Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-07-14
REFORM SCHOOL BOYS.
Setting Up Exercises Under Col. Bur-
ton II. Ross.

The board of trustees of the reform school
OF the District has for some time had in
view the addition to the curriculum OF the
school of a certain amount of physical
training, with 4 view to improving the gen.
ccal department and personal carriage of
the boys, and the same time assisting in
intoxicating habits of obedience and aid
ing the discipline. At a recent meeting
action was taken in this matter, and to
carry the views of the board into effect
Col. Burton r. Ross the well-known drill
instructor of the High School Cadets. was
engaged as instructor. On Wednesday af-
tcrnoon he visited the schoo; for the pur-
pose of giving his first lesson, and took
with him four well-known High School Ca
Diet officers, Lieut.. Col. V. A. Potter. Capt.
c. f. Young and Leuts. w. r. Johnston
and w. S. Jones.
The giving of this sort of instruction Is
facilitated by the way in which the school
is organized. The boys are divided into
families of from fifty to sixty each, each
family having its own building complete
in itself, with assembly room, school ROOM
dOrmtory. bathing and wash rooms, etc,
and these families readily take the place of
companies IN anything like military drill
or movements.
For the first lesson fifty-two white boys
were in line, and it was interesting to see
how readily they graSped the meaning of
what was to be done and how well they eX-
ecuted the exercises before then entirely I'M
known to them. The idea of the board is
rot to drill the boys cadets would be
drilled at a military school academy
but simply to give them instruction III such
OF the setting-up exercises and the primary
foot movements of infantry drill will
give them an erect carriage, a free, manly
bearing, broad chest. square shoulders.
alertness of movement and ability to move
in concert when required to march in squads
or families to and from the family build
ings, mess hall, assembly hall, the various
shops or farm work. The first instruction
was about an hour and in view of the
fact that the boys were until then ignora at
OF what was presented to them their prog
ress was very gratifying.
The instruction was witnessed by Col.
Clay. the president of the board of trustees:
Col. Shallenberger, the superintendent, him.
self an old soldier and former member of
General Hancocks staff: Capt. Porter, the
assistant superintendent, and such of the
teachers and other officials as could be
spared from their respective duties. All
watched the proceedings with great inter-
est and were very much pleased with the
result. Col Ross will visit the school at
regular intervals. giving instruction to the
different families in rotation, and the teach
ers of the respective families will exercise
the boys daily in the intervals between
visits. OF course, all the boys at the school
get enough exercise to keep them in good
health without this special training. Each
family spends a certain number of hours n
IN work Of the different shops, the manual
training school or the farm, but this exer-
else. while healthful, does not effect the
particular instruction that this new instruc-
ton Is intended for, that Is to say, the set
ting-up of the individual.