The age-herald., 1901-07-28


 the spring are the work of the boys un- der the supervision of the superintendent The farm is supplied with its vegetables from the garden cultivated by the boys. In addition to the large vegetable garden each boy has an individual garden that he has cultivated, and learned by ex- perience the value of practical farming.
 The school building is equipped with shoe shop and a printing press, and the school has just issued it's first paper, .'The Boys Banner" This feat has filled every boys heart with pride and ''our paper" Is considered to be the equal of those published in other institutions that have been in operation much longer than the Alabama School.
 In addition to the trades that are be- ing taught at the farm, instruction is given in reading, writing, spelling and mathematics. Many of the boys who en- tered the school few months ago could neither write or spell. The boys have | been organized into military company and have daily drills. The attention paid
 to athletics has made a marked improve | ment. There Is large playground and no happier set of boys can be found any
 where than the Industrial School boys, scampering over their big play yard. The discipline at the farm is magnificent and
  are constantly being congratulated upon the splendid conduct of the boys Mrs Griffin has the care of keeping the boys clothes in order and where the average woman would find it hardship to mend the clothes of one or two sturdy little fellows of her own, Mrs. Grifin's labor of love Is to patch the clothes of forty
 three little fellows who have been sent to the farm from the most vicious environ
 nents fin Alabama. Tn writing of the farm the splendid assistance that many of Bir- mingham's young women have given should not be overlooked. A number of the most fashionable young women or ganized a sewing club last winter and raised funds with which to buy material for the boys clothes This club meets every week and has made practically all the underwear that the boys have worn. Among the young married women who are prime movers in this work are Mrs.
 Hugh Morrow, Mrs. Algernon Nelson,
 Mrs Ross c. Smith, and a majority of
 Birmingham's young society belles. The Alabama Farm. the Johnston
 Home" is receiving recognition in other
 states It has in a brief time taken its
 place among the similar institutions
 in the country, and Alabama is now
 pointed out as one of the progress i've states that realize the responsi-
 bility that rests upon 1t in the
 problem of dealing with tine young crim- 1 inal. That this state Las come forward | with an institution, ideal in it's opera ton is due to Alabama women,led by
 Mrs R. D. Johnston. of Birmingham, for
 whom the school is named. | Johnston Home" is receiving many
 complimentary press notice, among them 1 the following from the Lincoln, Nebraska | Post:
 | We are often asked what has become of
 Professor Griffin Flor the information of
 his many friends in Lincoln, and espec all 1 ly the boys throughout the state, who | were under him while one of the family | managers at the Boys Industrial School | at Kearneys, we publish the following l from the Age-Herald, a Birmingham, Alabama paper MT. Griffin and wife have | been closely connected with, and actually | engaged in reformatory work for num- | Der of years, and take great interest and
 pleasure in their work. While teaching in i the public schools of this city, and in the business college, they were associated with
 the reform work at the penitentiary, but | in 1897 took harge of one Of the family buildings at Kearney, but MT. Griffin re- signed his position at the end of little over three years to accept the superin- tendency of similar institution in Ala
 bama. The school at that time had no building, but Mrs. Johnston, the sister in-law of the then governor Johnston, encouraged by many leading ladies of the
 state, and inspired by her zeal for re-
 claiming the wayward boys of tthe state began soliciting donations and so great
 was her success that the last legislature
 came to her support and made hand
 some appropriation, and the result is that | the state now has good farm and school
 fir it's wayward boys and ample buildings | for their accommodations. The school | has just now celebrated it's first anni-
 versary and the Age-Herald chronicles | the event.
 This is where Professor Griffin is. and what he is doing, and the boy who mani | puates the machine that put this in type | is one of his Eearney boys, that is now | and will remain a jewel in his crown | for no better, or trustworthy boy is to | be found oming from any school or home.
 And he is only one ofthelittle army of | boys whose environments and not thcir | natural inclnations, led astray that Prof.
 Griffin, and his wife have lovingly lel back to paths of usefulness and to be
 comfort and an honor to family and | friends.
 TLe W1,o,<&te Evcho@,rY.