The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-06-10
YESTERDAYS proceedings.

WASHINGTON, June 9-Miss Cleveland was an
attentive and interested listener to the proceed
ings of the morning session of the Conference of
Charities and Corrections. The regular order Of
business was the report of the committee on
preventive work among children. The order
was. however, temporarily postponed to permit
the reading of monograph prepared by Fred
erick Howard Wines secretary of the Illinois
State Board of Public Charities, on Sentences
for Crime which was read by the Rev. III. II.
Hart, of Minnesota, Mr.. Wines having been de-
tanned at home in attendance upon the Lecisa
ture of Illinois. The paper treats of the various
characters OF sentences, terming them time
sentences labor sentences sentences for
life" reformation sentences etc. and discusses
in detail their respective advantages and defects
as agencies of reformation and prevention. Mr..
Wines discusses indeterminate sentences, the
maximum and minimum to be fixed by courts or
legislatures the time of release within the limits
being LETT discretionary, and describes in detail
the qualifications which are requisite in the chief
executive officer of a prison organized for the
reformation OF convcts.
Mrs Sarah A. Spencer read a short report for
The District of Columbia describing the public
and private charitable and correctional institu-
lions Of the District their methods Of operations
and results and their expenditures as compared
with those of similar institutions elsewhere
The regular order was then taken up and Mr..
~
Inittee on preventive work among children, read
the report of the committee.
Mr. w. T. Harris, of Concord, Mass, read
paper entitled, Compulsory Education in
which statistics were cited voluminousy Com
pulsory education, he held. was valuable
means to the desired end Common schools, the
kindergartens, and tho industrial art schools
might furnish valuable preventive agents against
crime.
Mrs. Phoebe Couzins read paper on 'eKinder-
garten." prepared for the conference by Mrs.
Sarah B. Cooper. of California. 1t held that
che power of early training and habit was not
easily overestimated The chains of habit were
generally too small to be felt until they were too
strong to be broken. The kindergarten, as a
system of training. was designed to inculcate
principles and build up genuine character.
Character building in the kindergarten went
forward by means of personal activity in an
atmosphere of happiness and contentment. The
epochs Of educational growth followed the divine
ly ordained epochs of vegetable growth. The hui
nan plant had its root life its stemlife, and It's
blossom-life The kindergartens were the best
nour;shment for the root-life of the human
plant AS early as 1S4S, Paris had 5000 little
children in infant schools, and to day there are
100000 in these schools. AS a result the French
are the most artistic race in the world. and the
world pays them an enormous tribute each year
by purchasing their handiwork. The paper
concludes with description OF the kindergarten
schools OF San Francisco.
The afternoon session was devoted to further
consideration of the subject of the morning, and
several interesting papers were read Among
them was one on Dependent Young Children
Ina Families and Institutions prepared by Mrs.
Clara Il Leonard of Massachusetts. The author
who Is member of the Massachusetts, BOARD OF
health discussed. among other things the subject
pf illigitimacy She found that the safeguards
Thrown by society around the virtue of woman
would be weakened by any provisions which
would relieve unmarried mothers from the pen.
alties OF their action and tho care of their off
hnring She condemned the uoticv of sapara,;no
unmarried mothers from their children, as in.
furious both to mothers and children Mrs.
Spencer. who read this paper, said that she was
10 wrought upon By what 1t did not say that she