The record-union., 1893-09-16
THE WHITTIER SCHOOL.

The San Francisco Bulletin would not
be happy if it had not something to growl
about. Its latest plant concerns the Whit
tier School, and it begins with post
mortem concerning the change of the
name by which the word Reform" was
dropped from the title, under sanction of
the Legislature. So far as that is con-
cerned, the correction of the title was had
in accordance with the best judgment Of
the most trained penologists, and in the
light of experience which proves that it
is not means of reform to label the OBJ
ject of it with the fact that he is being
treated for viciousness.
The purpose of the Whittier School is
to save boys and girls, who offend the
law, from vicious surroundings and ten
denotes. It is the object of the State in
maintaining the school to make decent
men and women of those vino, if not thus
cared for, wil.most likely become wards
OF the State as convicts. The State tried
the labelling method in the Marysville
school and it failed. San Francisco made
q like attempt with the Industrial School,
and it developed into nuisance and a
shame. There is not a person in the
formatory who will not testify that it is
far easier and far more effective to handle
youths committed for reformation, if the
badge of their shame is not paraded be-
fore them, and attached to them in the
form of tag.
The next complaint is that the school is
becoming a young ladies' and young
gentlemen's boarding-schooi. That is
not at all serious. 1t is good deal better,
if true, than that it should be such a
black hole as the Industrial School of San
Francisco was. Next it is alleged that
people secure commitment to the school
OF children who never should be sent
there, in order to have them cared for
and educated at State and county ex-
pense. If there is truth in this charge it
constitutes q real grievance, and ought to
form the subject for immediate official
investigation.
Another charge of our desperate con-
temporary is an assault upon the motives
of those citizens who have favored the
school and contended for its maintenance
as means of reforming juvenile offend
ers and of stopping evil at the fountain
head, as more economic than furnishing
offenders in the full current of crime,
We are not informed just who these
people are, but they are classed as
s.pseudo philanthropists, who have axes
TO grind, fat salaries TO draw and soft
places to fill.
This is very indefinite, but if there is
anyone connected with the Weittier
School who is not earning the bread and
bntter he eats and the salary he draws,
+ba person ought to be named and the
charge made direct and specific, as the
basis of official inquiry. The State ought
+o foster no idlers. and encourage no phi
1antbropy that has selfishness as a sub
s+r,cture. We concede that there arein all
C+otes sny number of radical reformers
,vbo seek to put upon the State great
v institutions which are not at the
80 absolutely necessary, and some that
.ho,ld never become State charges. We
.o,namber an effort of that kind last
--,,ter when a scheme was put on foot to.
The Legislature saddle upon the
,4;os tbe cure of all the old sots in the
v some one of the gold cure meth
nlot the REcoRD-UNIoN exposed
denounced at the time. 1t is to be
- - ,,so to the credit of the most prom
saant of these curative methods, that its
.;otors came to the Legislature and
pd their hands of the matter. and
-4od AGAINST any such burden being
t.e.od mon the State to line somebody's
- -,rat at the expense of the taxpayers.
ITndoubtedly the State has been pushed
= the extreme il the erection OF charity
institutions. and that it has done more