Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1886-04-24


In ascertsining the exsct number which
would be under sixteen when the schools
were TO be closed at the date then liked by
law.
why NO CONTRACTS WERE MADE.
You impute blame that no contracts have
been made with tho schools, The terms OF
the law here are pefmssive, aud not manda-
tory. You say, ono contracts were hsue
except In one Instance" but tail to add that
said contract ~ which you refer was naue
nineteen years ago, snDulled fourteen years
ago. and, having cost tho state 1880 In dam.
ages, were regarded by the authorities then
administering the state government ~ es-
tablishiug the fact that the law itself was
contract all sufficient, and that further con
tracts were inexpediont This subject has
been discussed at length by Dr. Wickershan
IN q recent letter 10 General Wagner, To which
you are referred. H. however, IL shall seem
beat To make contracts with managers, II shall
be my pleasure To put into force such Inter
probation OF the act az shall he approved by
the law officer OF the commonwealth
GENERAL CosDIrIoN OF THE SCHOOLS.
cannot agree with you in your estimate
OF the intellectual, moral, and religious in
struction impaired in these schools. With
all respect To your position, | feel that ]
have better means of determining this than
you can possibly have, Long experience in
school work and school examinations IL re-
quired TO determine a matter Oi this kind.
One visit with merely the gathered testimony
OF the children, or even Of the teachers, is
quite Inadequate here. ] am convinced that
the instruction of the children, in all the
SCHOOLS, Is very far from being such AZ you
have seen tit TO characterize II. Your own
experience would seem to show that single
visit is not sufficient for at the time you
visited the White Hall and Mount JOY
soldiers orphan schools IN 1854, all their
accommodations and arrangements were
precisely as now. You made no COM
plant then, but expressed your personal
satisfaction with, and your approval of,
the Mount JOY school, which was commu-
nicated in letter from the department To
the principal of said school. In visiting
Mercer, however, you made complaint in
regard to dormtory ceilings and bedsteads.
! at once had the ceilings renewed and
new bedsteads purchased. These are the
only schools we visited together, and these
visits were made previous TO my re-sppoint
ment.
have depended, TO a great extent, upon the
physicians In charge, and the reported cases
oi sickness and death sent to the office every
quarter. have not found, either from their
reports or from personal observation, such a
condition rs you picture. Cases of itch are
liable 10 occur In almost any school, and the
feet OF children may sometimes be frozen
during exposure IN play hours, when the
winter is severe, IA is the occasional ea-
perience IN well regulated families.
TIE QUESTION bf HEsFONSIBIIlll.
am unwilling to take the whole RESPONSE
blity OF these schools as regards their &C
commodations and adaptation to the work
required, or of the individual cases of neg fleet
which may he found. l had TO take the
buildings as / found them and often had 10
place more children in them than / wished.
| never admired the system of farming the
children out, and never regarded the build.
ings such as great state should have. i
urged upon you that all efforts should he
made to secure, if possible, the Marine hospi-
tai at Erie, and consolidate therein the West
ern schools. At your request i visited the
building and reported that with an outlay of
s75,00oi 1t might be made sufficient for the pur-
pose, together with the addition ofa system of
full industrial training, so much needed. This
fell through not, however, because did not
urge 1t. When first visiting the schools, | was
shocked, may say, that they should be called
state schools. But when | read their history,
and learned the difficulties of the whole eXper-
iment, ,including the temporary and exceed
ingly uncertain character of the Appropriation
for their support, became satisfied that no
change could possibly y be made without heavy
outlay to secure such buildings as could be
approved. My reports of the schools have
been made in relation to my comparison of
them with the condition in which | found
them. | agree in opinion with the inspec-
tors and my predecessor III office that these
schools have been improving, year by year,
I
good as ever before. | feel that your method
| of investigation has not been such as to do
| them justice, but rather All injury, and in.
! deed, that patriotic charity, Of which
| Pennsylvania has long been justly
| proud, has been disgraced before the peo.
| pie OF this commonwealth, aud that a
stigma, which i'll all probability will never
| he removed, has been most unlustly put
| upon it in the eyes of the nation at large.
| II, however, there have been fraud, and
ul-gotten gains, | hope and pray that the
| cuiprits may be brought before a court OF
| justice and condemned. II you have evi.
dence enough to accomplish this, you will
| have not only my approval, but heartiest co
| operation but do not myself plead guilty
| of neglect, and do not think | am justly
| cbargeabe with the individual cases of uD.
| clean sheets and old shoes aud an INTENDED
| broken arm, and a case of itch, where the
| physicians themselves cannot agree, etc.
| regret that there should be any such cases
| but it is not always safe to make individual
cases representative of all, or to take the un
| guarded testimony of dissatisfied children
and dismissed employees.
| l only hope that the new inspectors, whom
| you may appoint, will be more faithful even
| than those you have so Osummarily y dismissed
| ! am glad 10 learn that zen. Wagner has
| been appointed, and every courtesy within
| my power shall be shown 10 him in his i'm
| portant work, which | trust will not he tC
condemn only, but to correct.
| In conclusion, | feel compelled 10 say tina
| your kindness IN appointing me to this office
| one year ago will not be forgotten, but tn,
| evil and injury which have had to eudur,
aud am enduring | hope to he able to forge
| and forgive.
| Yours, respectfully,
| T.. T.. HIGBEE