The record-union., 1893-10-03
JUVENILE REFoRMArIoN.

One hundred and fifty boys committed
to the Whittier School for Juvenile of
fenses have been sent out to homes and
employment since the school opened. OF
that number only three have shown a
disposition to return to criminal ways
All the rest are at work at trades or in
good employment, and are steady and
promise to grow up useful and law-abid-
ing men.
This is very fine showing for Whit
tier. In Massachusetts reformatories
they think they are doing well if they
save to society IS per cent. of all COM
mitted. The Whittier result is a COM
plete and overwhelming answer to all the
assaults made upon the system enforced
at that Institution
A gentleman familiar with the working
of the Whittier School writes to the
RECoRD-UN that his observation and
study Of reformatories for Juvenile offend
ers convinces him that there are but two
theories to be considered based upon the
necessity of development and industrial
and intellectual education or the doctrine
of punishment; namely, the necessity of
Furnishing every child who has done
wrong, or the necessity for manual and
mental development as the chief factor in
reformation. Every day of my life be
come more thorough advocate of the
latter plan"
Unquestionably it is the better plan.
Training is infinitely superior to bolts
and bars in dealing with uniformed char
acter. The same correspondent says:
1.-The Sheriff of a county will come down
to Whittier with big boy handcuffed
and his own hand in convenient prox-
unity to his revolver. The boy appears
sullen, morbid, dangerous. But the very
next day he can be found in the school
room with sixty other boys who came
under the same conditions, all being
taught most easily by young woman
that is. for three hours of the day, and
then for four hours and a half you will
find him working as free as air on the
farm. or in the garden, or in the shops.
The idea of the school is to make the boy
feel that the past has been wiped out,
and that he has chance in life from that
day on, whether the cause of his wrong
doing in the past has sprung from his
surroundings or from an innate tendency
school is wrong; if that plan is right, the
school is right"
Recently State Senator Carpenter ex-
pressed his opinion of the school system.
After long observation and critical ex-
animation, his judgment was that he was
justified in all he had done in the Legis-
lature for the school by the fruits of its
work.
So much is said because we notice q
tendency on the part of some of our con-
temporaries to severely criticise the
school because of the system employed;
because there are no bolts and bars, no
regalia of shame, no atmosphere of the
prison about the place. These very facts
are, in view of Juvenile reformation, the
very best evidences that the system en-
ployed at the State school is the right
one. All trees should be judged by the
fruit they bear. If non-restraint and the
absence of the insignia of shame saves to
the State more than the employment of
such agencies would, and the result is
that for which the institution was founded,
then the system employed justifies itself.
For it is to be kept constantly in mind
that the idea of establishing reforms-
tory is to reform, to save to nip; in the
bud the threat to flower into criminal
life: to prevent the making of criminals
rather than to inf punishment with
severity upon the snile offenders, and
clothe them in 4 gala that will con-
stantly publish to the world the fact that
for youthful offenses they have been
branded for time with the mark of
shame. The appeal to the better nature
is always and at all times the preferable
one; the appeal to fear and the use OF
the lash and the cell the last to which
resort should be had.
CON4VFNTTON