The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1908-12-17
Our State Institutions
Paper Read by Miss Clare
Lunbeck before the FEEDER
ated Clubs at Leon, Iowa.


pier and better as the conditions are
studied and treated, but they are
segregated and the danger of repro
duction is removed. The school for the
deaf is an educational institution and
provides schooling for those who are
entirely deaf, or who because of de-
fective hearing cannot attend the pub
lie schools. Both systems of instruction
are employed, the oral and the manual.
If child can be taught to speak and
read the lips, he is SO instructed, if not
he must depend upon the manual
method. The age limit for admission is
from 5 to q years.
The college for the blind is also edu-
cational and takes all persons of suit
able age and capacity. They are in
structed in letters and in the use of the
hands, many being taught self support
ing trades such as piano tuning, broom
making, etc.
Last in this classification and those
to which | will give most attention are
the three institutions which doubtless
appeal to the greatest number of people
who are interested in the solving of
social problems. These are for the care
and training of the normal or nearly
normal delinquent and dependent chill
dren. Ii has been said that "The par
ents who truly love their children are
those who recognize through the love
OF their dear ones the needs of all other
children, and who feel in their Utmost
being the claims of children to happi-
ness This sentiment so beautifully
expressed must find response in the
heart of every lover of children Even
from selfish standpoint parents should
be Interested in the good of others for
it is not enough that ones own children
be surrounded by the best and most
helpful Influences. The time comes and
soon when their precious baby must
leave the mothers side and enter the
i public school out in the world which is
now making. AS he goes, he must
meet on the street and in the school
room other children of all ages, from all
sorts of home conditions; children who
become his classmates and to greater
or less degree his playfellows and COM
panions. This commingling of interests
means that better conditions, or a
better life for one child is better life
for every child. AS recognition of
this truth we see an increasing number
OF Child Study and Mothers Clubs. A
growing demand that k;ndergartens,
manual training and domestic science
be maintained in the public schools.
There is deeper inquiry into the evils
OF child labor, and seeking for the
remedy to heal this sore on the body
polite. We see disposition to place
our best and wisest judges on the
bench OF the juvenile court to deal with
the perplexing questions which arise in
trying to Judge rightly and solve fairly
the problems which directly concern
the children, and through them the en-
tire state. And naturally there is a
closer study of the best way to care for
the delinquent and dependent children
and OF the causes which bring them in
to that condition. | cannot enter upon
study of causes, but will now tell you
something of the correctional schools
maintained by the state at Eldorado
| and Mitchellville, and known as Indus
trial Schools for Boys and Girls. All
admissions to these are on order from a
district or juvenile court and children
can be admitted for crime, misdemeanor
or incorrigibility, boys between the
ages Of 0 and 16, and girls between 8
and IL years of age, to remain or be
paroled at the option of the Board Of
Control until they attain the age of 81
years. To either school, children may
be sent at the option Of the court at
/ from to years on the request of the
parents or guardians and on their show
ing that the child is vagrant or incor-
| rigible. l have known very few of such
tender years to be sent to Mitchellville,
although it was my pleasure to place in
a good home last sping little girl of
9years who had been in the school
about year. She was not and never
had been "bad child" but the aunt
said she was sent there for ''training."
1t is not uncommon however to find
such infants in the boys school at Edo
RADIO. we'll remember the occasion of
my first visit there some dozen years
ago when asked the superintendent
whatever could have put those babes
in such school. Without hesitation
he replied "incorrigible parents" My
own opinion is that if the age limit for
admission to both schools was changed
from 10 to IS years it would be dis
tinct advantage to the youth of our
state. Our Industrial schools are not
penal but correctional, and should not
therefore be called "Reform Schools
The word is a misnomer. During the
transition period of the teens men and
women are in the process of making,
character is not formed and consequent
ly cannot be reformed, but bad tenden-
denotes or habits may be corrected.
They are really training schools for the
unframed, or industrial schools for
teaching habits of industry to the va.
grant and shiftless, and are therefore
rightly named by our lawmakers. II
we love boys and girls, or are truly in
terested in their welfare, we will not
brand them at the start with name
that is likely to stick through life to
humiliate and discourage them. In
stead let us do all we can to inspire
even our delinquent youth with feel
ing of self-respect, of courage and of
hope, without which no lasting good
can be accomplished. / wish had time
to tell you all know about Industrial
schools. would not make them seem
SO attractive that you would go home
determined to send your own children
there to be educated, but most people