The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-01-25

Every one WnO mas ever neard those wonderful boy choirs singing Easter car rols in the great churches In New York has felt that sudden awakening of the soul in response to the voices that comes from the vested choir within. It is al- most impossible to pass the churches without pausing when the boy choirs are singing Te Deums They wear such snowy vestments and many of them would have inspired Correggio, the painter of cherubs. People who never go inside the churches have listened to the boy choirs.
 The Industrial school sits so far back from the winding road that it Is almost as secluded as a monastery. This Is the reason that so few people know about the boy choir. So few in comparison to the hundreds and thousands who have lis- tened to the boy choirs in the great cathedrals.
 There Is a difference, of course, in cathedral dimly lighted with waxen tapers, the sunlight shining through the great stained glass windows and the big room where the boys at the Industrial SCHOOL sing le OeuIlS
 It is a far cry from a cathedral to a reformatory, but It is not so far from reformatory to a cathedral when there are boy choirs.
 choir of sixty voices, singing Te Deums, sixty little lads who have never seen inside of a church. and who sing Hosannas in blue overalls.
 white vestment and a blue overall.
 Some of these little lads you must know were sentenced to wear stripes. A few of them have brilliant records in the police courts. Every one of them belong to the class we dismiss as incorrigible. Many of them were waifs before they were sent to the Industrial school.
 In a majority of the cases their envi- ronment had been that of the streets, the streets that are raided by the police and they had been "docketed"s in the police courts They had answered to various charges, and been adjudged guilty of various offenses. They were brilliant little criminals and many of them were not over ten and twelve years old. So--e- times the authorities had to guess at, their age. There was no way at finding out accurately. What difference would it make any way, since they were no good to society and kept the police busy making arrests. They would end their lives in the penitentiary. There they would loose their identity. They would be known simply as a number. There would be no need to know anything more They would be only an expense to the state a trouble to the guards.
 And this thing was to be repeated, this thing of convicting a child of the state of placing him in close contact with the most hardened criminal class in the world.
 It was question that forced itself on the minds of thinking people, reformers, philanthropists, and every one who in- yestigated the cause of crime. The sta- tistics were appalling.
 Every phase of the problem was dis cussed The problem was boy who would one day become a man and 1t was for society, in a great measure, to de- termine what kind of man he shou.l be.
 True reformation of the criminal IS to prevent crime It Is along this line that the superintendents of the reformatory SC ools are working. This is the domi- nant note in the policy of every indus trial school throughout the country. Therein lies their splendid work, their success as institutions, their value to the state, their importance to society.
 This Is the corner stone of the Alabama Industrial School. It is this idea crystal lzed that shall give to the state useful citizen, and not a brutalized criminal
 It is this, and this alone, whereby criminal statistics are being reduced, and the state Is saved thousands of dollars.
 The building of reformatories Is an in- vestment Every dollar given by the state to the maintenance of these institutions Is a safe investment that will yield mag nificent returns. Other states have long reaped the benefits from these jnstitu- tions. They are no longer an experiment. Generous appropriations are made for their equipment and they are model in- stitutions.
 The Indiana Reform school alone has for It's maintenance. in addition to It's regular appropriation. a fund of $70,000. The Tennessee Industrial school has an annual appropriation of $50,000. Other in- tstitutions encounter few obstacles in se- curing proper equipment and mainte- nance.
 From all the states where reformatories have been established comes the story of their successful operation. made possible by adequate appropriations. The need of these institutions has almost been a na- tional question.
 The Alabama Industrial school has re- ceived less encouragement from the state than any similar institution. It is a char tered school and 1t is dependent upon the state for it's proper equipment and main tenance.
 In the recent report of the board it was shown that since the last session of the legislature which appropriated s15.000 for the school, private donations to the amount of $10,000 have been made, mak- ing the sum total for the year $25, 000 which has covered every expenditure. The board, in making it's report, showed that they would go before the legislature with no debts handing over the institution.
 At this meeting resolution was adopt ed asking the legislature for an appro- priation to build an additional dormitory to provide more industries such as blacksmithing, foundry, shoe shop, tail- bring equipment and other improvements, including a new barn and farming imple- ments.
 The bill asking for an appropriation will be pushed by Representative Walker of Huntsville and Senator Goldsby of Mo- bile.
 In the annual report of Superintendent Griffin the situation Is presented clearly and careful reading of the report, which contains valuable information regarding the school, shows why an appropriation is needed and where 1t will be expended
 sUPERINTENDENT's REPORT.
 The following is the report in full of Superintendent c. D. Griffin:
 Another year has passed, and we again