Grand Rapids morning telegram., 1885-05-28

laterssling Information Gained Fson
S0periofeadent Go~sr festsrdat

laterssling Information Gained Fsofa
S0periofeadsnt Go@sr 1esterda,
G. A. Go@er. sapeEinlssl.isat q rhs ssals
Reform school a. Laaslag He1s H. b.
R04l-.,a. ~ HIils.ials, <. II Dave. % isl-
sang sad james BialE. "a thls ets. $40 are
aieasber- " tue Board of Control VI thls
state iasutaiion. head meeting yesterday
afternoon l Nr. Blair- onee, IL the hoese-
ulaa tlock Superintendent 0o&sg eas
seel last evening - lsI-suaAA reporter.
hs sad -f)sr 81aeGAZ ~ aag ~as entirely
ia tae Interests ~ Ese Reform seh0oi. ai-d
h11le. Il anything. @as dons thai would be of
interest " the pabBe. Upon being re
aassted - d. - Mr.. Cover kindly and
reatily gave the following information coa-
ceptllg the institution over which he -
sltslently preeides.
The Institution va fret established a-
House II Correction f0r Juvenile Offen-
teFs. and sac essentially penai IA ~ char
act@r, "a sas q Ventable prison Tor young
criminals. hizh salhs snciOsed ths yFO1nds,
iron bolts And bars made doors and windows
secure and xuaFds we're Oh the alert - watch
for planned ESCAPES. Ia more recent year
a great change has gradually been brought
about The Institution h. nov knOWn AZ
'.Ihe Reform School" All penal features
have been discarded from IL management,
walls sFe torn down, bars and bolts removed
from windows, and la place " sIgllAnt guar
dams 9e have quiet sarvlellznce of the IN
.truetors The prison has been Transformed
into a home, a private school, and attempts
a. escape are rare. These changes have
beeu attended with successful results.
have - deal With - those Who
are susceptible 10 good teaching and
training, and whom ghe institution can ben
efit: those who, from inherited tendencies 10
do Nr0nger from continued association with
the degraded and vicious, are we'll nigh hope
les from the start, and those Who are so
weak. intellectually, that no human power
can hope % make OF them selr-supporting
citizens. Whenever cases of the two latter
seem utterly hopeless the subjects are re-
turu-d ~ improper, and such boys are
generally heard OF IN crimes afterwards.
For every instance brought to our notice.
however. where boys have failed 10 do we'll
after leaving u, We send o0t al least hve
VINO become worthy member. OF society
There we're ln the institution thus morning
as boys They are divided into families
0f hfty each. and are cared for al
separate apartments. Thirty SIX instructors
in all are employed IN the departments.
About e-tsnth Of the lumber of lnmate-
are colored. about IA per cent. OF all are M
tives OF Michigan; large proportion come
from oar larger critics and towns IS per cent
have been convicted Of larceny, ~ per cent
OF vazrancy. and truancy and assault and
battery follow next in the list During the
first YEAR of - history the boys remained
ia the institution the average time OF about
two and 0ue-hah years; now they remain
with us on an average OF eighteen months
{ The difference We attribute 10 the cO-Opera-
ton OF local agents. who have secured
homes for the boys and taken al
interest IN caring for them. The
I boys attend school four and e-hali
hours each day and work the same number
I of hours Our course of study l. confined t
I the common English branches, and the boy:
perform many kinds of labor. such A canins
/ chairs making and mending their owl
I clothes, shoes and caps, baking bread. laun
I dry and household work, farming, etc. Ih'
/ farm connected with the buildings consists
I Of over two hundred acres, and SUPERVISOR
I help i required TO teach the boys 10 worl
I the farm properly No contract labor Is per
7 formed. We receive constantly hatterinl
reports from the boys who have left the IN
/ stitutiOn and engaged IN business pursuits
Many OF the boys themselves write Us kind
/ ~ letters and refer TO their home at Lansing
/ as the means of placing them among honor
able men aud in an honorable business o
Z calling