Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1904-08-25
THE STATE REFORM SCHOOL.

Tue w eeI NHSihio AsSi"4
Pruntytown. This is an institution
supported by the State, the purpose
of which is to care for bad boys-in-
corrigible young fellows who get be-
yond the control of their parents or
guardians, and youthful criminals who
may not be sent to the penltentiary
because Of their age. In addition to
this class the institution receives and
cares for homeless waits, little chaps
who have corrupt surroundings or no
home at all, and who are pretty GER
tain to grow into criminals unless they
can be trained in a diff .rent direction.
Mr. o E. DArnall is superintendent
of tue Reform School, and very ca
pable man he is for the place. Ac-
tive, positive, good Judge Of human
nature, he gives to his work an intel.
ligent earnestness and wisdom that
shows at once his fitness for the place.
Pruntytown is a -dead-in- the-shell
sort Of place that was once flourish
ing town on the famous old North
western Turnpike and also the county
seat of Taylor county. Some twenty
years ago the county seat was re-
moved to Grafton, and that was
solar plexus blow to Pruntytown.
The people of the place rallied, how
ever, and as there was then talk Of
establishing State Reform School,
they offered the courthouse and the
other county buildings to the State
for this institution. The offer was
accepted, the court house was remod-
eled and other buildings bought, and
the institution was located in the vii
lage, which is about four miles from
Grafton.
The institution has grown as it's
usefulness has become more and more
apparent, until it ie now an impor-
tant part of our State life. The
buildings include the administration
building, a large and handsome
structure erected few years ago, the
remodeled courthouse, which is used
as school-room and dormitorY, and
two other good-sized buildings, one Of
which is the home OF the smaller
children and the other devoted to the
colored boys. In addition to these
are quarters for the officers and the
buildings used as workshops, etc.
Superintendent Darnall combines
work and study very judiciously.
Every boy must attend school and de-
vote himself to his books as regularly
as he would at any other school. Com
petent teachers are appointed and the
instruction given is as thorough as
possible with go diversified class Of
students. Most of the boys sent there
know little Of books or Of school train.
ing, but when they are committed to
the Reform School they are conscien-
tiously instructed.
The industrial features are, perhaps,
the most important, however. The
boys are taught variety of useful
trades. Indeed. practically all the
work connected with the institution
is done by them and most of the sup
plies are furnished as a result of their
labor. In the shoe shop they make
all the shoes that are used. In the
tailorshop they make the clothing.
They bake the bread, they run the
electric light plant, they do the car
penter work and plumbing and paint
ing, they have blacksmith and wag-
on-making shop. steam laundry
where they do all the washing and
ironing Of the institution, a printing
office, and other industries.
There are about $50 acres in the
farm on which the buildings are To-
Gated, and the boys do all the work.
They raise immense quantities of veg
etables of every sort. The day the
writer was there they picked twenty
bushels of beans-enough for two
meals-and yet they hardly made any
impression on the bean patch. They
put up part of their own bacon, kill.
ing about rs hogs each year. The
labor of the boys is utilized judicious-
ly in a great variety of ways. AT the
present time they are preparing for
the erection OF new building. The
boys are busy as bees making bricks
for it, while another squad is digging
out the foundation and grading the
site.
There are 265 inmates of the Re-
form School at present, about 40 of
whom are colored boys. They range
in age from seven or eight years up
to about twenty-one. Most Of them
are from the cities and larger towns
of the State-We believe there is not