The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-10-17
TO SEPARATE SEXES
At TRAINING SCHOOL
Chairman jacobson, of State
Board of Control, Fayors
the Movement

Il think that the movement on tt,a no. ~
of the Women's Federation to separate tha
sexes more entirely than they are now
separated in our state training school an
excellent idea" said Chairman J. F. Ia
cobson, of the state board of control To
4 n ODE last night 1.-THE training
school at Red Wing is an ideal institution
OF its kind, but we still lack the means
to make our training system for young
girls and boys who are state charges as
perfect as We would wish it,
Mr.. jacobson was approached on the
subject OF complete separation as advo-
Gated by the Women's Federation at its
recent session at Fergus Falls. He talked
freely On the matter.
Il understand that the attempt of the
federation to have bill passed in this
winters legislature to further it's ideas
mas 9een abandoned, continued Chair
man Jacobson. It's object as originally
outlined, was to have a separation of the
classes in the state training school /
cannot say that this alone would meet the
arate not alone the classes. but would
make grading which would be calculated
to separate the girls of different ages. and
also OF different tendencies.
Sexes Meet at Red Wing
AT Red Wing we have separation of
the girls and boys, but this does not pre-
vent the sexes meeting at chapel and
other places. OF course. they have diff
ferent Fairgrounds and school rooms, but
at the same time friendships and ac-
qualntances are often made in the institu-
ton and resumed after the parties are both
released 1t is then that the damaging
influences of these prior friendships are
evident. Almost always they result in
evil. There are but rare cases of where
the friendships are resumed for friend
ships sake alone.
1.-The whole proposition is a very diff
cult one to handle. We simply have to
be governed by experience in the matter.
1t is of sufficiently grave import to de-
mand, thorough experiments and action
deemed advisable through those expert
ments.
MY idea would be to have at least
three institutions for the girls We have
to handle two classes of girls, the immoral
and the moral In the latter class can be
placed number who have not strayed so
far that their influences would be detrt-
mental to the moral girls. The two
classes should be separated by a barrier
which would allow of absolutely no COM
munication.
Would Separate Younger Girls
'"Then again we have what we can
class as two ages, and here again, 1 be-
heve a separation would be beneficial.
Girls from eight to fourteen years of age
should be separated from those who are
older. Those of from eight to fourteen
could be placed in one institution, all to-
gether.
1.-THE girls from fifteen upward who
are known to be immoral should be in an
institution of their own. The former class
are the hardest to handle, and almost al
ways the least satisfactory. Even after
leaving the training schools at the age
of tWenty-one most of them drop right
back into the lives which they had been
leading before commitment. The adage
of "once bad always bad applies very
strongly to this class.
Occasionally, of course, we find that
a girl of this class comes out all right
after her discharge, but the instances
are few and far between. The other girls
are very often placed in good homes and
become credits to the school. But all the
ends of the movement for the betterment
of our girls and boys could be accom-
pIished much more satisfactorily If we
had the institutions outlined. and thlnk
that ultimately legislative measures Will
be passed which will inaugurate them.