The state chronicle. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1883-1893, 1886-09-02

authority than that which appoints tie
superintendent
JaiI,.
one of our Judges discharged a woman
from Jail, because he was Informed that
her society would soon ruin every other
prisoner, male and female The experts
advocate separate cells, and no communi-
cation between the prisoners. Fresh air,
fresh water, and common comforts are due
all prisoners. Chaplains should be en-
ployed for their benefit, or else ministers
should voluntarily visit them. Boys and
girls should be promptly tried and sent TO
work houses and rcformatories. Jails
should never become the scho l-houses Of
the devil, as is sometimes the case.
Penitentiaries.
Ny individual opinion is that the whip
ping post is both a cure and a kindness
When the body does wrong let the body
suffer. DO not corrupt and ruin the soul
for the sin Of the body. Delaware people
say they seldom whip man more than
once. He either reforms, or leaves the
State
The State has no right to enslave. In
dividua slave holders are restrained by
pecuniary interest, friendship, humanity
and religion. A State has no soul, no
conscience, no religion, no responsibility
and ought not to own a slave.
The experts are in favor of putting all
young prisoners in reformatories and of
allowing old prisoners the benefit of indie
terminate sentences. In this way the
prisoners may anchor their souls on hope
of restoration to society, soon as com
petent persons pronounce them ready for
citizenship. Thus they are encouraged to
study the Bible, good morals and good
manners. When so released, they have
somewhere to 90. The Conference is OPP
posed to the leasing out of convictS, and to
the cheap John prisons for profits on the
hunger and sweat of the prisoners In
fact the world would soon improve, if all
the schools of the devil could be discon-
tinued.
RefOrmatOries.
These are for the moral Improvement Of
boys and girls, of young men and young
women. The inmates learn good behavior,
moral science and how to make living
by honest labor Each institution has
ideas and plans of its own. Mr.. Brock
ways RefOrmatOry. at Ilmira, is consider
ed a model. Our state ought 10 take 100
boys out of our penitentiary and put them
in a refOrmatOly long enough to make
good citizens of them.
Reformatories for girls are usually call
ed Industrial Schools. Girls are compelled
to work and to behave. Some of them
prove incorrigible; others gladly learn
morality and virtue. and make useful wo-
men. But the officers Gall ladies' of such
institutions need great grace, faith and
patience. Now some one will ask why
may not al bad people be reformed. Be
cause the devil is not dead: but carries on
his work with cOnsummate skill and vig0r.
Schools for Feeble Minded Children.
Idiots are much fewer than most people
suppose. Most of those called idiots are
only peculiar. Some things they cannot
learn while they learn other things rapid
IT, They cannot be classed with other chill
dren in schools. When the attempt is
made, they are laughed at, grow angry
and are tempted to fight. Then they are
called lunatics and sent to asylums, Just
because we have no place adapted to them
Nearly all of our SO called idiots could
learn trades and make useful citizens in
schools suited to them If the State will
not open such school, some individual
ought to do 50. | think it would pay and
| am sure its work would astOnish and de
light our people.
kindergartens.
These are for small children in large
cities. They seldom see any birds trees
and flowers, such as all country children
study and enjoy. They need object les
sons, as a part Of common sense Poor
city children who eat only bakers bread,
sausage, fish and onions, need Miss Hunt
ington's cooking school, but most country
girls and boys learn to be good cooks
without Il conscious effort. So kindergar-
tens, useful in cities, are hardly needed
by those who every day are compelled to
study and learn common country sense.
Hospitals for the INSANE
The officers of our Lunatic Asylums are
humane, faithful and competent. DR..
Grissom especially has made a national
reputation But we ought never to have
built q costly monumental palace, no1 a
''kirk-bride prison." 4 tract of land
laid off as a village, a cottage with flower
yard and vegetable garden for each pa
tient would have been SO homelike, com
forting and entertaining, that these same
officers could have cured and improved a
larger number of cases. If we ever build
another let us take one-tenth of the
money and build better houses. Let us
discharge all famous architects and get
our plans free Of charge from the e> perts.
Institutions for the Deaf and Dumb and
Blind.
Some years ago there was rage for
teaching the dumb to speak; but most ex-
perts now say that the noises made are so
unpleasant as to destroy the pleasure of
hearing them. Better let the dumb talk
by signs But specialists have lately op-
Grated on the eyes of the blind, and the
ears of the deaf and have found that, in
some cases, sight and hearing have been
made satisfactory; in others the organs
have been relieved of pain.
Orphan Houses.
These are generally in charge of relig-
iOus denominations who teach the chill
dren their own creeds. In this work the
Catholics and the Jews are doing more
than all the Protestants put together
The Protestants are very busy fighting
each other, competing in fine churches
and shall l say itD contending for politi-
cal offices. They have very little time to
study DR.. Haygood's book on "Our Chill
dren."
Catholics flourish in cities. So their Or
phan Houses occupy limited lots, and are
several stories high. The Sisters sleep be-
hind curtains in the children's large dor
mitorieS. The rooms are comfortable in
Winter and airy in Summer. Soap and
water are freely employed, and everything
is clean. Some of the old Protestant Or
phan Houses are cr,tmped and the children
suffer. Others resemble the buildings at
Hollins Institute Some remind You of
the Barracks erected by Col. Davis at La
Grange Others are built on streets or
avenues with ample grounds between the
buildings. School houses should never be
plastered, nor be more than one story