The Indianapolis journal., 1897-05-30
A TRUANT SCHOOL.
How New York Youngsters Who Play
|HOOkey" Will BE Treated.
New York Sun.

New York Sun.
School will keep for the truants from now
on until the end of the school year. There
won't be any Saturdays or Sundays off, or
even holidays. 1t will be school all the time,
with never glimpse of the outside world
except by special favor for good behavior.
The way of the tranSgreSsor who trans
crosses by playing truant will be hard, now
that the new truant school has started. 1t
is the first school of this much-needed kind
which New York has ever had. 1t opened
yesterday at No. 215 East Twenty-first
street.
Hitherto the small boy who absolutely re-
fused to attend school has found his way
through the police courts to some reforma-
tory institution. The law holds parents re-
sponsible for the nOnattendance at school
Of children between the ages of eight and
sixteen years, and father or mother may
be fined So for permitting child to stay
away from school. But if the boy (girls are
very seldom truants) be proved to be in
corrigible and beyond the control of his
family, then the sins of the child not
visited upon the father but upon himself,
and the attendance officer hales him away
to the court where he is committed by the
ma piStratp Now truancV is not q crime
and magistrates are frequently unwilling to
Commita boy whose only offense is an alb
sition to confinement. to an institution
filled with young criminals; and the need
of some institution for truants has been for
a long time pressed upon the Board of Edu-
cation. To supply this want, the board pur-
chased the large building at No. 2l5 East
Twenty-tirst street, formerly occupied by
Here eighteen truants, who had been
rounded up by the attendance officers as
nucleus of the school. School Commission
erS John +. EuStis and e. Ellery Anderson
and Superintendent John Jasper were pres
ent to hear the tales of truancy told by the
parents of the youthful recreantS and by
the officers. This recital was unpleasingly
diversified by unmuffled sounds of Woe
from the culprits. The small boys sniffied
and the big boys sobbed. Any individual
called upon to answer direct question felt
himself privileged to howl aloud. Most of
those who could be calmed down to a con-
dition of coherency, admitted that they
didn't like going to school: Out of the en-
tire number, three, against whom the
charges were less severe than in the other
cases got cards from the officers and were
permitted to leave on probation at the end
lated that they should attend the public
schools regularly or be brought back. Com
missioner Anderson made a speech to the
truants in which he told them that al
though they were imprisoned they were not
criminals and that by diligent work they
could make their lot pleasant one. Then
the truants were told by Mr. William w.
Locke, supervisor of the truancy depart
ment, who is acting as superintendent of
the institution what was expected, OF tnenl; niia
They took their first lesson from Miss Julia
Byrne, who has been assigned to the new
school from public school No. 90.
Yesterday afternoon when a Sun reporter
called the schoolroom looked very much
like any other public school1oom. Inc
youngsters had not yet, become USED 70 the
ishness in them, it was repressed. They la
bored nightly and in silence at a writing
lesson which Miss Byrne had set dnem; n,
over near the door sat the Waterman IN
case of any disturbance, but there was not
the slightest sign of any disorder; After
the visit to the SchoolrOom Mr.. Locke TOOK
the reporter around the building, which is
admirably suited to the purposes OF Such
an institution. On the upper floors are the
iron cots arranged in rows. Below these
are the schoolrooms, much pleasanter and
better ventilated and lighted than the aver aver
age public schoolroom. There is Dig front
room which will be used for 1nduStrlaI
classes and a goodsized side room, Whlch
wiz probably be a playroom Dining rooms,
washroons and baths are all well ar
ranged. There are no bars on the WINDOWS,
but Mr.. Locke thinks that there is httle
danger of any of the boys escaping, as the
doors will be constantly guarded ana es-
cane from any of the windows except
those in the rear. which overlook hlgh"
walled yard, would be very dit1cult:
This yard which is cement fioored, is the
playground. Already a handball court mas
been marked out facing the big wall and
some of the Youngsters were playing at the
noon recess yesterday. Balls, marbles and
tops will be permitted, and there is space
for all of them. Altogether the prospects
for the truants are far from unpleasant
were it not for one oVershadoWlng TACT tnat
they are shut in from the OUTSIDE WoTld.
When that idea has had time 70 deVelop
there will probably be trouble and perhaps
revolt on the part of some. Any BOY VINO
positively refuses to study VIII pe sent 70
Some reformatory institution. as the term
in the truant school is in the nature of
probation The boys are committed until
the latter part of July, and until then they
will be prisoners.
I'm cases of good behavior and high
standing we may allow some privileges of
absence" said Mr. Locke yesterday For
instance. a boy who has had good marks
may be permitted to spend s,1 Sunday at
restino with his parents TIE course here
viii ii'i be the regular public school course,
but the teaching will be more Individual
There is room for many more inmates
than are now in the school, and the num-
ber will soon be increased. Later in the
summer there will be a general raid on the
frI1ant children below Fourteenth street.
This means that the ranks Of the news
boys and bootbacks will be thinned out.