The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-12-25

Every child attends school three hours
daily and works four and half hours.
The boys are drilled IN military tactics five
hours per week. To every con, pany is
allotted an ample playground. Healthful
games. and physical exercises are encour-
aged.
Under the original act establishing the
school commitments were for definite
periods. Under this law a child nine
years old committed for one year, with
credits for coed behavior, remained in the
school ten months, at the end of which
time the authority of the school over him
ceased and he must be sent back to the en-
vironment which, in nearly every case,
caused his commitment to the school.
Three years ago the law was changed, the
trainers of the bill intending that all COM
mitments should be for period EN- bracing
the minority of the child, and introducing
the parole system. Thus, while the av-
erage stay in the school will probably not
exceed two years, the State, through the
Board of Trustees, remains the guardian
of the child during his minority, with the
power of recalling him to the school III
case of violation of the parole either by
himself or those to whom he is paroled.
The knowledge of this continued author
ity acts as a powerful stimulus to the
child TO put forth his best efforts and also
has restraining influence over those to
whom the child is paroled. In cases where
children are paroled to parents the parent,
if before delinquent, is now, in measure,
compelled to do his duty by his offspring.
The one to whom the child is paroled is
required to report in writing, monthly,
his conduct, progress at school, or
if at work, the wages received, ETC..
thus enabling the management to keep
a history of each one from his en-
trance to the school until he arrives
at his majority. From this history Stats
tics are compiled which will soon render
an unimp eachable verdict as to the result.
According to this history, which, owing to
the short existence OF the parole system,
is, of course, not entirely conclusive, over
so per cent of those paroled have so far
been successful.
The law was intended to cover commit
ments under all sections, but according to
late rulings children may still be commit
ted as incorrigible or vicious for a definite
period.
So far, California has done well and the
|
if our great Stale is to keep step with the
progress of civilization she must not stop
here. The Whittier School is doing good
work, is achieving splendid results, but it
is not yet what it ought to be. 1t should
have enlarged accommodations and such
enlargement should be on the cottage
plan. No two child natures are the same,
neither can children, young or grown up,
! be reformed by hundreds, fifties, tens or
| twoS; individual work alone brings best
results. Our aim should be to come as
near to the realization of home as it is
| possible. Cottages should be built for the
accommodation of families of not more
than fifty, and thirty would be better;
| these cottages to be under the care OF
well-educated, broad minded, sympathetic
men and women; the children Of one cot
tage to eat, sleep and play entirely separ-
ate from those of another.
This system permits of the nearest pos
! sIble classification of the children, accord
| ing to culpability or innocence.
The shops, now but poorly equipped,
should be supplied with the best and most
modern tools and appliances, that trades
may be thoroughly taught IN the best pos
",
child will be able to put in practice in
wage-earning that which he has learned in
the school. He should be taught to do
some one thing as we'll as it can be done.
With this accomplished he is a positive
and longer q negative quantity in the
| State.
| More trades should be added, that greater
latitude may be afforded in finding the
child's proper place. More land for vege
tables, dairy, ETC., as an economic meas
ure, should be secured.
In order to more easily create and stimu-
! late desire for learning, school ia cilities
should be improved and more books, pc RI
odicals, etc, added 10 our library. At
| present one teacher has 100 boys depend
ing upon her for instruction. 1t is evil
| dent, even to the most causual observer,
that this does not permit of the most thor
ough and effective work.
| A large gymnasium, with competent
| physician in charge, would accomplish
much. Let the lily developed and morbid
child begin to take regular, systematic
exercise, with hours for eating and sleep
| ing exactly timed, quantity and quality of
| food rigidly prescribed, and the results
may be read in his daily school record
with marvellous accuracy. These results
will invariably be more interest, more ac-
curacy and more capacity. Every muscle
hitherto unused, if brought into play, re-
quires activity in previously idle brain
area A muscle aroused to activity and
then brought under the control and direc-
ton of the will necessitates a mental
effort which not only contributes to mental
| growth, but in most cases, is enjoyed by
the child himself. In support of the theory
| that muscular development gives mental
DEVELOPMENT, 1 quote from a letter re-
ceived a short time ago from DR.. Thomas
| D. Wood of Stanford University:
''That the mind is developed. through
muscular training is proven, primarily, by
| the fact that the motor areas OF the brain
cortex on both sides OF the fissure of Ro-
lando are concerned in all voluntary mus
| cular action.
"The location of these areas and their
subdivisions has been established by the
experiments of Terrier and Fritch and
Hitzig, and also by the observation of
pathological cases, in which there have
! av,ctad with iuru or Jos trI,ntjop Of ,1orto