The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1904-11-13

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!. fUBLlC CHARITIES
IN MASSACHUSETTS
| The state OF AIassuchusctts, which like
! Virginia, is n "Commonwealth,' Is one OF
4 the most progressive Of all tho common-
weanl,s and has, what Virginia should
| have, a state Board OF Charities. Presi-
dent Lincoln OF this Board, recently sub
mitted his report for the year which
is most interesting to those who be-
/ lieve In organized charities From this
|! report 1t is learned that Massachusetts had
1 tho first OF these State Boards. 1t was
! established in 1863 and was charged with
| the .'wllolc system OF state charities and
! corrections Later on the State csta B..
liished separate Boards of lIcalths ofCharl-
! ty, and OF Insanity. and a BOARD Of Com
| nissioners of Prisons.
The Massacliu State Board OF
lCharity Is a supervisory board. so far as
institutions are concerned, but has execu-
tive powers, as IN the care OF unsettled
1 poor neglected and dependent children,
4 and the younger Juvenile offenders. y
/ supervises the SLATE Hospital, State
] Farm. Lyman School for Boys. State In
/ dtstrIal School for Girls, and the Alassa-
/ chusetts Stale Sanitorlum (for consump-
Lives; discharges sane inmates OF the
/, State Hospital, an dexecutcs laws relating
/ to release on I1robat!ola q prison e,s
/ at the stats Farm: y Investigates settle
| 1nents OF poor supported, relieved and
buried Ly cities and towns; transfers
4 sane paupers from ono institution %
! another, and sends them to places where
| they belong; maintains and cares TOT
| Juvenile offenders and INDECENT, neglected
and dependent children coming into us
| custody, through court commitment. ana
| otherwise; administers laws concerning
abandoned infants and infant boarding
Ihouses: visits children supported by cities
and towns, and town paupers suppoFlen
| in families; visits and reports on city
and town almshouses: and enforees lay" laws
restricting retention Of children In al MS
! houses Z: visits ard &rerorts, or county,
truant schools; receives and publishes re-
ports of charitable corporations through
| out the State; n carries out provisions o.
contract with United States regarding
| alien ,ror,'gr,nts-ls uncovered tn exc
| cute functions by agents OF It's own ap-
| pointmcnt
The work Of the Board ts divided -in,o
| tw1 depart,nents.-the Division ot state
| Adult Poor and the Division Of State
Minor Wards. The STATE dult Foo
| consists OF the indoor poor, who are IN:
! mates OF State institutions and tine OUT
/ door poor In the cities and towns, whose
expenses In the casa Of sickness. tenn
! porary aid, TRANSFORMATION and burial, arc
payable by the State.
| The Inmates Of the State Farm y
| T,ridgewa Ter consist OF three ella ssea. pau
| pers, prisoners nnd insane. criminals 7 NJ
| 4 vera 60 N UNI Dor cared for during he year
| 1e1a was LAOS. OF these S33 were, prisons
| crs, o23 were paupers and 4t2 insane.
The insane arc entirely separated from
i the sane, and are cared for by a d ffercnt
! force OF officers; the able,bodied sane are
l expected to work
president Lincoln says that Aiassa chu-
setts has been among the foremost III re-
| cognizing the fact that eociety can bet-
1 ter be protected by reforming the Of
4 fender than proonging his punishment
! and as n means to this end 1t was among
! the first To adopt tho indeterminate SEN
| tencc with Its provision for probation.
1t has been found, however, that tho
| release on probation Is often too sue
! den removal Of restraint, and that the
nrobatoncr needs some assistance In
adapting himself to his work and home
/ relations again. July l., 1901, the State
Board appointed a corps of probation WIS.,
itors In places from which the larger
! commitments are made. Care Is taken
to select visitors Of prominence in their
| places OF residence, and for Their. inter-
/, est IN philanthropic work they arc On
pected TO encourage the probationcr to
resist temptation, to help him to employ
| ment. and TO lead an orderly life. Tho
probationer Is required to report to the
| visitor at stated Intervals during his pro
| baton. #
He declares that this supervision has
( had q most beneficial effect in prevent
| ing the violation OF conditions of&release,
Criminals are not to be coddled and
| pctted, but 1t is undoubtedly noble work
to reform, criminal and convert MIN INTO
| n good citizen.
Proceeding, President Lincoln says that
the law of 1908 was enacted with view
to securing as far as possible uniformity
| IN the treatment Of cases of drunken
4 ness and yagrnncy Tho court has dls-
cretidn in tho case OF tho first arrest for
| drunkenness 10 release the offender with
out punishmcnt, to fine or send him to
jail, to the house OF correction, to tho
dent Lincoln Is OF opinion that It would
be of advantage II u greater uniformity
| could be secured in dealing with these
cases with q view that the punishment
| of tho prisoners should be reformatory;
| that their families should be submitted
to as little suffering as possible and pre-
| vented from becoming charges upon tho
| city and town. He notes also that the
percentage Of Migrants and tramps CONF
\ mt,cd to the State farm has RAPIDLY de-
| creased since this law went into opera
I ton.
Special mention is made OF the six
| Truanl schools of the State, established
for truants, habltual absentees and school
offenders. The boys IN these schools
| are from seven and a half to fifteen and
/ a half years ago. The average school
| grade was tho fourth grade of city
schoals, and-many of the boys followed
1 up after leaving the truant schools were
found to have returned to a higher grade
| In the public schools than they would have
reached had they remained ut home rn-
der their former fitful conditions OF school
| attendance,
i Speaking of the tramp question he says
/ that q striking illustration OF the SUCCESS
] Of the work test on sidding tho town OF