The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-01-11
REFORM SCHOOL.
Annual Report of the visitor, Mp.
Andrew Halves.

Io~"et At1tVA ~ otnOOAt mas Iubuo tuo AVt-
lowing reports:
To the Governor and Honorable Council
OF Maine:
In making to you my yearly report a
visitor for the state to the Reform school,
/ am glad to say that the school seems IL
me to be In better condition than ever
before. It Ia q pleasure to see for myself
and 70 show to others the many improve
ments constantly going forward, and
whatever criticisms l may make ar
based upon the system Of the Institution,
and not upon the work OF tho individual
oh o~s. their faithfulness to their trust
l must hold In this highest esteem even l.,
I should sometimes differ with them rs to
the methods used In the object before US
helping the boys. The schools proper,
Of greater importance II possible here.
In the last few years, and are now in ex-
have been In their pl aces for five years o.
more, and 10 10 only Just to ssy Of thos,
who have been unequal TO continuance H.
the wsrk that every one hss shown keer
Interest In the pupils under her care, and
| 1 believe has tried 30 do the best for them
A'o SPVhshk VI thc now CouN88o fnaS
been y relief TO the main building, and
has again confirmed the theory that lew
boys are better cared for than many, bu,
the u nth will bear repeating, 10 is not
the house, but the father and mother That
make the family,
smaller and less expensive houses, end
put the workshops and school rooms out
sido
Every body will agree that to make a boy
work and to make boy like TO work are
wiGely different and that the latter ~
ouirss far greater tact and skill than the
former. IL is pretty certain. too. tina,
to the boy. 80 l am always glad to I'm
any incentive used to induce tho boys to
do shsir best In manual labor. / hope
from year to year that the work On the
farm may be made moro and more their
own, that they may share In the profits
Of the hen-houses. ard feel the responsi-
billy OF the losses, and that the cuitiva
zion Of small fruits may b extended 10
teach the boys something Of money values,
one OF the greatest lessons they nse~
Profit to the state In boys school 10 nor
question of cents; 1t isa question OF
m nhood.
l should like very mnoh TO sse some.
thing Of the plan Of self government trieo
with our boys That seems like great
undertaking for the organizer and direc-
tor Of such Q scheme, Impossible for most,
but II 1t works In other places why not
hereto some extent 1t leastf II our boys
were trained to jury duty would II lessen
the chances that they will stand ss prison
ers at the BARI some Of them are likely
to be on our juries in few years; II !,
certain that they will help In ths govern
ment of our town. state and national life.
and II they can do nothing toward govsru
ing them selves here what are they to DO
IL L.
When We have our model school it Will
be almost wholly self supporting. One
Of tbs boys best friends has said that
every boy here should earn his own liv
ing. l fail to soc how much of man is
to be made of boy shut p from the
world for six or ten years of his boy hood.
food, clothing, books and shelter provided
for him, ana when he is eighteen or
twenty sent out into the worlt as helpless
as Caspsr Hauser when taken FROM his
cellar. In these eight or ten years oth.I
boys have been daily praoticing what l.
largely theory or wholly unknown tn our
boys Thinking people have everywhere
reason 1t Is now thought beet to put chi,
rem, especially young children, like man
In our Reform school, into families
Massachusetts pays for the BOARD Il
childrsn unable TO earn their living, ana
in the past two years has found homes H.
hblue Ior bWcuty-Iout OF nef heIorn
school boys. II l were asked the greatest
need of our Reform school today, think
should answer, An agent to and homes
Tor our boys. and to VISIT them from time
to time In their homes. No matter how
poor the b me p iced, tre heads Of 10 are
honest and Industrious people. II any
person in this stase win think for q
moment what his condition would be ii |
there was not house In the world he had
q right to enter. II there was no living
human being whom be could claim as
friend, he will think hereafter OF our DO. s
with a stronger sympathy for many If
them are in that desolste state. IL q boy
could be put into Il family to grow VI
with the children of the neigh Dor hood. 4
he felt that he had home to go baoF TO, |
or even to think Of. or somebody TO take |
an interest in him, II he o3uld be made |
outwardly something like other boys,
would 1t not go long way toward max |
ing him what we want tn make him |
the average manS Mother, home and |
God are said to be the dearest and best
words we know, but II we have never |
learned the first two who shall teach us |
the thirds |
protest against having our children
clRssed with criminals or called criminals. |
One OF our greatest humanitarians has |
defined crime as IAN injury inflicted on |
another person in malice Does that |
cover the act of little child eight or ten |
years old who has perhaps been driven to |
theft by parents whip? Some of our |
boys are In tho school for truanoy Is a
truant from slhooi a criminalp l lem III
Der one little fellow registerea US IA |
vsgrant at eight years old, when he was |
brought in. He had not dared to go |
home because Of drunken father, and |
shall never forget the look In his blue |
eyes when rs he was questioned about his |
father he whispered, "He had strap"
Mas that child criminal? 1t Is for the |
sake of these children that our school |
snould have different name. IL mil hit |
be called the State Home for children. for |
that 10 what 1t really is, and what we
want IL to tie, not u model institution to |
chow to visitors beautifully polished floors
in spotless rooms. These are Of import
auce only SO far as they teach the children |
neatness and order, but the neatness and |
order are for the child's good; the chilu |
Is not to b eacri feed TO cleanliness.
i again ask that two women be added |
to the Board of Trustees. and / ask on
the highest authority that Ii Is not good |
for men to be alone. Women are as
,nnoh paedsd hare In fh,. chnreh mr. in