Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-01-15
INDUSTRIAL HOME SCHOOL.
The Board of Managers Say the In
stitutiOn II Crippled.


The board of managers of the Industrial
Home School have sent the following letter,
brief mention of which was made Satur-
day. to the Commissioners Of the District:
The board Of managers Of the Indus
trial Home School find the institution under
their charge already SO crippled and with
prospect Of still further injury, If not of
entire destruction by adverse legislation at
the last session of Congress, that they are
constrained to bring the matter to your at
tention.
AS you are aware. the admirable grounds
and the buildings of this school belong to
the District Of Columbia, and for many
years 1t has been supported almost entirely
by appropriations from the District treas
ury. 1t Is equipped for the accommoda-
ton Of 100 children, and much Of the ex-
pense of supporting the institution, as now
organized to give the children elementary
and industrial education, is necessarily in
CURED. and cannot be curtailed by dimin-
ishing the number Of children. On its pres
en1 plan even with a reduced number Of
children, the buildings must be heated in
winter, a superintendent and other subor-
dinate officers. teachers Of an elementary
school. carpenter who is a teacher of
Woodwork, a gardener and florist who is
teacher Of horticulture and Horticulture
must continue to be employed. These en-
ployes may care for and instruct 100 chill
dren as well as fifty. To reduce the ex.
penses OF the school by dismissing these
Instructors would be practically to convert
1t into juvenile aims house. and we are
confident that neither the District Com
missioners nor Congress desire to have
this done.
THE amount required for the annual
maintenance Of 100 children in this institu-
ton and which has been appropriated here
tofore by Congress for this purpose was
fho L.
this amount was reduced to 81, $3.50, and the
managers of the school were informed that
the reduction of 40 per cent would be made
up to them through the board of children's
guardians. This expectation has not been
realized. The number of children in the
school has been reduced to sixty-three, sal
aries have been reduced and discontinued
wherever practicable without destroying
ton. and yet the board finds itself con-
fronted with a probable deficiency of s. 900
at the end Of the year.
Help Asked for.
''Under these circumstances the board of
managers felt 1t to be their duty to present
the facts to the District Commissioners
and to ask their interposition to prevent the
abolishing or Gripping Of an institution
that has so clearly demonstrated its neces-
sity and usefulness in this District. Super
fntendent Warner in his last annual re-
port said of this school: If the corpora
ton controlling the institution is willing to
so modify its character as to become a pub
lie corporation. with members appointed by
the Commissioners on the recommends.
ton of the board itself, / should distinctly
favor having this institution appear by
name In the annual appropriation bills and
receive substantive appropriation on the
same footing as the reform school, Again,
speaking Of the board Of children's guard
ians, about to be organized. he says: No
measures should be adopted that would
cripple existing institutions or fail. to pro-
vide in the fullest possible manner for the
properly dependent children Of the Dis
trict.'
And again: In pleasant contrast with
common unwillingness of employers to
take institution children is the fact that
those who leave this institution are sought
after by persons desiring to employ such
help. The industrial training given at the
institution adds considerably to the ex-
pense of 1t, but no one can doubt who has
carefully examined the results that 1t much
more than pays for itself
Eject Of the New Law,
Superintendent Tracy, in his recent re-
port touching the appropriation for this
institution, said: The brief experience Of
this system during the current fiscal year
does not commend 1t. The institutions de-
prived Of the 40 per cent are crippled. while
the board Of children's guardians. energeti-
caly prosecuting its work within its prov
irce. as defined by the courts. has on hand
a considerable surplus. In this way the
children's charities Of the District are de-
prived Of money for their support, while
the board of children's guardians does not,
in fact. currently expend the sum to its
credit, and consequently, the charities are
deprived Of a considerable part Of the mon
eys allowed for their maintenance without
full compromising benefit to the community
through any other channel. Examination
does not show that the appropriations here
tofore made to the children's charities of
the District were disproportionately large
in comparison with other institutions or
that they were wastefully excessive in
themselves
ITO preserve the Industrial Home School
with its past usefulness and efficiency It
will be necessary to have $1,000 to supply
a deficiency In the appropriation for the
current fiscal year; $4,000 for maintenance
for the fiscal year ending June 80 1895, in
stead Of T,SGO, as submitted to Congress
in the estimates of the Commissioners and
$4,000 for greatly needed repairs and i'm
proyements on the old central building
which have heretofore been examined and
approved Of by the superin tendent Of char
tiles and the District Commissioners and
estimated for by the inspector OF build
ings."