Telegram-herald., 1890-03-15
THE BOYS REUNION
Reform school Lads Meet Their
Ola Sup srintendent
PROFESSOR COVERS GOOD NORA
Last nights Meetiug at the Police Court
Room Recalling Oia Day and feiitng
Ons Another AbeWr the Ness oaes
-Nr. Gs~sr'- Good Talk

lhe settled policy OF the Institution %
continue the paternal interest and, as
Tar a. poss .ble, the pateraal care over
all tie bows OF tie state VINO have ever
been placed under is training. ln re-
snousc 10 the supeT.ntendents invita-
ton, a. publ shed in tie TELEURAN-
HERALD yesterday, about twerty boys
many OF them accompanied hy Their
parents, met in the room oi the police
court, and held q genuine reunion Win
their old friend and teacher. lhese,
with the addition oi number OF inter-
csled spectators, made upa large au-
dicnce. Both formallty informally,
AZ tie occasion required, were observed,
and tnc reunion Was made highiN
profitable 10 all concerned. As the boys
came m, s.ngly or ~ groups, u Was
interesting 10 note the alertness OF tie
recognition with which the professor
greeted each one. calling each 10y name
as spontaneously As II nc had seen hln
only the day before. Prot. Cover cc-
cupicd char IN front, and the BOYS
were grouped IN a seml-Clrc4e around
him. First. the boys were questioned
seratim, concerning their health and
occupations and present manner OF
t lie. and answers were returned with
lTomptness and pride. Every one OF
them WAS able TO gave more or less
favorable acco mt OF himself. The
style and manner of these questions IN
dlcated the perfect familiarity OF the
questlOnor with the family and sur
roundlngs of each boy.
Next, Mr. GOwen gave . brief account
OF the Reform School boys who ,cre
contemporary at the school with those
before hm and who had left the insu-
tuition since their day. This was a
deeply interesting part of the evening
to the BOYS themselves. Inen each boy
Was permitted 10 make such inquiries
as he chose concerning the institution
or old comrades. Nearly all availcd
themselves OF the privilege. In the
course of these inquiries, the fact came
out that the Reform School Is not
| deemed by the boys, after they get
there, n place of punishment, but as
pleasant retreat. \ matter that
seemed to weigh the most heavily upon
one boys mind was pair of mlttens
which he had left at Lansing, and
which he wanted TO have returned.
THIS brought out the fact that these
/ mittens were one palr of an invoice of
mltteDs presented TO the school ut
/ Christmas-t:de by Mr.. Ia Maurice,
now of Chicago, but once a reform
school boy from Grand Rapids. lie was
! there seventeen years ago, and on his
/ dlsmission vent 10 Chicago pcunIless,
! but, through honest industry, had since
! built up business Of Sl0J,O00 year.
/ 1t is Maurlce'S custom to send TO the
/ Lansing school a Christmas present for
each inmate. Very naturally" SAID
the professor, "we dote on examples oil
TINS kind"
After these pleasant intcrchanges, the
! professor settled into a more serious
VEN, and gave the young men some
/ wholesome words. lie constantly en-
| phasizcd the idea that the institutions :
pride WAS III the moral Improvement of
/ It's inmates, and betrayed the most sem
s!tIvc jealousy IN the presence OF any
| intmatiou that 4 possible failure OF
/ reformation could exist. he insisted
| that some exceptions that might be adj
duced were more apparent than real.
1--WE seEd them out reformed" hc said, ,
"but we can not reform the homes. 1t
frequently falls out that a boy is I'M
proved in moral character at the Re
! form School sufficiently 10 be sent away,
and afterwards through had home
| and social surroundings, hc again
lapscs INTO wrong doing He
cited many instances of the credit
which some Of the old bows are now
casting upon the institution. 4 man
! by the name Of Mates. living near pe-
troIt, wanted n boy for work on the
farm. He employed Reform school
boy named Montague.
\ ncighbor Of Mates, seeing how good
q boy was Montague, asked 90 have a
boy from the Reform School on his
farm, and boy named flaming was
| sent TO him. flaming also made q
| splendid man, and TINS resulted D an
other boy named Hodgcs gong INTO the
| neighborhOOd. All Of which show,
how one boy going from the institution
and dong well, helps all tie rest. a
/ ~unday-schooi superintendent. near
Lansing, recently declared that the r.
/ form school graduates the b3r INTO
Iona, and from thence into !, k-on.
Mr.. Cover thought If that man would
! only observe sufficiently d. would
change his mind upon thc whole uh-
I iect. iic said that one boy fr0n tho
Reform >ch0ol who turns out biI. l-
/ always and everywhere spoken ~ aa
/ from tine Reform school, wn.Ie tnc
hundreds OF good oacs are never So
designated. For instance, II boy goes
wrong. It publ she'd in Sire
( papers next dav. iu tnls WAY Young
John Doc. recently from thc Reform
school, was caught robbuE benz
uo-t. BIt Il 2 graduate OF Re-
form school enters the nlu.siFy. as
+ some of them do. who ever hari d
announced % tbl. way Rev. Richard
E0c, au old R Raform school bird. has he-
come pastor ~ the FIRST 'rt eos touan
Church,. or. ''na- boCn elected - Com
81 -st' 'sIhe sacred Iutn IS. so l fhe
tntnu, a-tlc professor, inspired Sonic
what hy the array 81 manly rs
faces hcinr hH. all oi whom nll once
neen uaaCr ~ tathwlY care. t kf
foru school dors reform 1ts toT ard
tha moro lvffefscf smadt sgHu
the better f- influence.
Tt came ort lncl1crf8 .lv ln tic cnursf
of thc various remarks 8Ha C1. VnTss-
tous ai tfe evening" taat t8e Is form
school uaw numbers 3sa pup o'
whom - are leaning tee frrters
trade end 60 taa carpenters rs.
Thev who come and 60, average anou'
90 yearly. and the average dafaf sr
of one person wears par.ng taf
prevalence - - grFff -" s1ferea
.ir.ess. ar.d rot a deata occurred
Ausesart feature of tae evening
WAS TIE ~ unexpected gre-elce o..
an ex-aFf afrnaelf ~ t Reform
~chso' of th rtT years ago. Ias wa
Charles Johnson. now ~ ~alfh Haven
vho : snlnd lrE e ffw DAYS u fhe cfr