Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-06-15
IT'S A QUESTION.
The Backward, Truant
and Delinquent Children
Are Giving Our Educational
Workers No Little Worry.
The Conference at Portland Brings Out
Many Good Ideas as to How to Best
Deal With and Handle This Class of
Young People.


Backward, Truant and Delinquent
Children, today, symposium was con-
Quoted by F. F. Chaplin, superinten-
dent of the Lyman School for Boys.
Westboro, Mass. There was a general
discussion at this meeting of subjects
of interest suggested by the members.
The attendance at the afternoon ses-
sion was greatly increased over that
Of the opening day.
Four papers, which occupied not
more than Is minutes each, were read,
as follows: Direct religious and moral
training and how best to attain it," by
w. G.. Fairbank, superintendent of
Connecticut School for Girls. Middle
town, Conn; "The effect of Calsthen-
ice in the educational development of
backward. Truant and Delinquent
Children.' Mrs. Lucy NJ. Sicklcs, sup
intcndent Industrial Homo for Girls.
Adrian, Mich; The advantages of
military training tomcntal. moral and
physical education of Backward Tru-
ant and Delinquent Children" Col. c.
L. Adams, superintendent Boys Indus
trial School, Lancaster, Ohio; Tho
notifications necessary in the curri-
culum of the public schools to adapt it
to special schools for backward, truant
| and delinquent children Dana P.
Dame, superintendent Boston Paternal
| School, Rnxbury, Mass.
The paper by Superintendent Fair
, bank dealt with the general subject of
| the DEVELOPMENT of delinquents i'm n
| hoo H.,
| most OF the speakers before the con-
| ference. Mr.. Fairbanks taking the
ground at the outset that religious and
moral education lies at the basic of
| foundation of whatever good is sought
i to he accomplished in the schools for
! this class of children.
| 1T EATERS not" he said, what the
score of our physical. intellectual and
| in Gustrial training may he. 1t will he
| enriched and become n power for goO1.
| according as we succeed in developing
in the hearts of our children true re-
| ligious and moral principles AMI sen
| timcnts. In every walk OF life. in all
avocations, tho faithful. the truly sue
| cessful. the men and women who leave
| the world better than they found it.
| who ar" the n"blcst specimens of hui
| manity: all these arc such, because
| they are nearest like the great teacher
! The speaker referred to the rsults at
taind by the many great lights, who
have formerly lived, such as Wichern
! Falk. Zellcr. Rcinthalcr. Demetz. Swim
gar Mary Carpenter and others.
The paper on Mental and Physical
Diagnosis of the Truant," by 7. ii.
| In, cyn.rinfpn1Dnt IF tho hi =
caro Parental school, read. tonight. was
one OF the most interesting before the
, conference. Mr.. MacOueary was I'M
able to lie present. The paper in sub
| stance. was as follows:
| "Thc word diagnosis in the topic at
. once suggests disease and might be TAX
(, Ell to mean that the class of children
referred to, truants. are diseased or de
! generate children. This is Il popular or
/ widespread opinion while / propose to
analyZe and discuss the mental and
physical characteristics of truant |
wish it to be distinctly understood that
they are not dogencratcs, physically or
morally.
| 1--WE have in Chicago u department
of child study and pedagogic investi-
cation, of which | believe there is no
duplicate on the globe. The chief OBJ
| jcct of this department is a scientific
investigation of child nature.
Now. realizing from the outset that
mental and moral development is very
! largely dependent upon a sound body.
requested the child study and physical
! culture departments to make careful
and scientific study Of the physical
e tha hoyc cont IN tho Parent
al school. 1t was ascertaincd that the
Parental School boys Oruants) rank
about midway between the so-callcd
normal boys of the public schools and
the delinquents.
According to the report of our physi-
cal director. IS per cent. of the boys
committed to the Parental School are
below normal i'm physical development
|. e.. are understood, muscuarly weak,
! or possess defective nervous organiza-
tiors. In general these defects are due
TO unhygienic conditions in the past.
"Manfestly the problem before us is
this: How may we strengthen the boys
sent to our institutions, physically and
morally, that they will go back home
and be able to resist the adverse mfiu-
ences of their environments? Seventy
, five per cent. of the boys sent to the
Chicago Parental School may be safely
returned to their homes, but the other
% per cent. come from abodes which
do not deserve the name of homes. even
il they get enough to eat and wear to
keep them in fairly good physical con-
dition.
1.-The first remedy for truancy which
must be applied, is a permanent change
of environment in a large number oil
cases. Ninety per cent. of the boys in
our reformatories. today. began their
downward career by playing truant. Let
us nip the evil in the bud"
The other paper of the evening was