The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-07-05

higher grades in the boys department
from January, 1905, to June, ls0S ana
while there was firmly convinced that the
institution was not fulfilling its duty TO
the inmates.
As to the physical surroundings Of the
boys / cannot say much. From my scnooi
room window I often watched operations
IN the serving room. The food looked
cheap and unaDpstizing and the noon
meal, the only one ] saw, was said TO De
far ahead of breakfasts and suppeTs. I
visited the wards and observed that the
bedding was dirty and the cots old and
uncomfortable. The school, DOM was mis-
erably ventilated, poorly seated ana
greatly overcrowded There were fifty
boys, many Of them men in size, crowded
into one small room. half of them in dou-
bic seats. with aisles scarcely two feet
wide Nothing had ever been done TO
make the room attractive.
While L had reasons to believe that the
boys were not well cared for physically,
know that they had little incentive to
moral improvement, and that because or
the low morals Of the officers. The lat
ter were, with one or two exceptions,
coarse, ignorant and much less refined
in appearance than many of the boys
I ate my noon meal at the officers ia
bic mot then being familiar with the san
itatiOn of the kitchen) for several weeks
and so became quite well acquainted win
their attitude toward the boys with the
exception of two of your witnesses,
never heard an officer speak kindly to
boy They usually referred to them as
"darned kids, and often addressed
them in those endearing terms The Of
ficers, 1 believe. understood where my
sympathy lay, and therefore controlled
themselves to some extent when / was
about However, I often overheard them
using tones and language which no gem
tleman would ever use. Upon one Occa-
siOr T saw an officer strike a boy in the
face in the most Insulting manner.
had an opportunity 20 observe at first
hand the effect which the personality OF
the superintendent has made upon the
boys. I took a small boy into the office
because I desired to have him reprimand-
ed in a kind and fatherly way as the
superintendent had informed me he had
always administered his reproofs- The
boy became absolutely cOlorless and his
teeth chartered throughout the interview
Notwithstanding I had told him he was
not to be punished. The talk TO the
quaking lad was devoid of point and eff
fectiveness. out I had my convictions
confirmed as to that kind and fatherly
attitude"
I had reason TO believe that the officers
used tobacco, for the smoke often came
through the open windows. In general ]
know the officers TO be men wholly IN
capable Of inspiring Maynard boys to
lead good lives-they know so little of
goodness them elves.
l had little first hand knowledge of
the punishment inflicted, but believe the
the Offense. ] know of one boy. Grip
pie, who was deprived of all his merits
he had fOrty-fOur-and kept in a cell for
two weeks. His offense was the writing
of a note In addition to these punish
ments, either Of which was sufficient,
had it from good authority that he was
beaten by two officers. 1 read the boy S
note-it was very immOral-but II a
teacher had inflicted half the torture
meted out to that crippled lad, he would
have been Ousted from his position and
have lost caste in his community.
Very little stress was put upon the ed
Ucational work of the institution-though
to visitors the contrary might seem true
No work had ever been given above the
fifth grade until January, 1903, although
there were many boys who had completed
the higher grades. I found the boys fol-
the most part bright. capable and willing
to do a fair amount of work, but under
the present system they cannot be prop
erly instructed. Having been out OF
schOol-some Of them for several years
they need great deal of individual at
tention. and that cannot be given to each
of fifty boys in four hours-the time de
voted to school work. Moreover, the sal
arv paid was not such as would tempt q
competent teacher to remain long.
But I believe that what the boys of the
state industrial school are suffering fol
is not so much food, clothing or school
ing, but example and influence of rea
men-not men in appearance only, but IN
telligent, brOadminded, sympathetic men
AS long as the institution commands mont
such it can but fail Of its object
There is no personal element in any
thing 1 have written. / was treated witt
courtesy throughout my stay. l am writ
ing because I liked the boys, and fee
that they are not getting a square deal
nor ever will under the present manage
ment. Yours respectfully,