Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1907-04-23
Miseellannus Rsaain9.
STATE REFoRMAToRY IDEAd
State Should Make Proper Provision
For Wayward Children

State Should Make Proper Provision
For Maynard Children
A few days ago lady, who is
known in this community for her wise
benevolence, asked us II there Is Q
state reformatory. Upon our replying
in the negative she expressed much
regret, and explained that she knew
of negro boy whose parents had died
and who had become so unmanageable
, that his kinfolk were at q loss as TO
what they could do with him. He had
committed no crime, but the path he
is following will lead into 1t any day.
Reformatories are not experiments.
They have been tried for many years
and in all sections Of this country.
Georgia, North Carolina, Alabama
Tennessee and most of the other states
have such institutions. They have
proved that boys and girls with crimi-
nal tendencies can be reformed. Only
about three per cent have gone back
to evil ways. There are ministers OF
the gospel, judges Of note. congress-
men and hundreds Of men in positions
Of influence and trust who have been
saved to the states by reformatories.
The economic value of these institu-
tions Is recognized by all who are
acquainted with the results. Be 1t
said to the shame of South Carolina
that she has none.
Shame would certainly have colored
the cheek and pity stirred the heart
Of any true man who could have wit
messed a scene at the state penitentia-
ry, we happened to see last winter
While waiting in one Of the offices,
six new prisoners were marched In by
a guard to be entered on the records.
Two were negro men. two were negro
boys and two were white boys. Dress
ed in striped suits. in stocking feet.
their heads shaved, they marched In
and sat together on the benches In the
prisoners" pen. ne by one they were
called out, stood under the measuring
machine, their heads felt over for
bumps and scars which were duly re-
corded along with their name, age,
home, crime committed, sentence and
other such data.
The two white boys. were youngest,
little chaps. fourteen years old, sent
up for four to five years for store
breaking, and came from a cotton mill
town. They did not have bad faces,
one sat stolid and resigned, the other
looked wistful and there was an un-
conscious appeal about his slim lit
tie figure and his eyes that will haunt
possible to understand all the mean
ing of such a scene until one has wit
messed 1t. 1t all seemed so wrong,
shameful, so downright foolish. The
impulse was to take that child In
your arms and rescue him from the
branding he was suffering. and the
four years Of stripes during which the
brand would be scared into his very
soul.
South Carolina, aroused by her wo-.
men; voted, through her legislature.
to establish a reformatory. Forty-f1ve
hundred dollars was appropriated to
start the work. That was in 1906.
This last winter the senate put $4,000
in the appropriation bill to establish
this institution. The house conferees
struck it out during the last hours OF
the session. These three men who sat
on that committee are personal friends
Of the writer and political friends. But
we must say that in our opinion they
committed a great wrong and outrage.
They struck this item out, it Is
said, because the appropriations were
already far too large. Yet they gave
$4,000 to place a monument Of CAL
houn in the capitol in Washington. Is
1t difficult to imagine what that states
man would have said to such econo-
my? They gave $4,000 to improve
the grounds Of the state house in Co
lumbia. Let citizens who enjoy these
improved grounds, whose aesthetic
eyes feast themselves on the lawns,
and shrubs, and flowers, remember the
children working in stripes in the ju-
venile penitentiary across the Conga-
rec ON the hills Of Lexington-Neils
n. Jensen, Jr., in Beaufort Gazette.
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