The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-12-13

| to afford large part Of the maintenance
Of those living thereon.
| Give us the reformatoFies. 1t is great
| shame that the child guilty. often of petty
larceny, should be forced to take his
| place and get his character with harden
| ed criminals
Put the right man at he head of it and
| it will develop in a short time its own
| needs and its great value.
NIB. BROUGHTON.
SUPT. LAWRENCE'S VIEWS.
| There has been a growing sentiment for
| several years in North Carolina that there
| ought to be reformatory established
| in the State. This sentiment has had
| rapid growth since the last General As
| sembly. Thoughtful men who have
| looked somewhat into the matter have
| been especially impressed that our pres
| ent system Of putting young criminals
1 with old and hardened ones cannot pos
| sibly mean reform to their lives, but to
| sink them deeper in vice and crime. 1t
means further that they are lost forever
| to good citizenship, and when again turn
| ed loose upon the world are continual
menace to life, property and good govern
ment.
No doubt this subject will be brought
| before the Legislature, which conyenes
| i'm January Already some Of the relig-
| ious denominations have passed resolu-
| tons praying that such an institution
| be established, and it is a very prevalent
| opinion that there is a felt need for it.
| The questions which will come to the
minds OF the members are: What it
| shall be? How it shall be conducted?
| What shall be taught? etc, etc.'-so that
| they may wisely lay the foundation and
provide for the necessities Of such an
| institution in order to carry it on in the
most practical, economical and business
| like manner.
When a child is put into a reformatory
| it must have employment, must be kept
| busy, taught to work at some trade;
| it ought also to go to school and be taught
| the English branches 1t must be under
| proper discipline.
The reformatory ought to be in the
central portion Of the State, in a healthy
| locality, and land enough ought to be
| secured to help make it self-sustaining.
| 1t ought to be near enough to a town or
| city to be accessible for its supplies and
| to dispose Of it's products.
The school should by all means be in
| dustrial so that the children who pass
| through it may be turned out to the
| world prepared to be self-suppOrting.
This would largely remove the incentive
to dishonesty and stimulate an ambition
| to be a good and faithful citizen and
| to have home and family.
| Every child redeemed and saved 10 the
| State by this expenditure Of money in
| this way would add greatly to the de-
velopment OF our material prosperity:
and if the training is Christian, the build
| ing and education of character would
| give strength to the physical attachments.
| believe such an institution to be alb
| solutely necessary for the good and well
| fare OF the commonwealth. 1t would
| nip in the bud the commencement OF
vicious life and give an incentive to right
| living through the medium of training
| and work.
The great thing in an institution OF this
| kind is the discipline exercised. After
an experience of nearly three years at
| the Oxford Orphan Asylum we have come
| to the deliberate conclusion that no one
| ought TO have charge Of such an insti
| tuition or be employed in it. unless they
can love and pity the children, and who
| has at the same time the firmness and
| executive ability to carry out the designs
| and intentions of the institution. The
more brutal forms OF punishment serve
| 10 harden rather than correct. If you
| can reach the heart OF a child through
| it's ambition and instil in it a desire for
| high and noble things you have put into
| its life something which will kindle and
glow with aspirations that tend upward
| and onward
| This has been our experience in dealing
with the children of this institution. I'm
| til the heart becomes hardened with con-
slant SHINING there is a soft spot some
| where which can be reached, but it is
| only love that can reach it.
Next to appropriating money to take
| care Of the destitute and homeless or
| phans OF the State, which saves them
| from drifting into sin and ruin and
| keeps the faint of crime from their young
and exposed lives is the money needed
| for reformatory.
The wisdom OF the money spent by the
| State for the Oxford Orphan Asylum is
shown by this fact, that out of the LOGO
children which it has sheltered, fed,
| clothed and educated, not one has ever
worn the uniform of the convict. And
when it is understood by the people that
more than four-ffths of the children are
not the children of Masons, but children
for whom the State ought to care, they
will see that there is no money more
wisely or judiciously expended.
OF the PIP children in the asylum to-
day 175 are not the children of Masons.
| Is 10000 too much for the State to give
| to help make these poor, homeless or
phan children good and useful citizens?
Is it not better than to wait until they
| become criminals and then be obliged
to spend greater sums to try, convict and
then be obliged to take care OF them? Is
| there but one answer to this?
Yours sincerely,
| n. NJ. LAWRENCE,
| Guuariu+andant