The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1906-03-27
TO BENEFIT
THE BOYS
An Interesting Meeting Held
III Behalf of the Berkshire
Industrial Farm.
THE cURRICULUM 0F sTUDY

A1lA SO4S1NAA ULDl4 VI 1ADNA
On saturday morning. March 18th,
d meeting was held al the home of
MIS-. Thos. WI CauIdweil iii tile inter
.ests Of the Berkshire Industrial i'arm
The meeting was informal and was
mace very interesting by 4 description
given by Mrs. WI r. Brooks of her
visit To the Farm las6 June Ia COM
pang with Mr. and Mrs. H g Buru
ham.
AS is already known to many Of our
citizens, Tic Farm oil 500 acres, located
III the beautiful Berkshire Hills, was
purchased BY FL n Burnham about
twenty years ago, and devoted TO the
training and educating Of wayward
boys, who are under the control If Al
competent superintendent and wife
and carefully selected assistants,
The Institution is conducted on the
cottage plan, and about seventy
boys are. accommodated, their only
title to admission being the fact that
they are unmanageable at home and
have manifested criminal tendencies.
Boys over sixteen are not received
On an average they are there three
years, and parents or guardians who
are able to do SO are required to pay
for their maintenance; otherwise the
Institution is supported by voluntary
contributions
Each boy is required TO spend half
the day in school Those who work
on the farm in the morning attend
school in the afternoon, and vice versa.
With little assistance they do all
the farm work, caring for the stock,
planting, cultivating and harvesting
the crops, cutting timber for fuel, fill
ing the ice house. gathering fruit, etc.
Carpentry. printing, shoe-repairing,
blacksmithing and other Industries
are taught, and when boy has fin
shed his allotted time, he is equipped
for self-support and is either returned
to his parents, or place is found for
him, and the superintendent or some
other members Of the Board endeavor
to keep in touch with him through
correspondence
In twenty years more than six humid
red boys have been graduated z and
it is known that a large majority Of
them are leading industrious, respect
able lives, some OF them in positions
of responsibility. Mrs Burnham read
extracts from a large number Of LETT
ters received by her, and they tell Of
the value of the Christian training
the writer's received Many of the
boys had never known either real
kindness or wholesome restraint until.
they came into the Christian family
life carried on at the Farm, and these
influences, and the recollection Of the
beautiful surroundings. and Of the
happy hours of recreation enjoyed on
background or in military drill dear to
boyish hearts, or other sports provided
for them, explains the tender interest
akin to home sickness that many of
these Letters express
There are fifteen New Jersey boys
at the Farm, and three have been
there from Morristown. Miss Shell
ton said that the Farm might be a
great help to the Society for the Pre-
yention OF Cruelty to Children, as the
great trouble in most of the cases
brought before them is lack Of home
training These children ought not to
be sent to a Reform School where they
come in contract with hardened Grim
inals. II they could have the kind
care, the refined surroundings and in
iuenceS, and moral training of the
Farm, it would give them a chance
and start in life.
Mrs. Cauldwell proposed the form
ing of a local association, to be known
as "The Berkshire Industrial Farm
Association. The proposition was
voted upon and carried, and officers
were named asfoIlows President, Mrs.
Thos. w. Cauldwell vice-presidents,
Mrs. w. r. Brooks, Mrs. James f.
Maury, Mrs. p. f. Sturges; secretary,
Mrs. r G. Burnham assistant secre-
tary, Mrs. T.. r. Kellogg treasurer,
Mrs. Frederick w Stevens assistant
Mrs. + b. Dwight
Amy one may become a member by
payment of one dollar or more annual
ly. This Institution is in need of an
endowment fund to secure the future.
One of the Directors Of the Farm
says No Christian can invest his
money more profitably than in this re-
demptive work. !"