Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1885-09-22
Reform For Boys Neaaed.

charge boys from custody who are al
rsigpe6 FOR any crime short of a capita
one. We are not surprised at this
when We consider the inA6equl IT.
means We have in the S STATE for Ike re
formation ct youthful criminals.
Howeve. hopeless reform may be IL
hardened adult crimina,s-snd reform
even in thei2 Is. not always hopeless
che general feeling is that hope has MOI
altogether dief out in thoss of tender
yeara However dark the future mas
look there Is G lingering ray upon
which hope still bangs and which may
be .fostered by proper treatment and
care until 1t will eventually illuminate
the soul. Yesterday boy was dis
charged fcom Court, for petty larceny.
He had been some time An jail already,
awaiting trial it 10 true, which was
kindly construed by the Court az suffi =
cieut punishment for the crime with
which he was charged. But In this
case punishment by Imprisonment was
not what this boy needed. Confinement
In jail with other criminals from whose
hearts hope for the better had tisd, his
moral condition when he leaves all to-
day will be worse than when he on ter
ed The boy really goes forth into the
world with better education to com
init crime. The lessons he learned
while in all were taught by criminals,
and now he has clearer, keener insight
into the mysteries Of committing crime
than he ever had before.
All this goes TO prove concl usively
that IN the case Of boys especially, and
We would say in regard to men too, but
not with the same strong emphasis,
punishment should 90 hand In hand
with reformation, and the punish ment
should be inspired by q spirit of reform
more than by q spirit Of revenge-an
eye for an eye and tooth for a tooth.
The turning OF these youthful crimi-
mails loose upon society, simply tina.
they might not be kept In Jail. where
their education In sin only becomes
perfected, is an imposition and an out.
rage upon society. They should
be sent to retormatory institutions -
But where are they in Delaware? From
one end of the State to the other, there
Is no place for the unfortunate but with.
In the bleak walls of q prison. 1t IL
encouraging to know, however, tina,
the State has given Its sanction to seve
raj private institutions that have fol
their object the amelioration of the con.
dition Of the unfortunate. The Home
for Friendless Children, though SUP.
ported by private charities, has been
incorporated by the State The same
may be said Of the Home for old
Ladies. But the sanction, or rather
the permission Of the State, that sucl
institutions should be protected by lega
rights, is as far as the State has gone il
this benevolent direction, so far as thes
two institutions are concerned.
The State has gone a little farther II
granting q charter to the Ferris Reform
school, which, we are pleased to saw
will soon be in operation. In addition
to tina permission granted to organic
such school upon the private munifi
cAnce OF John Ferris, permission
given the courts OF justice of .he State
the Municipal Court OF Wilmington
and even to the courts of Justices OF tn
Peace to send to this school, instead @
sending to Jail, boys guilty Of violatin
the law, under sixteen years Of age. =
This more closely connects the Sat
with a retormatory institution than an
other action of the State Leeis!atnr,
and hence the Ferris Reform .schoc
might ~ its leading aspects be called
State institution.
1t then follows that being in grea
measure State institution, to whic
youthful criminals may be sent by til
State authorities, the State ant IL
counties of the State should max
some provision for the support OF Il
institution. 1t would not be- right f,
the State to profit from the priva
charity of the late John Ferris withol
paying its way. If the jails are T
lieved Of the expense Of keeping yout
full criminals, it surely should pay
least the expense of keeping them
the Ferris Reform school. This
least should be conceded as q matter
right and justice.
But we contend that the Stat
should do more than this. Besides b.
ing . place Of conf nement the Ferr
Reform School ia, as its name implies,
place where boys are to be reform
from their evil habits, place whe
they are in addition to this to be educ
tod, 30 far as to enable them to make
respectable showing In the world, VIII
they go out into 1t again. Truly Il
is worth something to the State. VIII
youthful persons go out from the i
they go with the brand OF sin and d
graduation upon them, hooted aud shU
ned by all society but that Of crimina
When they go out from the Ferris I
form School, they are expected to
better than they came 70 it, they 9
expected to be cured of their evil habi
they are expected to have an educati
that will be of an advaDt age TO them
the pursuits of life they shall ent
This is worth a great deal to the Sta
and SHOULD be recognized in a libe
manner by the State.
To make the Ferris Reform Sch
a complete SUCCESS 1t must have
from the State or from the counties
the State. The amount left to organ
such an institution and set 1t In wo
ing order WAS So, 900. 1t took abc
$25 600 to purchase the farm and ina
re pairs. The interest OF the remain
is but o small amount upon which
base large expectations, though the =
ducts Of the farm will, OF course, /
material help. The State should, q
we doubt not will, help to perfect
institution For this purpose let
Courts and public sentiment lend IL
aid.
Will the Ferris Reform School /
sue oess, we are asked2 We reply
tainly, just as much 30 as the Hous.
Refuge in Phtladelphia i.a succe
IL i l.afa a tc.. L.