The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1905-12-16
DARllALL
TALKS OF
THE SCHOOL

1
ed from Pfuntytown, where he and
his brother, o. o. Sutton, of SUIT
ton. visited the Boys Reform
Cchool. o. o. Sutton. made an adj
dress to the school on The Boys Of
West Virginia. and Attorney SUIT
tons of this city; briefly addressed
the boys there on "Your Duty to
the State" The latter interviewed
superintendent o. Z. Darnall, who
has resigned to accept another posi-
ton. Mr.. Darnall said in part:
81 have been superintendent of
this school for four wears and seven
months and have become greatly at
tached to the work and to the boys.
/ have always felt great response
bility resting on my shoulders, but
the work at all times has been pleas
ant. As you request some statistics
I will say that we now have over
400 bows. white and colored. There
are over 40 employed by the State
TO run the school, which includes
teachers of school and those OF
trades. The yearly admittanee OF
! bovs ranges from rs to $50 and
about that number are dismissed.
/ receive letters daily from the
Young boys and men who have gone
out from here. I follow them close
l.. and as far as I can out in the
world. From observation | shoulf'
say that rs per cent of them after
having received a. course of tralnlng
here ranging from IS months to 8
and 4 years, make good honorable
| citizens. while to 2 per cent ultl-
matelv land behind the bars of our
county iails or in the penitentlary.
When they come here the direct
charges against the majority Of them
are. incorrigibility and vagrancy. /
find that the boys have, as a rule,
one or both parents dead. know
every boy by name and feel an in
terest in him such as a considerable
father or mother would have
the interest of the boys at heart. "
"Afr. Darnall, considerable has
been said about your resigning
eyes. I have accepted similar
position with the Reform School OF
the District of Columbia. The posi-
ton came to me unsolicited by a
message over the long distance tele-
phone, later by telegram, and 1 was
urged to go to Washington l
notice that at least two Democratic
papers of the State are endeavoring
to create sentiment-and sensational
at that-over the fact that / have
accepted the place. There is Moth
ing under the sun in such reports,
as | have certainly been indicated
of all charges. ! am at a loss to
know why little 2X4 papers should
make a kick against one of the
grandest institutions in the State
and try to bring it into disrepute.
1t is a low mean thing. The Peo-
ple of the State should feel proud
! of such an institution. ] am con-
WINGED that four-fifths of the people
of West Virginia know very little
of this school and the good work
that it is doing. They imagine 1t
is a penal institution. 1t is moth
ing of that kind. 1t is industrial
and educational in its nature. All
bows here are treated alike; fed well.
clothed sufficiently and properly
taken care of in every respect.
''You leave them with some de-
gree of reluctance p
'From the bottom of my heart |
do. I love the work; 1 love the
BOYS, and were it not for the in
ducements offered me at Washington
/ could not be persisted to leave
Go 10 the Governor of the State or
any of his officiory; go to the lndi-
yidual members of the board of Oh.
rectorz of this school and inquire OF
them as to my accounts. They
have all earnestly asked me to re-
main: further than that have prom
ised to increse my salary. They
have aske me to name my successor,
but can not now say who he will
he. Remember that this is no Po-
| litical institution. 1t is non-poll-
tical, non-sectarian and is obsolute-
" free from restrain of that charac-
ter. / leave this school feeling that
I have done my duty and l sincere
IL hope that my successor may
| prove a competent man and be up
held by all good people"
Here Mr.. Darnall handed me 7
letter which he had just received
from the governor.