The age-herald., 1900-02-22
Excavation Work Begun on AIabama's
 Farm For Wayward Boys

The work of excavation on the Alabama Boys Industrial farm and school, near East Lake, has begun, and wild be pushed rapid ly It is understood that the Commercial club fund has been collected and other gen. erous gifts are being made to the executive board. The following list, submitted by Mrs S. D. Cole, of the board of control, shows the amount of brick donated: J. w. Minor 10000, J. D. Leak 1000, c. T. Hardiman 1000, w. L. Robinson 2,5OO, Z L. MoZedey 2,0OO, J. R. Copeland 2OOO, Howard Lame 20O0, J. M Morgan 1000, Walter Robinson 1000.
 The following cash donations have been made recently: R. A. Lewis $25. cash $l0, Mrs. Smith $5; total $40.
 Altogether the present conditions are most encouraging and in a few weeks Alabama will witness the laying of the corner stone of her industrial school for wayward and incorriglbde boys. The plans of Alabama women for the salvation of Alabama boys will result in greater awakening to the states responsibility in the matter of her young criminals. When crime will be de- creased by the industrial school for way yard boys, the state will then realize the importance of such an institution.
 If one is familiar at all with the numer- ous cases that are tried in BTmingnam inferior court, 1t is only too evident that this city alone could supply boys re- formatory with recruits from her own police court. A recent case that came under the jurisdiction of Judge Feagin em- phaszed the deplorable state of affairs. It was the case of a young boy who was to be tried for a misdemeanor, but no sen- fence was imDosed.
 It seems that Eis home associations were little better than those of the convict mines, and had the little Fellow been sem fenced his contact with the criminal class would not have been worse. For want of a better place he was turned into the streets.
 There are many similar cases all over the state, and for this reason the counties will be pro-rated and thereby each county will be called upon to maintain the re- formatory.
 At the next meeting of the general as- sembly, a yearly appropriation will neces- sariy be made which, with the proceeds from the farm will maintain the school.
 The $3,0OO appropriated by the last legis- lature is inadequate for the completion of the school building. When the cost of small house is taken into consideration, the estimate exceeds this amount The erection of suitable and substantial buildings for the reforfhatiry will certainly require larger appropriation. The establishing Of such an institution is permanent It will exist so long as there is crime in Alabama. The buildings should be erected with an eye to their permanency, and the state must readily see the impossibility of $3,000 covering the needs of such a building. As soon as portions of the building approach completion MT. Griffin, the superintend- ent, will assume charge. His reformatory work in the west induced Alabama women to secure him for the school here. In re- ference to the successful work of MT. and Mrs. Griffin, a western paper writes as fol- Jews, and at the same time drawing com parison between the criminal laws of Ala bama and those of Nebraska;
 With MT Griffen in Alabama the school wiA lose one of its most faithful and eff c,ent teachers, but at Birmingham he has life position, where his long experience with work at such schools this and in the penitentary Will fine large scope. very marked improvement in the Alabama law that we might copy is that sentences not for definite time, but until the superintendent is satisfied they can be trusted. Then they not, as here, sent back right into the same surroundings to begin again the career of crime, but are placed with reputable people where they can continue the trade learned at the school. Then incorrigibes are sent to the penitentiary where they will not contam- rate those who are making an honest os- fort There is occasional 'rolack sheep here from good families and good homes, but with the great mass it is very clear that bad social conditions in which they grew brought them here; that they are better fed, better clothed and warmer housed and happier than ever before in their lives. It is also just as clear that to send these boys back to the haunts of vice from which they came is to blot out in a week the work of the years they spend here. The great defect is not what is done here, but it is in what we do with the boy when we nave educated, clothed and cleaned him, made the little fellow feel that he can be a credit to his state, we set him right back into the same filthy pool from which We have at so much ex- pense extracted him and cleansed him.
 The writer mentions the case of a certain young criminal in the Nebraska reforma- tory. He showed that he had ability and that associations were at fault and not himself. He had a marked genius for art work, and many fine specimens of his work