The evening times., 1899-12-11

The annual report of the board of trus-
Boys for the last fiscal year shows a de-
crease in the number Of inmates over that
Of the previous year. The reasons given
| by the trustees for the diminution of the
number of boys in the school are, the
| greater number who are employed owing
| to the prosperous condition Of business, the
| increased number of boys taken in charge
! by the Board of Children's Guardians and
| the larger number of Jail sentences which
have been imposed. The trustees think
| that the parents of great many of the
| boys committed to Jail are responsible for
their being there. as they prefer thirty,
| sixty. or ninety-day Jail sentence to an
indefinite term In the Reform School,
which may extend over a number of years.
The board has seriously considered the
| question of asking Congress to change the
age for admission to the Reform School
from under sixteen years. as now pro-
vided by law, to under eighteen years.
Boys are sent to the Jail or workhouse be-
cause they are just too old for admission
to the Reform School. At the same time
they are probably not SO bad as younger
boys who go to the school. In connection
with this comes up the recommendation
which the board has made in its report for
a number Of years past, for such legisla-
tion as will make the discharge from the
school limited, not an absolute, one. SO
that boys who have lapsed into vicious
ways can be returned to the school when
in the opinion Of the board 1t is best for
them and for the public. The cost OF
keeping up the school for the year was
$4,000, and this amount has been esti-
mated for the coming years expenses.
G. A. Shallenberger. Superintendent OF
the Reform School, says that the health
Of the inmates has been uniformly good
throughout the year, and that the diet
has been ample and OF an exceedingly
healthful quality. In speaking Of the
general conditions of the school, Mr..
Shallenberger says:
I'VE have the most encouraging results
from what has been done during the year
in every department OF the school. First.
and paramount among all others to be
named. are the good reports received
from boys who have been honorably dis
charged within the past number of years.
These reports come to us direct, and We
know they are worthy of belief. OF the
larger number We have personal knowl-
edge, as they are now worthy citizens
of our own ! community. From many
others who have. gone into far dis
tant localities. information comes to US
in many ways, not only as to how they
are employed, but with voluntary tributes
also to the school in what it did for them.
Our average number has not been as
large as during the past two or three years. |
The small reduction, however, has not ma |
terially interfered with the work. necessa-
ry to be done. With larger population |
our means for expansion in many ways |
would be made possible and our facilities |
greatly enlarged for a more complete devel- |
opment of cur Misunderstanding classes. |
This is very practical part of the educa- |
tion we are expected TO provide for our |
boys. In the District public schools there |
has been a forward movement in this direc- |
ton for years, and for which there has been |
provision made by Congress- both as TO the |
supply of competent instructors and suita-
BILE equipments. together with material re-
quired for daily consumption. We are
fairly entitled to like recognition, as our
needs are even greater than those already
named. and which have been so generously
cared for. II may be suggested in this con-
nection that we differ in many respects as
to the character of our population from that
Of our District schools. We are naturally !
expected to accept and receive those who
have been legally deprived of the oppor-
tunity provided in these institutions by rea-
son of their moral infirmities.
The legal holidays were all appropriate
ly observed. Our boys are ever mindful of
these episodes in their somewhat monoto-
nous life, and hence are not likely to let
them pass without due notice. They may
not so much reverence the day, nor even
fully understand the occasion for these me-
mortal observances, but they can tell you
if the balls and bats provided for their ia
vorite games are of the regulation pattern
and of standard quality Even this knoWl- |
edge is accepted and placed to the credit of
each individual boy who has ambition to
put himself in-the front when brought into
competition with his fellows. 1t
is simply educating him to take the same
forward position in the workshop and in
the schoolroom when called to these more
important positions. AS rule. the boy
who has physical and mental ability to sue
ceed on the playground is seldom found at
the foot Of his class in the schoolroom''
rOp rur y NJ ~ SC DrH1rrrn |