The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-08-04

An impartial and painstaking study OF
the evidence respecting the scandals at
the Girls Industrial School, at Trenton,
will lead, we think, to the conclusion
that there is much to be amended in the
discipline of that institution, and at the
same time that 1t is by no means as bad
as it has been painted by Its enemies.
on the one hand, it cannot be denied
that some severity is needed in handling
LIS young women of the criminal or out
cast class. On the other hand, there
seems to be no justification for the flip
pancy with which Governor voorhees,
treats Admitted facts, showing gross
cruelty.
on the whole, the charges of whipping
or padding" have fallen TO the ground
The one or two Isolated cases, out of
(which all the stories seem to have grown,
( were incidents of an open revolt by the
inmates, and the amount of punishment
inflicted in this way seems to be extreme
lyainsigniaeant.
On the other hand, some of the other
punishmeats appear to be u~nspeakably
cruel, 1t is unnecessary here to go Into
details. which we print in full elsewhere;
1t is sufficient to say that prolonged Pc
RODS Of dark cell constitute an Infinitely
more brutal, cruel and Injurious punish
rnent than any ordinary whipping would
he. What then shall be said Of prolonged
starvation on bread and water--and a
limited supply Of water at that2 This
is an ~inhumanity which passes belief, and
which brings US down TO the worst level
Of dark age cailous1ess. In convict pris-
ons and in the army and navy-in this
and other countries-.hree days is the ex-
IRENE limit for which bread and water
may be given. Experts hold that any
longer continuance of such diet is not
only temporarily but ever permanently
Injurious to health. If this be true in the
case Of strong men, how much more is
it so in relation to girls and young wom-
en-, some of them still growing.
A third abuse of the most serious kind
is the calling in Of male employees TO aid
in controlling the girls. We say this
without regard to the spanking story.
There are two versions of that episode,
but even admitting that the worse one
is the true one-we believe it is-it re-
mains an isolated occurrence caused by
absolute mutiny in the chool. What we
regard as condemnable is the Intervention
of men for the purpose of disciplfning the
girls at any time, or under any circum-
stances. There are fifteen women employ
ed for the purpose, and if they do not
muster sufficient physical and moral
force to handle any refractory girl, or any
half dozen of them, they ought to be
discharged and others secured in their
: places. In many prisons and reforma-
tories. in warehouses and Warehouses;,
women completely control subjects of
their " sex, n there is nothing in
the character of this school or its in
mates to suggest that women should not
enforce discipline. especially where physi-
cal force is needed.
It would seem as if some of the trouble
Of the place arose from the too humane
but very mistaken ideas of the trustees.
They completely forbade the strap, which
had been used in the school for years,
ard substituted dark cell and starvation.
The humanity of this makes one smile.
It's efficiency as a system of discipline
needs no further discussion. 1t has work.
ed out its own verdict in the riots which
have 0 out and the Generalization
which has pervaded the school.