Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-11-29
Needs of the School Set Forth by
President Endicott.
MONEY WANTED FOR ADDITIONAL ROOM
DesirabIity Of Separating innocent
Girls From Criminals.
FARM FACILITIES LACKING

Mr.. William Eudicott, jr., president of the
-! board of trustees of the Girls Reform
| School of the District has submitted to the
Attorney General the third annual report
of the trustees of that institution, covering
| the operations of the last fiscal year. The
| Girls Reform School was opened Novem-
| Der &, 1893. During the year ended June
80. 1894, thirty-eight girls were Committed
| to the school, of which number SIX were
| released. During The year ende l June 30,
| 1885. fourteen girls We're committed to the
| school, of which number thirteen were re-
| leased. Since the opening of the school.
| therefore, fifty-two girls have been received
| and nineteen have been released.
Although the building is intended for
| the accommodation of but twenty mine
| girls, President Endicott says that the
trustees have tried the experiment of in
| creasing its capacity by placing five girls
| in one of the larger rooms and two girls
| in some of the smaller ones, and at times
the school has had thirty-six girls. He
| says, however, that the plan does not work
| well, and that it is the intention of the
| trustees to reduce the number to twenty
nine, and then refuse to take any more
| girls.
The law establishing the Girls Reform
School provides that all the sections of the
act of May o. 1876 III regard TO the Re
form School OF the District of Columbia"
shall apply to the Girls Reform School.
Under the act In question the Boys Reform
School of the District has always had 4
treasurer. The funds appropriated for the
Girls Reform School, however, have been
| disbursed through the Commissioners of
the District Mr. Endicott says that this
plan has led 10 more or less trouble and
complication and that he is quite sure it
would be for the welfare of the school If
the trustees thereof had their own treas
Trcr For this reason an appropriation of
;kp,l he
an officer. There seems TO be no doubt"
says Mir. EElicott, 'tha, the law entities
us 10 treasurer and that the Commits
sicners Of the District of Columbia have
no authority to dsburse The funds appro-
priated for this school"
The building.
The report contains a brief statement of
the condition of the building and appur-
tenances. The cutters, cornices, window
frames and doors of the exterior of the
building are in need of painting. Owing to
the change of the heating system the re-
port says that the interior of walls which
have never been painted will be much dis
figured. Congress is asked to appropriate
$1,000 for this painting. The farm at pres
ent IS reported to be in excellent condition.
This year some $40 bushels of potatoes will
be raised upon the land, and President
End!cott says he fears that they will have
they can be stored during the winter. He
recommends an appropriation of $500 for
the building of proper storage house.
There is no place at the school upon
which to pasture the cattle and horses be-
longing to it, and this year pasture had to
be hired for several of the cows. Mr.. Endi-
colt says that if Congress will grant for the
use of the school ten or fifteen acres of
government land in its ne.ghborhood it
would greatly assist in the interests of the
institution. Congress is also asked to ap-
propriate $40 TO enable the trustees to en-
ploy competent teacher in cooking who
can devote her entire time to instructing
the girls in that important branch of do
nestle economy. The manifold duties of
the matron make it almost impossible for
her to give as much attention to this
branch of teaching as is deemed advisable
Increased Accommodations Needed.
In closing his report Mr.. Endicott makes
the following remarks in regard to the ne
cessity for increased accommodations and
to the advantage of separating the good
from the had inmates of the institution:
ION behalf of the trustees of the school I
desire to emphasize again the necessity Of
obtaining from Congress additional appro-
priations in order to increase the efficiency
of the school and enable the trustees to run
the institution upon 4 more economical
basis. If Congress will appropriate S0,gU
ninety or more cells could be added to the
school,, and II this is done no aQultlOIldl
fierce would be necessary to run the school,
except possibly two teachers. The expert
ence of the past year has shown that the
present force, though it may seem large
enough to care for the present number of
inmates. is absolutely essential in order to
oversee the girls properly in their work, and
to prevent them from escaping from the in
stitution. The present building could be
much improved upon as reformatory lnSti-
tuition, and if Congress should decide to in
crease the capacity of the school and appro-
pirate the above-named sum l would re-
specially suggest that the plans for such an
addition to the school. when carefully pre-
pared under the direction of the board of
trustees of the Girls Reform School, be sub
mitted to the Attorney General of the United
States and the Engineer Commissioner of
the District Of Columbia for their approval
Until this school was established no effort
was made in the District of Columbia to re-
form colored girls. The House of the Good
Shepherd in Baltimore, and later. the House
of the Good Shepherd and the House of
Mercy in Washington have for some time
beelf active in their efforts to reform white
girls. Though the reform school is not in
tended alone for colored inmates, up to the
present time no white girls have been re-
ceived at the institution. and think 1t would
be very difficult. as the school is at present
constructed, to receive white girls and mix
the two. In fact, it is much to be deplored
that it is impossible under existing circum-
stances to separate the good from the bad
girls. There few girls at the instjtu-
ton who have been committed there who are
not guilty of any crime, and these are COM
PEELED to come in daily contact with GRIM
i!als
During the last year the change brought
about in many of the girls is very satisfac-
tory, and with few exceptions they are con-
tent to remain at the school, do all they can
to educate themselves, and they show an
ambition to learn how to cook, to do laun-
I dry work and other household duties, so
that they may earn their own living.
THE work upon the farm, ten acres of
which are now under cultivation, has made
great progress, and the vegetables and crops
raised thereon supply the wants of the in
sttution during the summer and autumn
months. In the District appropriation bills
the Girls Reform School of the District of
Columbia has been placed since the found
ing of the school under the head of chari-
ties and corrections while the Boys Re-
form School has been placed under the head
of reformatories and prisons. AS the two
schools are practically upon the same foot
ing it is desirable that the Girls Reform
School should be placed under the head of
reformatories and prisons, over which the
Department of Justice has control"
Adam Not So Badly OF.