The San Francisco call., 1905-01-14
HOW WAY v Ard
LADS Are LED
Boys of Parental School Are
Formally Paroled, Having
Abandoned ''Hookey"Habit
SUCCESS ATTENDS WORK
Urgent Need for Refuge for
Children From DemOraliz-
ing Influences at Home
BY LAURA BRIDE POWERS.

MeH ana women OF San 4 TdHClSCo, yC
who count yourselves good citizens and
good Christians, take a half-hour or
some dull day and go down to the little
Parental School on Harrison street, at
Eighth, and you'll see some things that
will make you think; perhaps make
you act, too-that is, If your brain be
of the type that's there" and acts in
unison with your heart.
Yesterday morning superintendent
Langdon of the city schools, Alfred
Roncovieri, president of the Board or
Education, and Directors A. Altman
and Thomas F. Boyle presented them
selves at the Parental School for the
eagerly -looked-for parole service, Judge
Murasky being unable to attend.
Twelve boys who had been sent to the
Parental School for truancy or other lr7
regularity had so conducted themselves
as to be ready to return to their own
schools and proceed with their classes
as ordinary pupils.
The process of paroling Is invested
with much formality. all the lads in the
school being assembled to observe the
reward that follows good conduct-and
they don't miss a word, not they!
The boys that had yielded to the
methods of the school and been de-
clared by Principal Faulkner ready for
parole were lined UP for honors. and
encouraging admonition was given
them by the visiting school men. Yes.
the lads listened, and appeared to en-
joy the talks. for they are learning to
know that the attitude of the School
Board is friendly and helpful, as is that
of the special teachers and of Principal
Faulkner. This feeling is of supremest
Importance in the successful outcome
of this process of citizen building, for
of h. nd nfh a p
taches of the school were ranked with
the 'cops''-the eternal enemies Of de
gang" And it is only by an establish
ment of confidence and friendship that
these lads are held in school, where
they now come voluntarily every sday,
thereby depriving the neighbors and
the police of many immediate troubles
and the city government of much ex-
pense.
PROUD OF CERTIFICATES.
Eagerly the twelve lads scanned the
certificates that entitled them to return
to their old schools. and twelve happier
lads couldn't be found than they, for
they now bore certificates of good char
acter. 1t is this ambition for a good
reputation that the school seeks to in
culcate. and does inculcate.
What type of boys? Well, mostly
from poor, disorganized homes, and of
parentage STEPPED In vice and drink.
On many of the faces is stamped the
story of degradation. presumably i'm
pressed thereon prenatally, and not
erased by environment,
/ recall two boys of one family-and
there are many cases where two MEM
bers of the same family are in the
school. Their parents are both habit
ual drunkards, whose few sober hours
are usually spent in jail, after family
combat, or in the hospital. These lads
are not vicious, nor are they even boy
:shly bad but they will run away from
home at night, and who can blame
them, Hence their presence before
Judge Murasky Of the Juvenile Court,
who committed them to the Parental
School.
Now, here's proposition. What can
be done with children of such vicious
surroundings, during the few hours of
school discipline, let it be of the highest
and best order: Assuredly but little,
unless the school be supplemented with
a Parental Home, and that's the thing
that's needed to perfect the good work
thus begun in San Francisco. and sue
cessfully in operation in Eastern cities.
Such a home means the expenditure
of money; it means an appropriation
for this special purpose by the Board
of Supervisors when the city oudget
is made up.
POINT FOR SUPERVISORS.
It's hard thing to induce the Super
visors-or any other body of business
men-to part with money for an expert
ment. And the Parental Home is an
experiment-here. But If the guard
ians of the public treasury could be
cajoed into visiting the Parental
School, to observe the work there be-
gun, there isn't man among them
and know them all-who would refuse
to appropriate funds for the urgently
needed Parental Home. Here's to the
hope that they may get down there, to
see and know the work for themselves!
An interesting fact was presented at
the school yesterday, which I almost
forgot to mention-that of the last
batch Of boys paroled five were after
ward at school every day, and three
played hockey" from one to two days.
which was a pretty good showing.
These statistics were supplied by the
lads themselves with more or less re-
luctance by the backsliders). and are
confirmed by official reports. It all
shows progress.
Under the belief that ut Is wiser and
less expensive to save children than to
punish criminals let us hope that the
men who shape the finances of the city
will provide funds for the proper train
ing Of the city's delinquent children,
from whose ranks criminals are re-
cruited.