The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1905-10-20
DIR. Wight Inspects the
Jamesburg Reform Insti-
tuition and Studies It's
Work.
WHAT The SCHOOL NEEDS
IT is OvERcRoWDED AND MORE
COTTAGES ARE ABSOLUTELY
NECESSARY FORCE OF
TEACHERS IS ALSO MADE
QUATE.

TEACHERS IS ALSO MADE
oUATE.
The semi-monthly meeting Of the board
of Trustees of the State Home for Boys,
| at Jamesburg, concluded with the visit
of inspection of State Commissioner of
Charities DIR. George B. Wight and AS
sistant State Commissioner George E.
Poole. While the visitors expressed
themselves as we'll pleased with many
things found there, it was evident to
them that the facilities afforded to the
executive officers of the school by the
State were far from adequate. An APP
preparation of about $4,000 win be ask
ed from the next Legislature for the erec-
tion of new buildings for the acommo-
dation of the many boys who are at pres
ent necessarily refused admission to the
school
The fact is that the school has become
SO oyer-crowded that judges throughout
the State have been in the habit Of in
! quiring from the management whether
any additional boys could be taken be-
fore sentencing them to the institution.
There a re at present eight family
houses or cottages, which were built for
the accommodation of fifty boys each,
a total of 400 for the school. The ext
1 igencies of the situation have made it
necessary to crowd the cottages beyond
a desirable limit, the average for each
house being over ffty-nine boys. The
need of the school for at least two new
cottages is beyond question.
The school is oyer-crowded, not only
in respect to the housing of the boys,
but in respect of the force of teachers
employed. The size of the classes varies
from forty to sixty each too large d
number to allow justice to be done the
students, in the Judgment of authorities
on the subject These latter unite in
saying that the force of teachers is far
from adequate. The work done at the
school shows that the teachers are faith
full. and that the supervision of the trus-
experts, who, however. urge that the
facilities or both should be increased
at once.
There are many good features in the
working of the school, and in the re-
suits obtained by the system employed in
making useful citizens from homeless
| boys, or from those who have poor or
bad home environments, that are little
understood That useful trades are
taught is no new thing to the public, but
the skill with which the trades are work
| ed is probably appreciated by compara
lively few. So skillful, indeed, have
many of the boys become, that it is cal
culated, for example, that the cost of the
needed new buildings can be greatly re-
duced on account of their labors.
Excellent brick are made at the school.
The blacksmith shops make practically
all the tools used at the institution, as
well as shoeing all horses and mules own
ed and used there. while new gate at
the entrance to the grounds, which had
just been started, will be monument to
the success of the institution 1t will be
/ fifty-three feet wide and will be built
entirely by the boys, including the brick
| pillars and the wrought iron work. of
which it will be constructed. The brick,
of course, will also be made by the boys.
The institution goes far toward sup
porting itself. and the boys are employ
/ ed at every possible department of the
schools needs. All clothes are made in
the tailor shops, coats. hats, trousers,
shoes, underwear, etc, while carpenter
ing, farming, painting, plumbing and
other occupations are taught, and the
workers used in supplying the needs of
the institution. 1t is we'll known that
many of the boys after being paroled
make livings at the trades which they
have learned at the school.
Many of the more skillfu among them
are allowed to work for the people of the
vicinity. and their earnings are held in
trust lUI Nueli uutl1 Sucu ttlueS as lue
trustees see fit to allow them to receive
the sums they have thus earned. From
this source many Of the boys have been
| able TO start life with sums varying from
few dollars to as high as $164, and Tie
total amount credited to boys at the last
report was 3.369.32.
One of the most encouraging features
of the work carried ON at the institution
is the cheerfulness and happiness which
are manifested on every side. There is
no evidence on the surface that force is
ever employed to coerce the beys into the
straight and narrow path of righteous
ness
One particular feature is the military
drills which are conducted by Colonel
D. B. Murphy. of the National Guard.
Colonel Murphy makes but one visit a
week to the school, and new recruits are
constantly being added to the squad,
while the better drilled are constantly be-
ing paroled, but the military exercises of
ehis week would have done credit
to any military school. A band
and drum corps also performed credit