The Portland daily press., 1896-12-29


iptendent Butterfleld says there is no
work he cannot do with his boys, and al
though they cannot work as fast as
skilIed la horeYs it is the worth of the
woYk n ths nov that Is to be considered,
for above all is the boys growth, not
thasbenuty, nor order, nor pfont OF build
ings. nor form, inside Dor out except so
far as the boy is improved by. that
beauty. order or profit At the Massa-
chusetts school great results are claimed
from the Sloyd wolk and Supt. Chaplin
contributes az interesting paper on this
su bieot to the May number of the Charl-
ties Review. The young lady in charge
of this department at Westboros has each
boy In the sohcol under her charge at
some time during the year, and myfown
observation Of her methods and the re-
suit leads me TO highly commend tne
work.
AS set off against W ork' think we have
hardly Eenouah of amusement in our
school for both the older and younger
people, for fun is as essential as work TO
keep the balance good. The children
need one evening In each week after the
first of Novem Der for games In the house
until the weather is suitable for out-oI-
door play after supper in thu spring, ana
the officers should got away from the ln-
stitution, once week to brighten their
own lives that they may go back heart
ened to their work which must be hard
at best. Musicians say piano wears
better for frequent tuning. surely the
human mechanism is not less deltuate.
The need of mntron in our school Is
go apparent to every one it is not neoes-
sary to enlarge upon the subject further
than to say il family is not to pc
trained by a man alone as head now
much more the need here OF mother Tor
this large ANA varied family-a woman
of wide sympathies, Of delicate percep-
tions, and of large executive power.
That the name of the school be chan ged
to State Home or State Training School
is not new suggestion, but since 1t has
not been acted upon it may be repeated
as also the call tor woman on the
Board of Trustees. Maine does not stand
by her state motto here, and every year
sees her falling farther and farther pe'
hind. In Massachusetts women are
members Of the State Board of Lunaoy
and Charities, the State Board OF Com
Missioners sof Prisons. State Boards or
Education, overseers Of the poor, proba-
tfon officer and trustees of state reform
schools. They are also members OF State
Boards of Charities and Correction IN
New Hampshire, Connecticut, New York
Indiana, Illinois. Wisconsin and Coio ai
do Abroad they serve as overseers Of the
poor in England, Sweden, France and
in parts of Germany and Norway.
also wish to call attention to 1.-THE age
of bows sent to the Reform School. 1t is
only a detriment to send, under false pre-
fences, the big rough Of eighteen or more
while the baby of five nr six should be
provided with hons In private family,
and probably will be whenever the at
tentiou OF the locnl, y. g. y. y. Is called lee
to the case Homes are what men die
for How shall the state provide homes
that her sons shall live forS
The State Agent who; shell look after
children placed out from the Reform
School us we'll as young mon discharged
from the school, and the jail, is still a
want. believe many boy might be
savedIfrom ruin If he had friend to
look to-such friend as ho should find
in such State Agent. warm hearted,
sympathetic, loving man. One OF tbs
Reform School boys lately at my home
had been making visit at the Cottage
stAhl' said he, ssI'd never ask for bet
ter home than that Well might he
say 10. An unlearned boy of eighteen
turned into the world for himself "a
drunken father and a mother in the In
sane hospital.
The alternative sentence still confronts
us, Last year several boya were sent
away to jail under this law which seems
to offer premium for bad behavior as IL
now stands. There must be remedy for
this evil, and the school will be mater
tally helped when the remedy is found.
The more l study this question OF
sociology-the reform of boys-the more
I am convinced that real improvement
must come mainly from the personal in
fiuence of the head of the institution. ]
say head advisedly because ho makes SO
largely the rules which govern his subor-
dinates, and because upon him depends
SO much the character of the people be
gathers about him. AS in home the
moral life of the child depends not upon
the furnishings of that home, but upon
the daily life Of the father and mother
and the extent to which they can in
fuence the child given them.
While my report is review of the con-
d1tion of the school In general, and not
of special persons engaged in the work
here, feel that ! may digress to bear
testimony to the faithfulness and con-
scientiousness Of the work done for our
boys The noble motives of orr officers,
thoir patience and their diligence deserve
high praise. Every body understands that
such positions are not easy to Ill for 1t 10
not only needful that these men and
women be themselves above reproaoh,
they must always distinguish between
the wrong door and the wrong doing, and
to do the most effective work they must
continually bear themselves in so loving a
manner toward these unfortunate child
rem that the blinded eyes may be opened
to the beauty Of TRUTH and uprigbtness,
and the unframed feet be impelled to
follow after their leaders
Let us quote again from Mr.. Fly mt
whom he says: "sThs management of
reformatories should be In scientific
hands, and just here I am constrained to
plead for the training of young men and
women for the rare usefulness that awaits
them in such institutions. If the treat
ment of physical disease offers attractions
that call thousands upon thousands OF
young men and women into the nursing
and medical professions here may be
offered a field even more fascinating to
the student, and SO full Of opportunity
and interesting employment. that it will
be wonder if the supply does not
speedily exceed the demand. y And note
this especially" Reformatories planned,
differed and conducted according to the
principles of scientific philanthropy
ahould no stotioned moi; at the end of the