Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1907-05-14
FRESH START FOR BAD BOYS.
State Trying Farming to Cure Jeve-
nile Delinquents.

to a Rochester letter, Is trying a neI
plan for dealing with bad boys. Thi
Is the site of the new state agriculture
and industrial school, to which ju
yenile delinquents between the ages o
nine and sixteen are committed.
The school in this city, which wa
formerly called the State Industria
school, has not yet been abandoned, q
all the cottages at the new site hav
mot been completed. About three hun
dred boys are now living at the ney
site and it is expected that the fe
maining two hundred will be sen
there in the course Of a month.
The new school and the general plal
of operation represent in the highes
degree the advanced views Of thos
who have made a study Of the ills o
Juvenile delinquency. There is no
another institution just like it any
where.
= 1t Is such an institution as Is nov
proposed to take the place Of Randall
Island for the offending boys Of tn
eastern end Of the state. Realizing
that in perhaps majority Of cases TIT
boys themselves are not really t
blame for their condition the objec
has been to eliminate entirely the pris
on idea from the school. The boys ar
to have a chance to make q fair, fresl
start in life.
The State Industrial school in Ro
chester was opened to receive boys II
1849. It was known for many year.
as the Western House Of Refuge, bu
as the nature Of its reformative system
was altered a change in title was alst
made, the new one more clearly repre-.
senting the character of the work done
The old school in Rochester occupie.
a! tract of twelve acres, enclosed by 6
stone wall twenty feet high. That bar
rier was the limit Of vision for an!
youngster committed to the school
Within that enclosure from five tt
eight hundred boys at time have beer
confined for periods varying from g
i Jew months to several years. 1t was 6
prison for them, no matter how the
state might look at 1t. They were
subjected to close surveillance twenty.
four hours a day.
"A military system was in force II
develop them physically and teach
them obedience, order and proper carr
Of themselves and their belongings. A
system of manual training and trade
instruction was provided. Their reli.
gious as we'll as their secular educa'
tion was looked after. Yet many o.
the boys went forth from these sur.
roundings with no incentive to lead
honest lives or to become good citi.
zens.
The conditions at the new school art
very different. The site Is on the
eastern bank of the river, in the towr
Of Rush, in the fertile valley Of tht
Gsnesee.
l Hhe school is on the cottage plan
the homes Of the boys being dotted
over the beautiful rolling uplands, ant
there they are living In all the freedom
and enjoyment Of country life: There
is no forbidding gray stone wall here tc
cast a gloom into the souls Of the
boys; in all directions. as far as they
can see, there Is nothing but smiling
valleys and beautiful hills.
At the city institution all buildings
aggregating about thirteen acres Of
floor space, were situated within the
walled enclosure. At the new insti-
tuition the buildings for the accommo-
dation Of the boys are scattered ovel
the property, the cottages at the two
extremes being two and a half miles
distant from each other.
At the city school as many as 23s
boys have lived in building $50 feet
long and AZ feet wide, and their worl
and recreation have been confined
within the limits Of a space 200 fee
by 400 feet. At the Rush farm only
twenty five boys live in cottage, ant
each cottage Is at a minimum dis
tance Of 400 feet from every other cot
tage. In many instances the distance
that separates cottages is not less thar
1000 feet.
At the city schools the boys have
lived in four great groups, arranged
according to age and character. A
the new school they live in at leas
twenty-five groups.
The whole tract is divided into
farms, each group having its own cot,
tage, which Is entirely separate anc
distinct from every other cottage. A
matron and a supervisor are in chargt
Of each cottage. Each farm has 1t.
own horses, cattle, sheep swine ant
poultry, and already 1t has been noticed
that the care Of the stock exercises
beneficial influence upon the charac'
ter Of the boys.
The new school differs in many res
poets from other cottage plan insti'
tutions. In other institutions the cot.
ages are closer together. The food !:
usually cooked in central kitchen
lIleH ulStTlDuteu ny d Sti vi "o6oh'
The boys living in one cottage art
assigned to shops or squads with the
boys Of other groups. The same rule /!
followed in the school work. All the
farm stock is housed in a central barr
and associated buildings and only
small proportion Of the boys have thu
privilege of caring for this stock.
Experience has shown that it Is un'
wise to allow the groups to intermin'
gle. At the new school the genera
plan embraces two distinct sets o.
colonies, farm and industrial.
The tract Of land Is nearly three ant
half miles in length. Near the CEN
tre Is the Industrial building, WHERE
provision is made for laundering
blacksmithing, painting, carpentry
masonry, printing. tailoring, shoemak'
ing. etc. Near this there are girls
mill, creamery, fruit evaporation, colo
storage plant, bakery and store room
and remote from all the other build
ings is a slaughter house.
All of these buildings have not beer
finished, but they will be when th'
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