The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1901-05-20
A CRYING NEED.

BeNtHSdIy SttillS llhGly llVl W ihdISl
Iize at this session. This is an indus
trial home for girls. The need of such
an institution is demonstrated almost
daily in the police court, and is con-
stantIy coming before the philanthropic
of the city and even of the outer dis
tricts.
Before the Legislature was in session
there was much said upon this subject,
and recently the district magistrate of
Honolulu spoke very earnestly upon the
matter from the bench. Young girls
whose feet have just touched the edge
of the waters of the sea of depravity
are often brought before Judge Wilcox.
II there were any place to commit them
to where they would be cared for and
led back into the @ath of rectitude and
instructed in industry, these girls might
be saved. But thre is no such place.
They must either be sent to prison or
they must go free. To send them to
prison is to brand them for life, and to
sweep away what little good may be in
them. To set them free is only to
thrust them back into surroundings
which begin in lewdness and licentious-
ness and end in drunkenness and the
grave.
To those whose profession it is to
strive to bring up and advance these
girls of the present, who should be the
matrons of the future, it is melancholy
to see here one, and there another
snatched into the deadly Whirlpool, and
except by moral suasion be enable to
do anything to save them from them
selves 1t is like standing by on the
shore and watching a person drown
with no rope, or spar, or life buoy to
throw, and only advice to give as to
not getting too near the water.
Scores of girls might be saved from
going down, or rather from continuing
on, the wrong path, if we only had some
institution to which they could be sent.
1t is no alarmist statement to say
scores of girls go astray. One has only
to ask those who have been engaged in
careful training of the girls to learn
that what is stated is a fact. What can
be done with such a girl when the tea
cher discovers her undoing. She can
not be retained in the school. Her eX-
ample is an evil one for others, who
need all the force of example and pre-
cept to keep them upon the right road
Institutions like Kamhameha, Kawaia-
hao Seminary, East Maui Seminary, st.
Andrews Priory, Convent of the Sacred
Heart and others cannot take such girls
in. They have to protect those who are
in their charge from contamination.
There is thus nowhere to send the err
ring girls.
That the Superintendent of Public
instruction fully believed in such an
institution is shown by his report. He
pointed out that there is nothnl.; more
needed in the community than place
to which unruly or absolutely destitute
girls can be sent" He continues To
call such a place a Reformatp,y school
would be to brand very inmate for her
after life. To call it an Industrial
school for Girls will relieve our police
courts and our charitable institutions IF
many unpleasant and practically ir-
soluble problems"
Before matter of this kind there is
practically, no argument necessary. W.
have no institution of the kind required
Inc press, the magistracy, the heads of
police, the Executive of the Territory.
the general public all loul,y demand If.
1t remains for the Legislature to sun.
ply the funds for initiating these re-
forms. If the funds are not grarte6
the projects fall to the ground. If 70
effort is made to save the female waits
and strays of this territory. every che
VIII know where the blame lies
That members of the Legislatlre arc
interested in this matter and have
given it thought is well known Repre-
sentative Emmeluth who, when he is
not mounter on one of his RAMPANT
hobbies, is sensible, clear thinking
man, with an earnest desire 70 10 good
TO his fellow citizens-has given the
subject much thought and at the be-
ginning of the session had some extern
sive, though undigested plans, OF What
should be done. There are many others
In both the lower and the upper house
VINO recognize the crying need of such
an institution
AT all events let a beginning be made.
If the work cannot be begun on a large
scale, let it be bgun on small scale.
If we cannot save the whole fiock, let us
save some. Let the Legislature vote
$4,000 or $4,000, for commencement.
something can be done with this. True
not much can be done, but something
can be done. The lost souls whom we
would not save, will someday be re-
CURED OF u.s. What win some have to
say VINO would give no helping hand.
-
MILK.