The Portland daily press., 1888-01-16
Mr.. warren's Report.
Councillor Warren renorts as follows

COuncllOT arren reports as f0ll0wS
The fact that the reform school has been sup
ported Dy tne State for SO many years is sufficient
evidence of the necessity of such an Institution
and that the people at large believe that it is ac-
School fhere g0Se be- po %or9 enn has i Is
good accomplished can not be ascertalned: we can
only approximate: The primary ideao our public
ciay true OF all penal institute )ns supported out
Of the public treasury. The State has not only
deengg ggi D9t us Depnnea duty Is to protect and
ious, and experience has taught us that the best
protection is prevention.
The reform school is doing most excellent
work in reforming and educating those left to its
care The past year has been one of success and
progress in the school-progress, however, mot so
bers gathered under different circumstances. In
many instances, perhaps In most, the.boy who IL
committed to the school has spent the whole of
his life among the low, vicious and depraved,
brought up in idleness, ignorance and crime; the
street his only school. From such material the
omSer onS & ana teaener cannot secure the highest
such boys shall be governed and disciplined /;
what rules and methods shall be adopted
SO that the greatest good may be done
to the greatest number, are questions which
the mere visitor cannot answer and generally
speaking any, criticism or suggestion from him
lack of experience in the practical management
OF such institutions. How all this can best be
tbs cS only pc d after years OF experience
other schools would utterly fail here, and vice
versa.
1he government Of the school. like all govern
ment, is based upon a system of rewards and
punishments, but how can man devise system
which while most sautary as to the whole, will
not work injury In individual cases? Your COM
mittee In one OF their early visits discovered as
they thought, rule which compelled some of the
boys In the chair shop to make bricks without
straw" or rather chairs without cane, a method
OF punishment the boy could not avoid or under
stand and which seemed to him gross injustice.
1t is OF the greatest Importance that anything of
this kind should be carefully avoided. The re-
cpients of favor and of i'll desert should as far as
what may come TO them. Their lives have been
full OF bitter experience of mars inhumanity to
man." and JUS SO long as a boy feels that he is
the victim OF injustice, reform Is impossible.
The school must be governed and discpin ed
but kindness and justice towards such as are
gathered here is of more than ordinary import
strued as casting any reflection upon those who
administer the affairs of the school, but simply
to give emphasis to what is considered of prime
Importance.
purpose OF all connected with the school to be
just kind and impartial. and that they are work
ing to build up the character of all who come
under their charge. The object of the school, il
must be remembered is not only to reform the
boy, but also to make him useful man, and to
this end your committee would respectfully sug-
gest and recommend to the trustees the import
place of bottoming chairs The State has nc
moral right to arrest a. boy for truancy when he
is eight years old, deprive him of his liberty till
he is 2l and then set him adrift with no other
trade than to weave chair bottom. If we will
assume the training OF these unfortunates, If we
Will stand IN loco parents, we should have a
parental care over those who have been the in
mates of the school when and after they are dis.
charged. The teachers, officers and trustees dc
all they can in this direction, but they have
neither time nor opportunity to find homes and
employment for those who go out from the
school.