The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1900-12-20
GIRLS HOME WORK.
Mrs. Eyler's Report to the
Governor Tells of Excel
lent Conditions.
Especial to .The Jersey city News.v)

| TRENTON. Dec. 20, 1900.-There is little
! consolation for the scandal mongers who
so industriously villified the State Home
! for Girls last winter, in the report of
| the Board of Managers of the institution
| which, together with the report of the
! superintendent, Mrs. Myrtle B. Eyler, has
| just reached the Governor
| The managers report reviews the busi-
ness operations of the Home for the year,
or rather from the date of their appoint
ment, May %, last. The report shows
that at the close of the fiscal year for
1899 there were 1873 inmates at the Home
and that the fiscal year just closed was
rounded out with 115 inmates. The de-
crease is accounted for by the fact that
many of the girls reached the age of
twenty -one, while others were put out
under indenture or paroled under the new
law.
Mrs. Eyler goes into more lengthy
| consideration of the conditions at the
| Home. She begins her report with a
| statement that very efficient work has
been done by the present corps of Off
GERS and very commendable progress has
| been made in the several departments of
/ the Home.
| 1t has been constant aim to take at
least one step in advance in every depart
ment each year, and while they have not
| accomplished all that they haped to do
| this year, yet they are gratified with
what has been done and feel assured that
! in the near future more expectations will
/ be realized
| The Superintendent find many things to
be thankful for principal among them be-
ing the general good health of the girls.
AS a safeguard against possible infection
by the arrival of new girls from those sec
tions of the State which were threatened
with a scourge of smallpox, all the girls
were vaccinated during the month of
| July
Another cause for congratulation, .
! Mrs. Eyler says, g is the contentment
manifested by the girls and their growing
appreciation of all that is being done for
! their welfare. Not one has tried to escape
from the home during the past seven
months, and the conduct of the entire
family has been very goood."
After reviewing the manner in which
| the inmates observed all festal days dur
ing tine year and the various entertain
ments provided, Mrs. Eyler takes up a
/ consideration of the conduct of the girls
and the general conditions at the school.
First of all the decrease in the number of
| inmates, as compared with the number re-
i ported last year, is considered.
1.-THE decrease is due to two causes, :"
| says the superintendent. ''In last year 5
report called your attention to the fact
4 that we had 1870 girls and only 126 sleep
| ing apartments In compliance with the
requirements of the law I also Informed
the Justices of the Supreme Court of the
| State and the judges of our county courts
/ of this crowded condition, with the re-
suit that only II girls have been commit
ted to our Home during this year An
other cause is the fact that larger
number than usual has been sent out
from the Home.
"Of these were indentured, 2 were
paroled, escaped and were not returned,
Z became of age in the Home, died, and
Is were discharged to friends.
"Of the Is who were discharged, we
have received reports from Is, showing
| that they are doing we'll Nine of these
were over 10 years of age when dis
charged. By sending out these older girls
who had served their time in the depart
ments, opportunities were opened for the
( younger girls in the institution. and room
made for new girls. These 9, with the
! who became of age in the Home, make
| the total 16 who have gone out during
| the year, and all of whom were over 10
/ years of age.
ITO those who are unacquainted with
tie character of the girls to be dealt with
| and their past history and surroundings,
| it may seem unnecessary and unwise to
/ keep them in the Home until such an age.
| All who are engaged in this kind of work
| and follow up the girls who go forth
| from such institutions realize how meagre
and temporary are the results for good
when the institution is made simply a
house of detention for few years.
1.-The past life with its evil associations
1 must be forgotten, a new character must
! be formed, habits of industry cultivated
and a course of instruction and training
given that will fit them for a life of in
/ telligent, independent, self-reliant effort
/ to gain livelihood in new surroundings.
1.-THE more complete this transforma-
! tion is made before the girl is put to the
test the more permanent and beneficial
will be the results. This transformation
can not be made in few years. Many
young people who are blessed with good
homes and opportunities for the best
training for life do not appreciate them
until it is too late. We can not wonder
that that some of these unfortunate ones
fail to realize their opportunities and
must be detained in the institution for
5 their own good, longer often, than is the
desire of the management.
THE necessity and wisdom of doing SO
was realized by our State legislators when
in 1888 they changed the law, making the
term of commitment to end at twenty-one
years of age instead of eighteen, as it
7 had been.
/ OF the girls who were indentured. Z
! are in excellent homes and are doing ex-
| ceedingly we'll, some of them far beyond
| our expectations. OF the two who We're
| paroled, one is now earning her living by
| dressmaking, which trade she learned in
| the girls and their employers report that
all who are under our care at service are
| doing we'll 1t is very gratifying to note
| that not one of those sent out this year
| has returned to the Home.
This fact proves to our satisfaction
that if they are properly and thoroughly
trained before leaving the Home, they
will give better satisfaction to employers
be better pleased with their own efforts
and consequently be more stable in char
/ acter.
Fourteen of our girls who were out a {
service for wages became of age during
| them, exclusive of interest, was 81, ,399 S3
| This sum with accrued interest was in tho
] saving bank in trust for them, and was
paid to them when they became of age.
OF thin amount one girl had to her cred
it, $357.l5 another had S212.S5; another