require two years. On the
first of the present month there were 70 boys
in the first class. This class was never so large
as at present and the department. of the school
is steadily increasing. When Mr.. f. took
oh fha nj t,n~o hokxuo 80
30 in a school of l20.
The grade books show to the trustees the
standing of the boys and their attention is
| called to any particular conduct.
Mr.. +. understood that tho trustees had a
rule that they would not consider the case of
any boy with a view to a discharge until he
had been there two years.
The boys are made to understand the graded I
| 81 stem as fully as possible boy who goes
out from the school is always given a recon-
mendation of some kind when they leave. /
The mere fact of their leaving the school by
permission of the trus lees is in itself recon-
mendation.
Since Mr. #. had been connected with the
school no boy had gone out from the institu- l
ton without being provided with home.
The boys generally desire TO go home whence
they came upon discharge and are furnished
| with transportation. He knew of but one
| case where boy did not want to be sent to
| his home.
! T. regard to the future of the boys Mr. f.
| knew from the record that good proportion
| of those discharged from the institution had
| turned out good citizens. OF course some went
| to the bad but he thought that at least three
| fourths turned out we'll. The boys are al
! lowed and required to write to their friends.
| The answers TO those letters are examined by
| the officials, and if proper given to the boy.
| The answers sometimes caused an nvestiga-
| ton but the complaint was invariably found
| 20 be- without foundation.
| Upon certain occasion the engineer was at
| I'd krys hNx7 .DhN In hob fAn
| lence t, a lady overseer. The case was inves-
| tigated and the superintendent repeated his in
| stractonS to the officer to always interfere
| when it was necessary. The boy belonged to
| the first class. For Ibis offence he was con-
| fined in a cell ten days on bread and water and
| received twelve blows on the hand. The boy
| has behaved we'll since ami is now back again
| in the first class. He is a lad of II and was
| committed at the age of II.
| The only instance of complaint
| i'll regard to food that he could recall was soon
! after Gov. Plaisted had been speaking in the
| cities and towns of the State, and the newspa-
| pers to talk of the charges, was when woman
| came tottering up the steps, weeping. She
| was shown to her son, and, after embracing
| him, she declared the boy was very POOR. The
| superintendent told her he thought the boy
| was in good health, and babe the boy toll his
mother what he ba for each meal in the day.
| The boy did SO, enumerating the various arti-
| cles, and stated that he had as much as he
wanted. The mother could hardly be satisfied
even with the testimony of her own SON. "for
surely there must be something in it, for the
| Governor IS said So" Mr.. Harrington replied
that he could not be responsible for what the
Governor said, bnt he did know that the boys
had enough TO eat and wear.
| A night watchman, who strack boy was
promptly discharged. 1t was the only cas-
that had occurred, and thorough investigation
had been made. every boy being questioned.
A boy has been known to invite his friends to
come to the institution, thinking they could
stay there. Such letters are amended. Ey-
cry boy is required to write to his friends once
a month, or, if he cannot write, to dictate one.
The boys did not obtain definite information
in regard to the charges OF Gov. Plasted until
quite recently. They obtained it through a
stray newspaper, picked up in the road, which
CHANGED to contain an editorial upon the SUBJ
iect TIE paper went the rounds of the school.
The article, as he understood it, WAS an edi-
torial treating the Governors charges sarcastic
cally. It was in the PRESS. Nothing had
been developed so far to show that the boys
had taken sides as between the Governor and
| the school.
Mr. harrington said; Had these statements
gone into the school Immediately after they
were made and been allowed TO go through the
school as they went through the community
| do hou bav GsTha.Cou