The Ogden standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1902-1910, 1909-07-05
4: ZEPPELIN,
: An Aeronaut. Died a Nat:
4: ural Death.
INDUSTRIAL SCHOOL NANCE
MENT.

The following letter has been re-
ceiyed By Miss Kate s Hilliard;
Twin Falls, Ida. June q, 1903.
Mrs Kate Hilliard. Ogden, Utah.
Dear Madam have been following
the trial OF II II. Thomas with much
interest. and as a former teacher and
friend OF the boys of the State lndus-
trial school, would like to give my i'm
pressions of the institution. / went
there an entire stranger and absolute
ly unprejudiced 1 regret that / can
give little besides impressions. as
was not in position TO obtain many
facts but if the honest convictions of
an unbiased person will be of any use
To you, / am glad to make them
known.
was employed as teacher OF the
four higher grades in the boys de-
partment from January. 1908 to June.
1908, and while there was nrmly con-
vinced that the institution was not
fulfilling It's duty to the inmates.
AS to the physical surroundings OF
the boys l cannot say much From
my Schoolroom window / often watched
operations In the serving room. The
food looked cheap and unappetizing.
and the noon meal. the only one |
saw, was said to be far ahead Of
breakfast and supper. ! visited the
wards and observed that the bedding
was dirty and the cots old and uncom-
Portable. The school room was mlser-
ably ventilated, poorly seated and
greatly overcrowded. mere were
fifty boys. many of them men in size,
crowded into one small room. hall Of
them In double seats. with aisles
scarcely two feet wide Nothing had
ever been done TO make the room at
tractive
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 of the low morals of
the officers The latter were with
one or two exceptions. coarse. ignorant
and much less refined in appearance
than many OF the boys. ate my
noon meal at the officers table mot
then being familiar with the santa
tlon of the kitchen) for several weeks
and so became quite well acquainted
With the exception of two Of your
witnesses, I never heard an officer
speak kindly of a boy. They usually
referred 10 them as "darned kids, and
often addressed them in those endear-
ing terms The officers. | believe, un'
derstood where my sympathy lay. and
therefore controlled themselves to
some extent when ] was about. how
ever | often overheard them using
tones and language which no gentle
man would ever use. Upon one oc-
casion / saw an officer strike a boy
in the face in the insulting manner,
| had an opportunity to observe at
first hand the effect which the per
sonality of the superintendent has
made upon the boys. | took a small
boy into the office, because | desired
10 have him reprimanded in a kind
and fatherly way as the superintend-
ent had informed me he had always
administered his reproofs. ] ne sboy
became absolutely cOlorless and his
teeth chartered throughout the inter
view. Notwithstanding | had told him
that he was not to be punished The
talk 10 the Qual5nG lad was devoid
OF point and effectiveness. but / had
convictions confirmed as to that kind
and tatherly attitude"
had reason TO believe that the of
fiCcrs used tobacco, for the smoke
often came through the windows.
In general / know the officers 10 be
men wholly Incapable of Inspiring
wayward boys 10 lead good lives.
they know SO little of goodness them
selves.
I had little first hand knowledge OF
the punishments inflicted. but believe
the penalties 70 be out of all proper
ton 10 the ofTense. j knew Of one boy
q cripple, who WAS deprived OF all
his merits, he had fortyfour and kept
In cell for two weeks. his offense
being the writing Of a note In addi-
ton TO these Dunishments, either of
which was sufficient, I had II from
good authority that he was beaten by
two officers. / read the boys note
it was very immoral. but # n 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 tho
educational work Of the institution
though To visitors the contrary might
seem true. No work had ever been
! given above the fifth grade until Janu-
AIRY. 1908. although there were many
! boys who had completed the higher
! grades / found the boys for the most
| part bright, capable and willing To do
! fair amount of work. but under the
| present system they cannot be proper
ly instructed Having been out OF
school, some OF them for several years,
| they need great deal OF individual