El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-12-10
TRAINING OF YOUTH
see State Industrial School -
Harsh Measures UnknnWn. "A
Question OF Controlling the
Tongue.

w. c. Kilvington, superintendent Of
the Tennessee Industrial School, was
seen by a reporter for The Commercial
Appeal, and when asked about the
methods and the success of this great
state Institution he talked freely and
entertainingly.
Yes" said Prof. Kilvington, eve
have the largest of all the state in
situations; one in fact, with popula-
ton of $50 people, us of whom are
pupils. The opportunities for carry
ing out the plans of an industrial
school with us. abstractly speaking.
are excellent, for we have 800 acres of
splendid land that is regularly cu1ti-
waited. and of course we take advan-
tage of this opportunity to teach the
boys with a bent for agriculture the
science of farming. On the other hand
we have twenty-seven branches of bus
mess represented in our curriculum,
including cabinet making, carpentry,
blacksmithing, mattress making, ma
chine shop work, telegraphy, short
hand. stenography in all it's branches,
tailoring. and. in truth, almost every
character of trade that you could call
to mind
Influence of Women.
Every child is supposed to work
four an da half hours as long as he is
in school, each day, and we do our
best to put him or her at that occupa-
ton to which characteristics best suit
the subjest. OF course this is largely
governed by age and ability. but every
one of the children, no matter what
their bent may be. is under the control |
of a woman for at least five hours a
day.
'.All the children are taught by lady
teachers, for time, so far as that
goes. and in some cases they are I'M
der the charge of the ladies for six and
half hours each day. And we leave |
them with the ladies for the single
purpose of discovering which way
their minds are running. and when |
they are found to be we'll fitted for a
specific purpose of course we put them |
at that preliminary or fundamental
work. Not only that. but by this |
method We discover whether or not the |
children can be better controlled by |
women or men. and the results of !
course dictate which of the two take |
charge of them.
THE children we have are bright |
and many are we'll advanced scholaS- !
tically, and we have some as bright |
Latin scholars as you can find any
where. On the other hand we have
excellent workmen in various trades
and they all APPARENT ytake a great |
interest. and from a scientific stand
point. in all that pertains to their sew
eral trades.
Ratio of Success.
within the past fourteen years we
have sent out 1.150 young men. and out
of that number only fourteen have
gone wrong: in other words. despite
the fact that our institution is termed
a 'reformatory'. we have averaged only
one black sheep a year.It is not a re-
formatory institution as many of our
people have supposed: it is no more
a reformatiry than any other school.
for if child comes to us with fault
we will do our best but not in a neg
ative way. to correct it. The reforma-
tory department has never been built
and will probably never be built, and
really after all my experience in this
line 1 do not think that one is necceS-
sary. We have never had nor received
a criminal child of any description.
No Harsh Punishment.
I'm punishment I do not believe, so
far as the rod is concerned. I don't
believe in turning the key to a child's
door. depriving him of his meals and
all that, where offenses against school
discipline have been committed. but
always appeal to his manhood. Oh,
there's no trouble about managing
children if you don't talk too much.
A child land have studied the ques-
ton closely whose parents worry and
fret in his early life will destroy the
child by talking too much. I do not
believe that any boy should be driven
up to manhood for that matter coaXed
up to manhood: think he should
grow into strong manhood of his own
vOlition. and he will grow to it if left
alone. and instead of being guarded
guarded in his better instincts, reared
to reply upon his own better nature.
In our school everything is done upon
a military discipline. But when I