Los Angeles daily herald., 1890-03-21
THE TEACHERS.
The State Association Closes
Its Session.
THE RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED
The Subjects Discussed by the Edu-
Gators in Their Various
Papers and Essays.

AT yesterdays morning session OF the
Teachers Association the first exercise
on the programme was a piano duet by
Misses Oliver and Emory. President
More then introduced DR.. Walter Lind
ley, president of the State Medical Soci-
ety and Superintendent of the State Re.
form Schools. Among the good things
in DIR. Lindley's address were the follow
ing:
The penal institutions of this land,
originally intended to be boon to man.
have become great catacombs in which
the souls of men are buried. A few days
ago the jailor Of Los Angeles county told
me there we're ninety-three inmates of
the Jail, and that over half of them are
under 81. What a pity that the State
does not try to make her wayward boys
better, instead of putting them in with
old criminals, where they are sure to be-
come worse. / know young man OF
excellent family whom many of you
know personally, who is serving a five
years. sentence in one of our penitenti-
aries because he signed fictitious name
in order to get two dollars and half.
What does the State do with this boy ?
It simply uses five of the best years of
his life in jute mill, and turns him out
crushed or hardened. What great re-.
sposibility humanity assumes in thus
displaying her inhumanity. These
boys who are in our jails
and penitentaries are but a small
portion of those who demand careful sur
uoillo nd EtpA snef~ -
State. There is never week but boys
and girls are brought before our police
judges and discharged, because the su-
thorities hesitate to put the criminal
brand upon them. There are also, in the
public schools of every large city, boys
and girls who, instead of being cared for
for four hours day, should be steadily
In charge OF some person who would
guide their steps Alright. There are also
in the schools boys and girls who spend
three or four hours day in our public
schools and the balance of the time with
their mothers in houses of prostitution
All such should not simply be removed
from sinful environment and given q
common school education, but they
should be made proficient in some honor
able means OF earning livelihood, and
the spark of hope which God implanted
in each one of them should be famed into
. blaze of laudable ambition. Today
there are institutions for this purpose in
over bali of the States of this Union.
Philanthropic citizens of California have
long seen the demand for such a school
in this State, and have succeeded in es.
tablishing it after efforts extending
over the period from the fifties to a year
ago, when, on March IL, 1889, "an &C,
to establish a State Reform School fol
Juvenile offenders and to make
an appropriation therefor" became
Q law by receiving the approving
signature cf the Governor. After visits
to various Eastern institutions, the cot.
tage or family system was adopted
This is system where, as the farmer
from time to time during the winter goes
to his cellar and sorts his apples, putting g
the rotten in one barrel, the half rotten
in another, the simply specked in an
other and the sound ones by themselves
SO the authorities where the cottage sys-
tenn has been adopted, separate the
morally rotten, half rotten, specked and
simply homeless boys from each other
and place the members of each grade in
Q cottage to themselves. Formerly all
of these schools we're in reality juvenile
penitentiaries. There were iron bars.
grated windows and armed guards.
Today instead of guards there are teach
ers and kind, Christian women, who are
mothers to the pupils, and instead of
using firearms they use faith, hope and
love. Who are eligible? The bill pro-
vides, fret, that when any boy or girl
between the ages of ten and sixteen is
convicted, before any court of competent
Jurisdiction, of any crime which, COM
mitted by an adult, would be punishable
by imprisonment in the county Jail or
penitentiary, such juvenile offender
should be committed to the re-
form school for a term of not
less than one nor more than
five years. (This, I think, is an error
When sick man is sent to hospital he
is sent to remain until he is we'll, not for
any certain period; this should be tn e
plan with the morally sick Second,
a child under 16 accused before q Grand
Jury may, instead of being indicted, be
committed to the reform school Third,
any child between the ages of 10 and l6
accused OF any crime, except capital
crime or an attempt to commit such q
crime. may, with his own consent,
at any stage of the proceedings, be
committed to the guardianship of this in.
etitution Fourth, all children of the
same age accused of crime shall be en-
titled to private examination previous
to trial and committed to the institution
without publicity. Fifth, a child may
be admitted on complaint of parent or
guardian that the child is beyond bis
power to control Sixth, children be-
tween 10 and l8 may be committed by any
perior judge, on complaint of mother OF
guardian, when the father is dead, has
abandoned his family, or is an habilual
drunkard and does not provide for the
family, when such child is destitute of a
suitable home or adequate means of OBJ.
tanning an honest living, or is being
brought Up to lead an immoral or idle
Life, and where such mother or guardian
is unable to provide the proper support
and care for such child.
DR.. Lindley then alluded briefly to the
aims and objects of reformatory institu-
tions, stating that they should be forma-
tive as well as reformatory, and to the
various industries that would be taught
the boys in the institution.
Technical Education" by Miss Helen
Cooley, of the State normal school of
this city, was an able effort to show the
usefulness of industrial training in con.
nection with the regular lessons; sketch
ing the progress of the idea that mental
culture and manual culture should ac
company each other, and showing the
many advantages of devoting q portion