Wichita daily eagle., 1886-08-07

Parvi ofthe Streets-The Work of Res
I cuing Children from Vice.
The name of De Metz is an honor, not
only to France which produced him, but to
! the whole human race Few deserve better
to be known and loved in this generation;
yet few perhaps of such genuine eminence
/ are SO little known, and many now are
household words who deserve not to be
/ known at all in comparison, and by and by
/ will sink out of sight For time is a great
leveler, and pulls down the mighty from his
! seat and exalts him of low degree" This
/ true nobleman of nature was born to wealth
and culture, and lived among books, pict-
ures statues. rare and beautiful objects of
art, and flowers which be delighted to culti-
vate He vas fine both by cultivation and
descent, ID moved in circle of scholars
and of influential rank. He had a nature,
( however, which seemed inaccessible to that
peculiar selfishness which besets delicate
culture He thought it belonged to him to
give care and time to public interests: &C
cordingly he took Office and served in vari-
Gus functions, till finally be was made presi-
dent of the court of correctional police in
Paris
CHILDREN LED AWAY TO PRISON.
One day eight little children, it is
narrated, were brought before him for
sentence for some trihing odense. They
were so little that, SO it is told, they had to
be lifted on to the..seats and Off again in
court when brougODin to be sentenced, and
then led away t625rison. De Metz sem
fenced them to long term, thinking it the
greatest kindness he could do to these ex-
POSED, bereft vagrants. wanderers In the
streets without care, without homes. sBut
this police judge, having heart, could not
forget these prisoned children, and after
awhile he visited them in Jail, where he
made a discovery, the horror of which to
his heart and conscience changed the whole
cerrent of his life He found the little
creatures already much worse than when he
sentenced them, showing every sign Of being
daily more hardened in evil feelings and
manners and evidently undergoing school
ing in crime This led the good man to look
into prison life, and the result was that no
longer could he sentence the children
brought before him to what was inevitable
corruption of mind and body, and his sem
tences became such evident evasions, SO
short and meaningless, that complaint arose
against him, and he was removed from the
bench and given an office where his feelings
would not triumph over his duties. But
still he could not forget, and here again he
showed his superiority to the seltishness Of
fine culture.
The French law of that time, fifty years
ago. permitted children under sixteen if in
the opinion of the judge they had COM
mitted oifense without discretion, to be sent
either to a reformatory or remanded to their
parents. In either case the result was ruin
Gus, for, if to their parents, it was only to
the same bad conditions out of which they
had come; and if to the prisons, which
We're the only reformatOries, it was to still
worse conditions, which inevitably corrupted
them more. Here then was an occasion
taking hold Of heart, the occasion being
the fortunes of the exposed children of Paris,
the heart being De Metz. He set his affairs
in order SO as to leave his family comforta-
bly, provided for, and then set out to travel
all over the world in search of knowledge
He visited European countries, and also
whatever places in America he could reach
where he heard of penal institutions for
children which he could study profitably.
Finally at little village named Horn,
not far from Hamburg, he found more light
than elsewhere, and some ideas in operation
which gave him more hope and which fur
nished him the hints that he needed. These
principles were three: First the children
were separated into small groups, which
were ruled as much as possible like a family;
secondly, great attention was paid to relig-
ious training, and, thirdly, agriculture was
made a prominent industry All of these
facts stirred the soul Of De Metz, and, in re-
gard to the last one, it became his motto
thereafter to improve the earth by man
and man by the earth" Thus equipped,
l., f.ro vr-i<1 fh.,ca
he returned to France, resigned all his Of
fetal duties, and then hied to his friend
FOUNDERS OF THE AGRICULTURAL COLONY.
AT this point there enters into the story
another name as good, as noble, and per-
haps as much beloved by the colonists at
Mettray as that of De Metz himself the
name of the Vicomte de Courteilles De
Metz and De Courteilles had been friends at
college and had continued their friendship
afterward, being drawn together even at
that early age by like tastes and feelings
regarding social questions De Courteilles
entered the army, and the friends CORE
sponded, the magistrate and the officer, on
questions of penal reformation When De
Metz was on his travels he dedicated to his
friend various reports and brochures, which
he published, of his discoveries and expert
ences. and Courteiles, on his part, sent to
his friend his work on prisoners and
Prisons" To this friend now De Metz ap-
Piled, full of enthusiasm, but De Courteiles
hesitated He reminded De Metz of the ill
success which had attended similar expert
ments in Belgium and Holland. Experience,
he said, had not proved the wisdom of the
models which had inspired his friend with
confidence.
But De Metz, glowing with a well
founded enthusiasm, for he had observed
closely and thought deeply, not wildly, con-
WINGED his friend that certain details of bad
management. especially the poor and un-
productive soil, had been the cause of the
failure OF the foreign Institutions He de-
ciared it fundamental that useful
school of reform should be placed on rich
and fertile ground. Finally De Courteilles
was convinced, and then joined his friend
with an ardor equal to De Metz OVID.
Both these men. fortunate, cultivated. pros
porous, surrounded with everything s that ed
ucation, high circles Of friends and social
privileges could give, retired from the
world together devoting their time,
strength, minds, enthusiasm to the new
work They selected a fine stretch of soil,
purchased some acres, hired Others, and in
1889 founded the agricultural colony OF Met
tray. Thirteen years they worked together
there until De Courteilles died, in Septem-
ber. lS52. After the loss OF his friend, De
Metz worked on alone for twenty one years
til November, 1873, when he. too, died He
never relinquished his ardent work up to
the last moment When over 10 years Of
age he sup rintended his colony and made
endless Journeys over the country looking
after the boys that had been sert out from
the institution, going to their rescue when
ever he heard Of one who lacked employ
ment or for any reason seemed in danger
again and needing encouragement, advice
or heip-Chicago Herald
= candidate in Oregon is so slenier that
The Portland Oregonian expresses the belief
that nhe could wear double barreled shot