The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-12-04
CHARLES URGES IT
Reform School Official Would
Move School From Topeka.
Says Buildings Are Unsuitable
and Land Is Insufficient.
TO WESTERN KANSAS.
Thinks Institution Should Have
About $40 Acres OF Land.
Add the Present Equipment to
the. Topeka Asylum.

Chances are that il the legislature
can be induced to make the necessary
appropriation the state industrial
school for boys now located in North
Topeka. will be moved to some CEN
traI or western location in the state
where an institution will be built on
modern lines, with not less than SIX
hundred and forty acres Of land
around it, and which would be such
an institution as the state is entitled TO
possess.
1t is likely that the state board Of
control will make q recommendation
to the legislature that this work be
authorized and a sufficient sum OF
money appropriated to accomplish it,
In the event that it should be under
taken and the institution moved the
buildings which it now occupies could
be used in conjunction with the state
hospital here.
This recommendation will be in line
with the suggestions of H. w Charles,
superintendent of the industrial
school in his biennial report made to
the state board of control. Among his
recommen dations as to the needs OF
the institution, Mr.. Charles says in his
report:
ITO meet the legitimate demands
that are made upon the school, rec
ommend that $4,000 be appropriat-
ed for a new cottage; that $500 be
appropriated for new laundry, and
$4,000 for repairs on old buildings.
I'm addition to this. the purchase of
new land is imperative. Three times
within the biennial period the entire
farm was under water. Additional
farm land above the reach of high
water should be provided there
fore recommend an appropriation OF
$4,000 with which to buy additional
land In lieu of these Improvements,
the suggestion has been made to re-
move the school to the central or
western part of the state where land
can be secured for a reasona Bile price
The argument in favor of this is that
the land adjoining the present farm is
high in price and difficult to obtain
The farm of $50 acres is cut up by
over two miles of the channel of Sol
dier Creek. and some of the land can
be reached only with difficulty Most
of the present buildings were cons
strl1eted years ago and before indus
trial schools had reached their pres
ent state of Development They are
not modern. and from the nature of
things can not be made so. The ground
for building sites is also limited, as al
most all the land above the reach of
high water is now occupied. An IN
stitution built upon modern plans,
with not less than $40 acres Of land,
would be such an institution as the
state is entitled to possess, but which
can never be realized in its present To-
cation.
.sThe legislature of 1905 for some reason
omitted to make provision for seam
stress and a lady relief officer, two i'm
portant officers, who had been provided
for since the founding of the school,
the lack of whom has seriously handi-
capped the work of the institution. I
recommend that provision be made for
both of these officers, and also that the
list of employees be revised and salaries
as the needs of the institution
may require"
In the school on June 30, 1906 were
21S boys, 1856 white and 62 colored, and
during the biennial period ending on
that date there have been 479 boys in
the school, 343 white and 1876 colored.
on the school work and manual
training Mr.. Charles reports:
In addition to the regular school
work which We regard as first in i'm
portance, it has been the policy of the
school to emphasize manual training as
provided for in the various Industrial
and physical training as
provided for in outdoor games and ath-
letics and systematic exercises in the
gymnasium. To make this most bene-
fcial a careful physical examination is
made of every boy that enters the
school. and such exercises are prescrib- |
ed as will be most beneficial. In addi- |
ton to this, systematic study Of the |
typical boy is being conducted in
which the best methods of scientific in |
vestigation are employed.