The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-09-13

| supported by a large number of, represen- 1 tatives and senators, not few few Of whom made able and enthusiastic speeches in its favor. The governor l praised the administration of the institu- i tion warmly and expressed himself as be- l ing delighted with the results of the work; the reasonableness and clearness of the provisions of the bill were much complimented and as an evidence Of good will the appropriation was allowed. The bill had been most carefully prepared and the estimate provided for only moderate and reasonable development of capacity and efficiency and a maintenance fund, requiring a most economical administra- ton to make 1t cover the next four years. As cut, no provision is made for enlarge ment of plant, addition of new industries, better equipment of those already in- stalled or for increase of usefulness in the care of large number of inmates.
 The Public and the Counties. After the failure of efforts, covering a period of some fifteen or twenty years, one woman, in 1899, with the publicly given encouragement and moral support of about fifteen hundred others, secured the charter and first appropriation for thls industrial and reform school for the white boys of Alabama. Since that time the small band of women pledged especi-
 
 erous citizens, to cities and counties, to public and benevolent organizations. l through the press, by correspondence and | in personal interviews. with the result that they have been able to buy one hun dred and forty acres of good valley land at East Lake and to put up a house com prising offices, employees apartments, l shops and dormitory of fifty boys. They 1 solicited live stock, poultry, fruit trees, l grape vines, furniture-but they did not | have to solicit boys: they put some of 1 them In before the house was even start ed, just p few who were so in need of care that 1t made the hearts of these women ache to see them. A small print ing press came next and then some books | for library, then two crudely furnished shops-a carpenter shop and shoe shop, | and then some more boys. The superin- | tendents wife had a small greenhouse l built and stocked and when a machine came a sewing room was opened School l ing began as soon as possible and garden | ing and farming were undertaken as money and tools came to hand. Finally a 1 furnace, water plant. sewers plumbing 1 a kitchen range and other necessities | were provided for and with the help of ! the second state appropriation and con- | tributions from number of other sources | the force of employees was slightly aug | mented. salaries were paid and the school
 was maintained for two and a half years with a roll of from fifty to seventy boys
 as inmates. At the beginning of the pres ent year the state was presented w4lh 1 property which at present valuation is
 worth at least $3O.00O. and which has cost
 it nothing, for the $1s,000 contributed by l the state has not been more than enough to pay for maintenance.
 A number of counties generously re- l sponded to the appeal of the directors l and contributed according to their means, some even going so far in appreciation as ] to make appropriations when borrowing
 money to run the county Only the other | day Autauga county gave fifty dollars and
 generous farmers of the same county pre- | sented several head of fue live stock l some bolts of cotton cloth and lumber for 1 the new building. Jefferson, Mobile,
 Montgomery. Madison, Butler. Greene, l Fillmore, Calhoun. Shelby, Lauderdale and
 Morgan counties have all contributed. | some once and others annually. Jefferson county and the Birmingham city council l have been and will continue to be regular contributors. There is really no good reason why all the counties should not l appropriate money annually for this in i stitution. even if the state makes provis- | ion, from this time on, up to the full | measure of its ability, for the crop of bad | boys. like weeds in early summer, is large and the more help given the sooner the 1 crop may be extirpated, and better one l take it's place. Contributions of money 1 lumber, clothing etc, from many differ
 ent sources have come in from the start and continue to do so. Two months ago. when the will of the late Mrs. Josephine | Mccartney of Mobile was probated it was l found that among other benevolent be- 1 quests made by this estimable and gener- 1 ous lady was one of $500 to this reform
 school. All this goes to show in what estimation this work is held by the far
 seeing and spirited public.
 Attention Imperative.
 | It is simply impossible for this work to | stand still-the demand for shelter within
 its walls is too great-more than fifty boys /, were turned away last year and these, | together with others who must be re- fused admission in the next four years
 if no more room is added, will by the end | of that time be past the age of admission,
 reformation or formation. Besides it is | too expensive to keep open. for a small | number of boys, an institution of kind | which necesitates a certain amount of | machinery and number of employees, | whether the number of inmates be large
 or small After buildings are provided the | expense of caring for the boys is greatly
 reduced per capita when a large number l is taken.
 One of the most imperative reasons for | more room is found in the advisability | of separating the older boys from the | younger, the more experienced in misde- l meanor from more innocent and pliable. | Then again. feeling sure of the approval of the present legislature, and having on hand quantity of donated building ma l terial in danger of deterioration by ex- | posure the directors have begun to erect
 the much needed additional building, and | they have every confidence that, now the
 end of the fiscal year is so near at hand | and the showing for the next four years is so good, the honorable legislators, with | a due sense of the superior claims of this | work will sustain them in their course. The farm calls for more and better im- | plements, the carpenter and shoe shops | need more up to date furnishings. set l of tools for Sloyde work Is greatly to be | desired. as several boys have shown de-
 cided talent for fine wood work and carv-
 ing: a tailoring shop, well set up, would
 enable the boys to make their own clothes
 while learning a good trade, and as there are many chances open, near at hand,
 to workers in iron and steel a small black
 smith shop and foundry would be an ad-
 mirable addition.
 Boys from all over the state are knocking at the doors of this crowded institution-boys whose only chance for
 an honest, manly manhood is to be found
 in its sound, solid, uplifting training. For
 the statel for mankind for God! let
 the powers that be deny the less press
 ing, less worthy clims on the state and do their utmost to build up a juvenile
 reform school of a size and an efficiency
 that will make 1t a suitable monument