The Birmingham age-herald., 1902-09-12
NEED IF NEGRO
 REFORNATO
 -- Judge Feagin Discusses Uses of This Institution NEGRO CHILDREN NEGLECTED 
Parents at Work and the Child, With No One to Look After It, Ia Subject to Evil In-
 fluences.

Judge N B. Feaein. who is taking an active part in supporting the Boys In- dustrial school at East Lake. will aid the negro ministers of Birmingham to erect reformatory for negro boys.
 Judge Feagin thinks there is great need for such an institution. Asked yes- terday what conditions made these re- form schools necessary, he said; :.
 There is a great need for house of correction. or a reformatory, for the young negro boys in Birmingham and vicinity. The facts are that every week a number of young negro boys are arrested and put in the city jail for of- lenses committed against the city and state laws. Many of these little negroes have no parents. We had two in court this morning. They are without any home restraints and consequently they loaf and idle upon the streets, and being left without any one to provide for them. they first begin the criminal life by stealing from the fruit stands and gro- ceries to satisfy their hunger. After being convicted and placed in jail with hardened criminals they appear to lose all desire for employment and naturally drift Into other and worse crimes.
 Parents Cannot Watch Him.
 There are many other negro boys whose parents are hard-working people. having no one to leave in charge of their children while out at work-these young children drift upon the streets and lead an Idle life. They. by evil associations, with other neglected children, begin by the commission of petty offenses and after conviction and sentence to jail with hardened criminals, become con taminated with such associations, The result Is that our efforts. through the law and its means of punishment of a young criminal. makes worse criminals than we begin with. But, in short, in punishing the young criminal by putting him in jail with older criminals, you confine him in a school of crime. His only instructors and teachers, when in jail, or when confined in serving out le- gal punishment. are the older and more debased criminals.
 "The youthful mind naturally absorbs the thoughts and ideas of older persons with whom they are constantly asso- ciated It cannot be otherwise under conditions as they exist in this city, for the enforcement of the criminal law on the young criminals of the state and city as contributing to the more rapid donw- fall and debasement of youth, both white and black, that come under the jurlsdic- tion of this court, and are punished as required by law.
 Fortunately there has been an escape for the young white boy to some extent, who has been arrested for crime and brought before this court, by means of the Boys Industrial school at East Lake. There have been over forty boys sent from this court in the last three yeyars to the Boys Industrial school. that school now having sixty-two boys in it, while there are only accommodations for forty There are now at least sixty white boys in Birmingham with wayward ten dencies whose parents and friends >are begging admission for them into this school These parents are so pleased with the reformation which has been brought about on the boys who have been confined there that they wish to put their children under its wholesome influence to save them from a criminal life. It is impossible now to get another white boy in that school on account of the want of house room. The question Is painfully brought before this court to decide whether 1t shall make a greater criminal out of a young boy by confining him in jail or turning him loose upon the community to repeat his criminal con duct
 No Provision for Negroes.
 "Unfortunately no provision whatever has been made. nor has any effort yet been made. to have the state of Alabama provide a reformatory for the negro youth. The colored ministers of Birming- ham. seeing the great evil which Is be- falling the young negro boys in this city by punishing them for crime and confin- ing them with criminals, are striving-now to perfec> an organization among the col- ored ministers of Jefferson county and the state for the purpose of raising funds for building reformatory for the negro boys of the state. They expect to incor- DOT ate under the laws of the state of Alabama an industrial school for colbred boys. They hope to be able to interest every colored minister in Alabama in this work. They will solicit subscriptions from the colored citizens through their churches in every county and deposit the funds as fast as donated fin some safe bank in Birmingham. to be held in trust for the purpose of erecting m industrial school for negro boys. These ministers say they are going to work first among