The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1900-09-22
NO PAUPERTzINC.
Mrs. Hudspeth- Benson Be-
lieves In Teaching Chill
dren to Care for
Themselves.
SCHOOL INSTEAD or iLHSH0UsE
Why the Guardians Bill Is
Ineffective House of
Detention.
SCHOOL INSTEAD OF iLHSHoUsE

me crimes recently committed by de-
PRAYED youths of the county are the
cause OF the renewal of the work on
the part of Mrs. Mary Hudspeth-Benson
and her co-workers to secure the passage
OF an act creating Industrial schools in
Hudson county for pauper children. Mrs.
dudspeth-Benson has always been bitter
iy opposed to the method of indenturing
as carried on under the direction of the
State Board of Guardians. she attacks
tnese people for their lack of discretion
ana failure to keep proper watch on
the children taken from the county in
stitutions and placed in families.
Mrs. Hudspeth-Benson is positive in her
statements regarding the SHORTCOMINGS OF
the indenturing system now in force. In
talking to News reporter she cited
case of a girl who had been sent out
to these families and each time the girl
had either run away or had been sent
back to the institution.
Such cases as this often come to our
attention" said she, ''and this is what
we are working to remedy. The secret
lies in the establishment of schools, sepa-
rate institutions for boys and girls, where
they can secure education that will help
them to live Christian life, not that
of degenerate and burden not only to
the county, but to his fellow creatures
In life. What chance has a child in the
Almshouse to gain knowledge of the
world or to fit himself or herself to ap-
preciate the real beauties of life? Nome
Whatever-crowded as they are in that
institution, where the very surroundings
tend to demoralize them. Now there are
almost two hundred of them, mostly de-
generates, and day after day. year in
and year out they go through precise
ly the same performances, eat and sleep,
| not even knowing where their food comes
from.
I'VE desire to remedy this, and our
plans have been set forth in the bill which
| ex-Judge Hudspeth drafted. We intend to
work for its passage, for on that meas
ure depends the future of hundreds of
poor illiterate waits who can be so trained
and educated as to be of use to them
| selves and to the community. Education
makes a world of difference to children.
| When they observe and began to realize
what really is in life for them, they be-
| gin to look higher than confinement in
an institution maintained by the county
| 1--WE desire to educate them and to ac-
! complish this purpose power must be
| given to the Board of Freeholders to es-
tablish schools with course of studies so
| regulated as to prove of practical use to
the inmates. Not in the whole State Is
there a Protestant institution of this ma
ture. and Hudson county will be taking a
great and good step in the proper direc-
| ton if the bill becomes a law and the
| schools are established Trades of all
! sorts can be taught to the boys and girls
and they will like the work. The very
thought of paving the way to something
| better than county charge will tend to
create within them burning desire to
succeed in their work.
| Mrs. Hudspeth-Benson says that the In
| tentions of the State Board of Guardians
may be all right, but the execution of
! their intentions is very bad indeed. She
says that they do not clearly comprehend
| the situation as it appeals to her and a
| careful study of the problem might cause
them to pursue far different courses.
Mrs. Hudspeth- Benson is in the main,
responsible for the drafting of the mea-
sure that will go before the Legislature
this winter. She also has another plan
on foot for the establishment of a heuse
of detention for boys and girls of an
early age who are sent to the County
| Jail to serve light sentences. She says
in reference to this
.Boys sent to Jail for the first time are
forced to associate with matured and
| hardened criminals. This In some degree
| tends to influence the minds of the boys
and evil are the results. My plan is to
| secure suitable home for al OF these
| boys with view toward reforming them
and sending them out good citizens. Such
an institution can be made practical and
| the results beneficial.
''The purpose of sending boys to jail,
is to punish them and to make them see
the folly of their ways. Usually the re-
suit is the contrary. Tasting of that
life is not enough for the youngsters, SO
he wishes to go deeper into crime"