Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-03-16
THE HART FARM SCHOOL
Provision Stricken From the District Bill
by the House.
Cost Was Deemed Excessfve-View o
the Committee of Children's
Guardians.

After The Stars report of the proceed
ings in the House closed yesterday after
neon lively discussion continued upon the
point of order raised by Mr.. Ray of New
York against the paragraph directing the
board of children's guardians TO contract
with the Hart Farm School for the care
of fifty boys annually at $40 each. Ulti-
mately. the point of order was sustained
and the paragraph stricken out.
The debate was spirited for some time.
Mr.. Ray had stated at the outset that the
provision might operate as steal, but sub
sequently he said:
Il stated hastily that it might operate as
steal and an unnecessary waste of the
hasty and not justified by any fact in max
ing the statement, and l now withdraw it
and apologize to the committee"
Mr.. GrOut Explains the Item.
Mr.. Grout explained the item as follows:
Now, here is a provision authorizing a
contract between the board of children's
guardians and the Hart Farm School for
the care of not less than fifty boys for the
next year at s210 boy. That is $40 more
than their present contract with the board
OF children's guardians. who, of course, are
not engaged in wasting the public money,
according to representation of the gentle
man himself.
Now, Mr.. Chairman, the expense Of
keeping charge of the colored girls in the
District of Columbia who have gone wrong,
in an institution owned by the District up
here, is 500 per girl and they have only
gone through the Police Court to this re-
formatory institution, just the same as
these boys have, and it does not furnish
them the home life, either, that tbs farm
does. This farm as part of its work has
introduced industries. The boys plant the
corn, cultivate it, cut it. and take care of
the cows, doing a certain amount of work
all the time.
This temporary contract has been con-
tlnued through to the close of the present
fiscal year with Professor Hart and it is
now running at 500 per year per child.
The District is paying more than that at
several places for the maintenance of its
dependent children; and my judgmen. is
that $500 per year per child. while the num-
Der remains under fifty, is not especially
high
Description of the Work.
Mr.. McCleary of the committee said: 81
never saw Prof. Hart until saw him be-
fore the subcommittee; but if ever saw in
my life a man thoroughly imbued with a
noble purpose, that man was Prof Hart
Down the river, near Fort Washington
ne owns a farm of some 300 acres. Here
he has erected some buildings and has
established farm school, which is COM
tons of this land.
His plan is necessarily expensive as for
the forty-five boys he has ten instructors
Some two or three of them give academic
is in doing things He has skilled
farmer, who takes the boys out on the
farm and teaches them how to raise crops
He has a veterinarian. who teaches the
n "a lxa 90 of cot . 10 nd I,
whether in sickness or in health. He has a
blacksmith, who shows 1.-The boys how to
make and mend things made of iron. Mr..
Hart told the committee that the black
smith takes six boys in the shop in the
morning and in the afternoon takes six
others. Every boy has turn at the black
smiths forge and the 'wheelwrights bench
once a week They learn to make all
sorts of things. If anything breaks they
learn to mend it. They are taught to take
material and repair machinery of all kinds"
Letter From VI. d. Peck
AT this point Mr.. Ray of New York sub
mitted a letter from NJ. D. Peck of the
board of children's guardians upon that
subject. He said in part:
Il had only been member of the board
of childrens guardians few months when.
early in October last the question of in
creasing the rates for keeping our wards at
the Hart farm, near Mount Vernon, was
raised by Prof. Hart in communfca ton to
our board, stating that he could no longer
keep the children for less sum than S2lU
each per annum instead of S1S5. the amount
of his contract price for last year. l was
appointed, with others, on a committee to
take this matter under consideration and
report back to the board
The committee of Investigation couid NOT
understand why 1t was necessary to in
crease the price of keeping our children on
a farm to $40 per annum while others Of
our children We're being kept in homes and
institutions q DI1rh Les
House of the Good Shepherd Baltimore We
are paying $1tD per annum; in the National
Association for Relief of Coiored Women
and Children our wards are kept for 500
home for children in this city we are pay
ing $40 per annum. including clothing
AT the Industrial Home School, this city,
we are paying Sl23 per annum, including
clothing, and the cost of maintenance for
larger boys at the Reform School in this
District, where the institution is divided
INTO homes with every convenience for the
benefit of the children, the superintendent
states. is only about s1S4 per annum
though the superintendent of charities esti-
mates from the reports of the school for
1888 that the cost is nearly Sl3S
Mr.. Hart appeared before the commit
tee and stated that he had farm of 100
acres. 100 of which was under a state of
cultivation: that on his farm he was rails
ing horses: that he had some cattle and
number of hogs; that he was raising corn
potatoes, beans, peas and garden produce
al OIL Wnsch could be Used in daily con-
sumption by his family He further statad
that he was keeping forty-two of our
wards, and was feeding them on the theory
mat good food made good brains, and that
good brains made able men.
Extravagant Practices.
Upon inquiry We found that his gro
ceries were being purchased from STORE
in the city carrying the best line of pro-
visions, and his -four from a manufacturer
making one of the finest qualities flour and
all other purchased articles of consumptio-,
were proportionately of the same character
resulting in the feeding of these wards who
mad come from off the street or from very
obscure homes, in an extravagant manner
and out of the station of their former Ijfa
and beyond that which they could rea SON
ably hope to obtain after leaving the Hart
farm.
We also found from the statement of
Mr. Hart that in making up his bill of ex.
FenseS for Keeping our wards that he had
loo Ia Of h