The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1895-10-12
CHILDREN'S REPUBLIC.
Toughest of the Tough Made to
Rule Themselves.
An Officer of Thirteen CIeyerly Proved
a Thief's Guilt and Brought Back
Band of Fugitiyes.

q Band of Fugitiyes.
One of the most interesting expert.
ments in self-government ever made has
just been concluded. 1t was the George
Industrial Camp, more descriptively
called the Children's Republic. 1t will
undoubtedly be repeated another year.
For the first time. it is believed. in his
tory republic of children has been ere
ated, and it was great success. 1t must
not be regarded, however, merely as 6
curiosity in political science, for it has
done much to solve one of the most diff
cult problems with which workers in the
! Sums have to deal.
| Children who could not be governed by
| the most amiable of teachers and attend
ants have been made to govern them
selves in the most severe and orderly
manner. They had been the despair o.
| fresh-air funds, and now they are the
rising hope of the East Side. Boys whose
highest ambition in life had been to be-
come leaders of gangs of toughs or crilni-
nails have been turned into exemplary
/ Judges and policemen.
The originator of this remarkable
scheme WAS w. i. George, young man
and an officer Of the Twenty second Regi-
ment. He has been in the habit of giving
much time to work among the children
/ of the Sums and hal been puzzled by
the question of what 10 do with the incor-
rigibles, those with whom the fresh-ail
funds and other philanthropic institutions
would have nothing to do. Then he had
| tha AL mi ra hIa idea of allowing the chill l.
drep to settle the question for themselve
| under favorable conditions.
This summer he rented fine farm oil
forty-three acres near Freevilie, IN
! Tompkins County, y. Y. ON July 9TH he
took 800 Of the very worst boys and girls
| he could find in the slums OF New York
! They could only be described in their
own language as dead tough" Twenty
three young women and seventeen col
! lege men accompanied them as attend
! ants and teachers. They were thoroughly
| imbued with the George idea of allowing
the children to govern themselves.
! On July 9th the Children's Republic
came into official existence. a Congress
and President were elected and militia
created. Judges. policemen and all other
necessary officers were elected or APP
pointed In due course. Everything was
done as at all ordinary election OF full
grown citizens, including stump speak
! ing, registration and voting at the polls.
From the time the political system was
! created the grown-up attendants had little
/ trouble about the maintenance of order.
Every child was assigned to a class OF
| instruction. The girls were taught sew
| ing, dressmaklng, cooking and house
| keeping, the boys carpentering, farming.
| landscape gardening and hosiery. No
child was compelled TO attend, in accord
ance with the fundamental idea of giving
! them all the liberty possible, but for
doing so he or she received at first 80
cents day. When they became more
! efficient they received from 20 to 90 cents
| a day.
They were paid in the current coin of
the Children's Republic, and not in that
| of the United States. This currency was
cardboard.
AT first the boy who would not work,
and consequently had no money, was put
on pauper fare of bread and water, and
was made to sleep on straw in cell. This
! syston necessitated tax Of three cents q
| day on the industrious members OF the
community, and they quickly revolted.
y popular Congressman, the son of New
York paupers, led the attack on the law,
and 1t was at once repealed.
Thereafter the motto of the repu blic
was If man Will not work, neither
shall he eat.' AS in all communities,
there were some incorrigible idle mem
! bers who would rather go without food
! than work. In some cases they took to
! begging and were promptly arrested by
the police and fined fifty cents or inn
prisonment for one day in the lookup.
Mr.. Roosevelt would be happy ii be could
secure a police force as yigiIant and eifi-
cient as this. The boys thoroughly en-
! joyed the sensation of being policemen.
Admission TO the police force was only
/ possible alter rigid civil service exam
/ nation. Thirteen boys and two girl
/ clerks made up the force. They were un-
! flincning in the discharge of their duties,
! no matter how large the offender.
! one boy was tried by jury of his
peers and sentenced TO five days impris-
/ onment Tor stealing money. Prisoners
! had 10 wear a striped suit of bedticking
| and live on bread and water. There was
an impression in this case that the boy
was innocent, and the question of par
| doning him was under consideration,
when the olflcer-a redheaded boy of 10
! who arrested him appeared and an
nounced that he had watched the prs
! oner through hole in his cell and seen
| him take The money from his hat and
| count it. The culprit was led in with the
money in his hands.
Altogether eight boys tried to run
away. Four reached New York and
wrote back to Mr.. George that they liked
| by kid cops"
The other four were pursued and cap
tured after a chase of titty-seven miles
! by the same vigilant officer who proved
the theft. Before starting In pursuit he
had to arrest his superior officer, SER
/ geant, who was in league with the fugi-
tlves.
After a few days there were distinct
classes in the community, the prosperous
/ and well-dressed aud the shabby and
/ poverty stricken. Some of the boys
showed capitalistic genius of high or
/ der. Two of them made Mr.. George an
offer of 81 day rent for barn, which
they proposed to turn into a summer
hotel. 1t was accepted.
The enterprise was a success. The les
sees christened their barn the Waldorf,
/ whitewashed it, put in cots, divided it
! into rooms with sheets, and did a thriv
/ ing business at charge Of 81 week for
/ board and lodging. other offers being
made for the barn they were eventually
compelled to pay 81 70 a week rent.
! All public officials received salaries. A
/ Senator's pay was 81 90 day, Con-
! gressman's 81 20 and pollceman's 80
cents,
! Congress adopted the principle Of pro-
! lection in consequence OF the following
incident. a large quantity of apples was
| given to the camp and auctioned OFF TO
the highest bidders The latter then re-
tailed the fruit. At the same time some
fruit was given by outsiders to some of
the boys. who were thus enabled to
undersell their competitors who had
bought at auction. Thereupon a law
was passed imposing duty of % per
cent. upon all stuff brought into the
camp for sale.-N. \. World.
I