Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1882-10-11


COMMITTEES who selected the text books in 1879 |
showed npre wisdom than the legislature that |
made theaw, for In majority OF cases they held !
county pnventions Of town committees, and
adopted he same text books in most Of the towns
of the comfy. The legislature has it in its power
TO do jutice to parents, teachers and scholars by
providig for a uniformity Of school books
throughput the state and in some way regulating
the prio OF them. 1t is to be hoped that whoever
hereaftr, decides upon the reading books to be
used vii select some that do not almost entirely
gnorepeeches and selections OF patriotic char
acter. The matter of the reading books in school
inhueres the patriotic feelings and moral char
acter most OF the scholars more than their in
strucpns affect their style Of reading, Many
scholTs get no other reading OF that kind 1t Is
to beloped that the revolution, the naval battles
! of 1872, and the war for the suppression of the
rebebon will not be altogether crowded out Of
the rading books in our common schools
THE STATE PRISON.
TIE last legislature appropriated twenty thou
sani dollars for the purpose OF rebuilding and
improving the state prison and its surroundings.
Thtact provides for constructing suitable drain
agefor the prison to the Connecticut River, for
demonstration of a new brick shop Of sufficient
capcity for the employment OF all convict labor
AM for remodeling the central building so as to
connect the two prison buildings, and make suit
abe accommodation for the superintendent and
officers of the prison, and suitable quarters for
female convicts This provides for the almost
eItire remodeling of all the buildings about the
| u1SOn except tDb TWO pflSO0S anu Int ntW hnOD
uilt four years ago. The prison committee of
tat legislature evidently came to the same con-
duson that every candid person must have ar
lived at upon inspecting the old buildings OF that
institution viz: that the two work shops and the
CENTRAL building were in every respect unfit and
inadequate for the purposes to which they were
put and that the system of drainage into an i'm
nense cess pool in the rear Of the prison was a
means of breeding disease and death for the
inmates Of the prison and the surrounding village
Il Windsor The buildings were old, and had
rome of the conveniences of modern times. They
we're probably all that were required at the time
they were erected, but public sentiment has ad-
yanced very much in respect to these matters,
and to-day demands better lighted, better warmed
and better ventilated buildings, even for state
prison convicts, than it did fifty years ago.
Tle state prison directors have expended the
appropriation economically, yet with q view to
the enlightened public sentiment of the present
day. The buildings will be found to be substan-
tia convenient for the uses required, and II not
ornamental at least not an offense to good taste.
The house OF the superintendent IL connected
with the central building of the prison, and his
sleeping room Is in immediate communication
with the guard room by an electric bell. The
central building of the prison proper contains the
apartments for the female convicts, the matron
and the assistants of the prison. The guard
room which is also in this building is so arranged
that one keeper can see the entire length OF both
wings of the prison, and have the oversight OF all
the prisoners without leaving that room. Con-
siderable saving of expense and great increase
in the security OF the prisoners is gained by this
arrangement.
The new work shop which takes the place OF
! the two old ones, is much better adapted to its
purposes than the ones whose place 1t takes
Less guards are required in it, and the gain in
health, comfort and cleanliness is considerable.
| The engine is in the basement, but the boilers are
in a building by themselves, to lessen the danger
from accident. The boilers Of sufficient capac-
ity not only to run the machinery, but to warm all
| the buildings, and steam pipes are now put in so
that the old system OF stoves and long stove pipes
with the consequent dripping and smell of SCOT,
| are done away with.
| The directors have made new contract for the
! labor of the convicts on much more advantageous
terms than the old one | am satisfied thatin the
end the prison can be run much more economically
| with its new buildings and improved arrange
ments than it could be before with the old struc-
lures and inconvenient surroundings. The prison
now, in its buildings, its arrangements and super
! intendence, will compare favorably with any like
| institutions in the country, although the whole
establishment has cost the state but 1.-THE OF
| what such prisons cost most Of the states OF the
Union. The sewer, built from the prison to the
Connecticut river, is in every respect very salts
factory. The health of the prisoners is remaTka-
bly, good, and this favorable condition is due in
great measure to the complete disposal of every
thing of filthy character by the sewer.
At the time Of the superintendents report two
years ago there were one hundred and forty-two
convicts in the prison. When his report was
made for this session there were but nnety-four,
This is extremely gratifying, and indicates some
Improvement in the morals Of the state, although
a part Of the change may be due TO a more pros
porous condition of business, and besides the
house of correction takes few convicts that be-
fore its erection were sent to the state prison
THE HOUSE OF CORRECTION.
Now that the house OF correction is in success
! ful operation and doing its work so well, we can
hardly realize that the state could take care OF Its
criminals without it. The old system of commit
20 tba oil rha
ISM Then the young, and those whose offense
was slight misdemeanor, were thrust into prison
with those hardened in crime, and kept in idle
that fostered every vice and encouraged every
crime. To-day the young and those who have
accidentally fallen into crime do not herd with
old offenders and the time of all is occupied with
industry helpful to them and profitable to the
state The state prison, house OF correction and
reform school give us three grades OF punishment
with an attempt to reform the younger offenders
On the 3lst Of July, 1880, there were sixty-six
prisoners in the house OF correction and four in
the Rutland county jail, which is in the same
building and under the same management 1--we
years later there were forty-four prisoners in the
house Of correction and one in the Rutland county
JAIL making a difference of twenty-five in the
two years, This is gratifying.
The last legislature appropriated six thousand
dollars to pay the debt which had been incurred
in building a workshop and making other i'm
provements during the two years previous. i
also appropriated one thousand dollars for build
/ ing IN 10 tne duultlol
has been built at considerable less expense thar
the appropriation.
The statute has long provided that persons con
fined in the state prison who so conduct them
selves for any month that no charge of miscon
duct is sustained against them, shall have de
duction for each such month OF five days from
the term OF sentence and If poor and destitute
shall be entitled TO receive one dollar for eacl
month when finally discharged. The certificate
of discharge is to be approved by the governor
These provisions do not by the statute apply {,
the house Of correction, but il has been the prac
tice OF the governors, myself included, to approx,
OF similar cert ticatesifrom the superintendent o
the house of correction. treating 1t in the light
a pardon for that length of time, 1t seems rea
sonable that both institutions should be put on tn
same footing in this respect, and some Legislation
is required to do it.
THE REFORM SCHOOL.
This institution is Of reformatory rather thai