The Portland daily press., 1883-03-01
THE REFORM SCHOOL.
Hearing Before the Legislative Commit
tee at Augusta.


School was held yesterday afternoon in Repre-
sentatives' Hall at Augusta. There were pres.
ent the legislative committee, Mr.. e. I,
Stearns of Oxford county, chairman, Thomas
H. Haskell, Esq, and Frederick Fox, Esq. OF
the Commission on Reform School, Albion
Little. of the Board of Trustees, J. r. Far
rlngton, Superintendent, and E. P Went
wooth, Assistant Superintendent besides many
OF the members of the present Legislature and
other interested persons.
The first speaker was Thomas FL. Haskell,
Esq, who referred to his appointment as one
OF the commissioners, and said that in accord
ance with the request of some of the members
of the present Legislature he had made GER
tain suggestions and presented them in the
form of bill, which has been referred to the
committee. The State Reform School. he con-
tinued is a State institution. 1t was estab-
lished by the State for the reformation of ju-
venile offenders Society requires that the
wllful violation of its laws should be punished; /;
that punishment it requires for its own securi-
ty and for its own protection, and for its own
benefit. Within comparatively short time
philanthopists have seen occasion to consider
how far the ends of punishment may be ac
complished in securing peace, quiet, enjoyment
oil liberty and property TO society, and have at
the same time a reformatory effect upon the
offender. 1t was to this end that the State
Reform School was established Unquestiona-
bly, its purpose was the reformation of youth
fnl criminals rather than their punishment,
and it is the duty of the friends of the institu-
tion to see what are the best methods to be used
for that purpose. As the law now stands all
grades of offenders, except those guilty of
crimes punishable by Imprisonment in the
State prison not for life, may be sentenced to
the Refoi m School if the offender be between
the age of eight and sixteen years: aud that
sentence is during his minority. Now it can
not be that boys committed to the institution
for petty crimes are sent there to be punished
for SO long time; they are sent there TO be re-
moved from bad influences and eX pie, to be
brought up in the way of right and truth, and
to become honest, upright citizens of the State
WI n these things are accomplished, when
the inmates have been sufficiently reformed,
the trustees at once release them either by in-
dentiDg them to suitable persons or discharg-
ing them absolutely or conditioDally,
Mr. Haskell maintained that if reform is the
intended purpose of an Institution of this kind
1t is no place for offenders who have been ad-
judged guilty of crimes which society demands
should be punished; that it is no pl ce where
Offenders should be taken and kept which re-
quire from those who have them in CHARGE
strict surveillance and great watchfulness.
Boys who have been adiudged guilty of man
Slaughter, arson, robbery, burglary, ETC., should
not be sent to this institution by the courts as
they now are. The reason for this is not 30
much that boys guilty of these crimes have
proved themselves to be unfit inmates of the
school, as the fact that they have been guilty
of offences which society demands should be
punished; and such ought not to be sent there
upon the same level with the truant the va
grant and the petty thief.
One OF the objects of this institution, as de-
clarec by the law, is the instructing OF boys in
mechanical trades. Near him sat the worthy
Superintendent and Mr. Little, now member
OF the Board of Trustees. who has for many
years labored in this institution with great snc-
cess for the State and with great profit to the
inmates. He did not wish to criticise the man.
agement of the institution He asked the
committee to bear in mind that when this
school was first established it was provided
with barred windows and cells with grated
doors. Every boy slept at night in a cell with
grated door-locked in. There were then no
distinctions of grade. Now, under the direc-
tion OF the trustees, and that list of trustees
contains the names of some of the very best
citizens of our State, great improvements have
been made from time to time. Those prison
cells have all been removed, the boys have
been divided into classes, schools have been es-
Ii.
the institution ought to take another step in
advance and establish a mechanical school,
where the boys can be taught trades. There
are such schools in Worcester and other cities
where boys can become skilled in the use of
tools. Cane seating is not an employment suit
able to those boys; it does not tend to mental,
moral or physical Improvement. A room could
be fitted with all the tools and machinery nee
essary at an exnense of about $780, and in
such work shop, with one overseer and one
acc h6ah ho of,1r
by which they could earn a livelihood when
they leave the Reform School. The total ex-
pens0 OF hitting up proper workshop aud rum
ming it for two years would be from $4,000 to
$4,000. The State must give up all idea of pc
cuniary profit. There should be no expecta-
tion Of earning anything by the labor of the
boys, but simply to give them such instruction
and training as will make good workmen of
taem. 1t isaa imperative duty that some en-
pioyment be introduced that is interesting to
boys and that may be useful to them in after
lite.
Mr.. Haskell said the statute relating to the
preparation of rules by the trustees for the gov
erDment of the school was now merely direc-
tory; it should be mandaytory.. The
school may not always be under the
direction OF so wise and good Superintendent
as the present one, and although he knew the
trustees now had their bylaws, change in
the wording of the statute would do no harm,
and at s,me future time might prove useful He
was also in favor of board of visitors who
should visit the Reform School from time to
time and report annually to the Governor and
Council. He described the present classifca-
tion of the boys in the institution aud thought
a law sufficiently elastic TO allow of still fur
ther Classification, II at any future time lit
should become practicable, would be desira-
ble addition to the statutes.
Commissioner Fox read letter he had re-
ceived from q gentleman living in another
State, which explained the working of the
Worcester Technical School and gave the es-
timated expense of fitting up work shop
adapted to the needs of the Reform School,
Albion L tile, Esq, recently appointed a
trustee of the institution said that when boy
was received at the Reform School for any of
the high crimes mentioned, he felt great ap-
prehension as to the result upon the school
The names of such offenses grated upon his
ear He had always watched the progress of
such boys in the school with solicitude, and
alwa,s kept himself informed as to their mental
ability and moral condition, and also as to the
lnfiuence they were exertlng upon the other
boys. To his surprise and qualification he
found as rule that such boys are as easily
managed, are as susceptible to good influences
and as well behaved as others. Neither do
they have any evil influence on the school so
far as he could learn by inquiry and personal
investigation, Some of those boys came to the
school ignorant, unable to read or write their
own names. Now they can write letters that
would do credit to any man. and are rapidly
improving in general scholarship. They ap-
pear 10 be profting by the instruction
and discipline of the school and he
believed that however great the crime
committed such boys could oftentimes be re
formed. There is no place other than State
prison or jail to which such boys can be sent.
A long tenn in either, confined with hardened
criminals and treated as adult convicts must
be treated would not be in accord with the
enlightened spirit of sthe times. For his part
he could not think it right to take boys ten,
twelve or fifteen years of age and condemn
them to penal institution. If the suggestion
made by Mr.. Haskell be adopted and engraft-
ed into the laws boys who have been doing
well in the School for two years or more
would be remainder under the sentence of the
court to five and six years in the State prison.
He could not approve of such remanding un-
less 1t be proved to him that their presence in
the School was injurious to the other boys; as
yet, that has not been shown. When he
thought of their bright faces and pleasant
woros of greeting he was forced in the name Of
humanity TO ask that they be not transferred
to the State prison.
Mr.. Little explained at length the rules of
the trustees which had been approved by the
Governor and Council. The question of in
troduciug the teaching OF trades had been dis
cussed by the trustees for many years but the
State had never felt able to carry on mechan-
ical industry at loss. He wished that the
Legislature could see the need of teaching
boys useful trades at the School. The Tech
nical School at Worcester is an endowed in
stltution having all the money it can use and