The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-02-02
INDUSTRIAL SCHOOL
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE PRES. IDENT.
The Needs of the Institution Made known.-The Work Accomplish ed During the Year is Set
 Forth.

Superintendent of Alabama Boys Indus. trial School:
 Ladies and Gentlemen of the Board of Controi:-June l. 1900, your Superintend- ent and his assistant, having been resi- cents or Alabama only about two weeks, decided that it would be much cheaper to keep house than to board. The building when we now occupy was just raised, keeping was the original old log cabin which was filthy and about to tumble down from old age.
 We cleaned it up the best we could whitewashed the walls and scrubbed the noors. We bought a few dishes and household supplies and with a superanu- ated range that had been given to us, commenced housekeeping. We purchased tent for use as a sleeping apartment. Ine 18th of the month a. colored man was hired to do the cooking and on the 2st we took our first boys. Mrs Cole and Mrs. Johnston had coralled three Doys and when I asked the Chief of Po- lice about them. he said they were noto- riousiy bad Aboys, and fit subjects for our attention.
 With boxes for chairs. tent for bed room, some cots and blankets for bed room furnishings and a very small bank account, we began. Our growth has been steady. give the average daily belong ing since the 1st of June, 1900: June. 43; July. 53; August, 149 September. 193; October, Ho; November, A.0; December, s sa.s: January. n,, Y 2s2; February. s5.5; March. AT; August, AT; September, 5l.s; Octo- Der; 5l.3; November. 5S.2; December 5ss. The first day of January, 1902 there were 5s persons belonging to our family, Sz boys and adults. To date 72 boys have run away and have never been re- turned. We have had five boys trans- ferred to us from the mines. One Edgar Thompson ran away and we have never rd frnF, IL. was paroled at the expiration of his sem tence. and three we have with us. We have been obliged to give up several boys on account of the unstable character of the papers committing them to us
 Parents have an idea that a boy placed with us for a few months can make an entire change in his character and if he has been fairly good boy with us, they think the cure permanent and begin to urge the paroling of the boy and have made themselves a nuisance to members of the Board and the Superintendent and have succeeded in making the boy rest less and uneasy, so that after a visiting day" we have very much harder work to enforce the proper discipline of the school.
 Tn this connection must read an ar ticle published in The Advance, the pa- per published in the New Jersey Indus trial School. Of course we havs had a hard years work. It is hard to do the necessary work in the unsettled state in which we have lived since the taking of the first boys. There was nothing be- longing to the school, therefore we have had to commence at the bottom. and have been obliged to put up with num- beress inconvenience and "makeshifts." We have tried to get as many industries started as possible.
 Printing Department.
 We have tried to equip the printing de- partment with first class, up-to-date ap- pliances for printing. Ten boys have been employed at various times in that office and they are 1oing excellent work Let ter heads, envelopes. circulars and pro- grams have been printed, and we have a paper started. which we had hoped to issue regularly from the start but unforeseen difficulties and hinderances have con- stantly presented themselves. so that 1t has been sent out systematically. With a force of boys who begin to know how to be more regular in the future. The Boys Banner. as we call our paper, has been cordially received by institution pa- pers throughout the United States and we have quite a large exchange list. We have had a great many complimentary notices from Superintendents of various schools, for it is a rare thing to start paper within the first year of the schools existence.
 Mrs. Griffin has made photographs of the school and vicinity, from which we have had cuts made and have printed a souvenir of the school which we hope to sell to visitors and use the money to keep our printing office running. We have 55 actual subscribers to The Ban ner We issued a souvenir number of The Banner for a holiday number.
 Shoe Shop.
 We have a. poorly equipped shop, but the boys have learned to do some very nice work in this department. We had hoped to be able to furnish this depart ment with tools for cutting and making our own shoes. but have not had the time or the funds to carry out that project. We hope during the summer to get this started so that by another fall we may have a supply of home made shoes on hand We keep our shoes well repaired, which saves Us much expense. Of course most of our boys are barefoot during the summer.
 Since we commenced wearing shoes last fall. our shoe shop boys have put on 23z half soles. 3I heels and have sewed rips to aggregate about forty feet.
 We have also commenced making har- ness, with our limited facilities. We have repaired our harness and have made sev- eral brides. We hope to make a harness complete during the summer.
 Considering that these boys have never done any work before to amount to any thing and now are able to do this work. 1t shows we are doing something towards making industrious citizens out of raw material
 Give us proper tools and we can turn out work that all friends of the school will be proud of. and turn out skilled workmen who will be able to go into the world and do good honest work towards supporting themselves honorably.
 Carpenter Shop.
 We have a few cheap tools and with these some of our boys have made ex- cellent progress in the art of carpentery. An engine house, large out house, green house. tables for dining room and numerous shelves. doors and cupboards can he exhibited at the school
 With our new scroll saw, a Christmas present, we hope to have a collection of finer work to exhibit next year. The boys are interested in wood carving. I have bought a set of carving tools and hope to show some work in our paper before long of their making.
 Farm and Garden.
 Our, farm was worn out before it passed Into the hands of the State. but we have kept at 1t steadily. and our gardener, MT. Melton, succeeded in making the garden very helpful to us. We tried to measure all the garden produce used, but were obliged to give 1t us as there was so much to do we did not have the time.
 We received a choice collection from through our Congressman. MT. Underwood and also from Montgom- cry, from the State Agricultural Depart ment. All summer we were well supplied with onions, beets. tomatoes. radishes ,abbages, turnips. potatoes and other gar den produce, and were fortunate in hay ing a quantity to stow away>for winter In the kitchen were canned about l60 quarts of tomatoes and about the same. number of quarts of plums and and three barrels of cucum- bers put down in salt for pickles. We C..