Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1890-04-10
FERRIs REFORn ScHooL.


Middletown Transcript.
Under he charter OF tho Ferris Industrial
School Its managers are compelled to rs
celys anG provide Tor males bDtween md
10 years OF age committed to tho custody
of the board by tho court OF general aeS-
sions, &c., OF New Castle county, the mu-
nielpai court OF Wilmington or any justice
oil tue peace Df the equity upon conviction
OF vagraucy or otSer crlmtnat offence oe-
fore them, or even upon their gcqnittnl, II
the court or magistrate shall consider him
Eroper object for said school, OaC Of the
Ferris hequest, amounting TO sol ,8!S, tho
board purchased q property ia Chrlstiann
huedrei, and, after paying for it and put
ting 1t In condition Tor the desired pur-
poses they hNd left about $50, 600 out OF
which to realize IN tueometo IN set running
expenses, In tho first year or two Of tho
school there were not many boys com
mitte1, so that the expenses w5re not great.
The number, no yevGr, gradually iacrea5ed
and II was question wnere the money
should come from to provide for
them, A year or two ago Mrs. Mary Il.
Pusey OF Wilmington, died, and by her
goodness rhe admirable institution got
$50, 1000. Tue school therefore mas an In
come nov from he Investment of its own
funds OF about 5t 900, and whatever Il can
make off the farm, Woodside, which con-
sists of about l0i aaies. Basidas this the
levy court has basn giving tls school $500
| Il yeAr. ALI Of this Ii not sufficient, how
ever, to run the school ana provide food
clothing and care for all the boys. rhs
amount OF mouay paid for the force neee5.
eary to run the school aud farm the land i5,
corsdering tho oareiui, ptinstaking and
efficient people they have, comparatively
little. The Buys themselves, OF whom there
are now i3, do great deal of work.
| Now Is 1t not the duty # the levy court to
make better provision for the school? 1t
IL run economically, tho cost per year for
boarding, clOthing and otherwise taxing
cara OF tao boys being from Sl25 to $3.50.
II these boys were not 10 this school the
| court would be compelled to send them to
! New Castle jaii, where the county would be
1 competed 10 keep them and their food and
| care would be Hs CIueh aud more than &c
COSTS Mt the school. Besides what 10 inf.
nitely woiss they Woald be put In closest
association Wit older and more hardened
crlninsls and the incArceratl n would Ia
nine cases out OF ten be their doom, 80
far Us any moral reformation was con.
| cerned. Ffom tht6 point OF view the work
| OF the Frtts Industrial School ca not ba
too highly appreciated by the community
at large. Every cltzsn In tho
county ought to thauk John Farris
daily for what he has done. He
aud Mrs. Puaey have devoted over 800, ,0UJ
ot their property to the care OF koys, toE
Whose support the county would otherwise
have TO pay. And LOOK ut the difference in
the care received. The one makes crinl.
nals, who after they are released in many
instances commit further dspredatiOns
W tie the other reforms "wnywa Il juven,
lies" and guards and guides them after.
wards. The county now pays 80 cents q
day tor the food given ench prisoner, which
ls S2.10 q week. Ii you add to this the
other expenses OF caslag for the county
criminals 1t will Put their cost far beyond
the expenditure per inmate OF the
aehool 1t will therefore readily be
seen the county 10 having some OF iis
charges provided foc iree Of cost. This Il
should not ASK or expect. Il should see thai
tbs board Of managers are not required tc
use up the principal OF the Ferris anC
Pusey bfql aud whenever the Income
is exhausted the levy court should MAKE
up the balance. The school ia county in
etltltlon aud It boards and provides 70
hoyG WHO would otherwise be charg,
upon the county ut less cost than II the,
wore in the jail. The president of the lew
court Is ex oiiclo g. member OF the SCHOOL,
tourd Of NJ nagers; as Is alSo the assaoiat,
judge for thia county. There have nov
reeu committed TO the school all It Cal
accommodate and a new building will be
Necessity at an early day.