The record-union., 1891-06-12
TWO CASES OF LEGISLATIVE NEG
LECT.

LECT.
The Whittier Reform School for Juve-
nile Offenders is about to be opened.
The directory of the institution appealed
to the late Legislature of thousand
scandals to reform the name of the re-
formatory, but that body was too busy
with political and other and lesser affairs
to give attention to the humane appeal.
The petition was to have the legal title of
the institution changed SO as to read,
Whittier School of Trades and Agricult-
ure."
1t is much to be regretted that the bill
introduced for that purpose was showed
under. No one objected to it, but as it
had no personal concern related to it that
legislators cared for, and as it was solely
philanthropic and humane bill, no one
pushed it, and it was smothered under a
pile of five hundred other measures that
died on the file. The next Legislature
ought to be memoralized to change the
title, and the bill should be put in so
early that it will have some small chance
of passage.
The point made is one that the RECORD
UNION has often commented upon, that
no reformatory should attach to its in
mates, by title or uniform, badge of dis
grace. To say that a lad is graduated
from the Whittier Reform School for
Juvenile Offenders, is to label him in a
manner that will forever be clog upon
his heels. To uniform boys or girls in
State reformatory, is to attach TO them a
stigma difficult to remove. If we take
boys of tender years and train them away
from vicious environments, for which in
ninety-nine cases out Of one hundred
they are not responsible, we set them
apart by uniform and title as aproscribed
class. 1t is the poorest imaginable policy,
and has not solitary redeeming feature
in it.
No lad can be benefited by being so
distinguished by garb that as he passes
the finger can be pointed at him as the
inmate of a reformatory. Everywhere
else directors of such institutions are
doing all they possibly can to prevent the
institutional faint from attaching to those
who unfortunately become wards of the
State in their youth. 1t has been found
that to send young man out into the
world labled as a reformed offender, is to
load him with weight, the tendency of
which is to defeat all his efforts to lead the
life of a clean and ambitious man.
The Boys and Girls Aid Society of San
Francisco, and the Massachusetts, and
Michigan State Reform institutions for
juveniles move upon right lines ofpolicy
in taking the lad or miss as soon as is
possible out of the institution and placing
him or her in home of adoption. By
this means the youth grows up sur
rounded by home influences, does not
bear the reform" stigma, nor is he called
upon to answer for the institutional dis
grace. The institution keeps oversight
OF the youth until his or her majority is
attained. and if the conduct of the pupil is
not proper, may recall him to the insti-
tuition at any time But in Massachu-
sets, and in the case of the Boys and
Girls Aid Society only a very small per
centage fail and are recalled. This is in
itself proof of the wisdom of the policy
adopted.
The last Legislature was asked to amend
the law for the Whittier School that the
directory might introduce this parole
system into that institution and retain
lawful authority over those committed to
it until they are twenty-one years of age.
But the bill, like that first referred to,
too much concerned human interest to
receive legislative attention, and it died
upon the file, no member feeling in his
heart sufficient interest in the unfortu-
nate youths of the State whose environ
ment is vicious, to ask the houses to
pause moment and pass the bill.