The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1910-11-19
WARDEN M'KEE
SCORES SCHOOLS
Makes Plea for Industrial
Education for District
Children.

ArraiCninC what he termed the ter
rible curriculum" OF WASHINGTON public
schools. declaring that In order to gain
an industrial education in the District, a
boy must commit q crime, and be sent
10 the Industrial Home for wayward
boys; and Incidentally rapping the
Beard OF ChiIdren's Guardians for tardy
fulhlment Of its duty, the address made
BY Warden t H Mckee, OF the Dis
trict jail, at the meeting of the Know
Your City Institute" held this morning
at the Y W c A. created a sensation
among the body Of representative men
and women who heard him
Let the schools here do away with
TINS terrible curriculum exclaimed
warden Mckee. in discussing The crirni-
ndL whereby a child does not learn a
trade, and let US put in system Of in
oustrlai education In the District
Crime the Only Road
Why. in order to be trained along
Industrial lines the boys OF Washington
have TO commit a crine-their only way
Of getting into the one Industrial school
the community affords"
The warden's advocacy of a system Of
mechanical and industrial training Tor
the children Of Washington, met with
round Of applause from his audience
among whom were investigators along
LABOR committees, workers from me As
ISOLATED Charities, members of the Red
Cross Society, and representative OF
every other philanthropic agency in the
District Of Columbia
The meeting, presided over by Miss
Jean Cole. teacher Of sOclc-ogy and
English at Mt Vernon SeTlna was
held under the a spices OF the extension
committee Of the Young WOmeD's Chris
tan association, Of which committee
Miss Elizabeth Pierce IS chairman
Warden Mckee IN the course Of his
remarks, declared that the present child
labor law enforced in the District is
cTiminally AT fault in not permitting
the labor Of certain children whose
mothers are deprived OF other means Of
support
support to these mothers interrupted
Miss Brown. assistant secretary Of the
Associated Charities, so that the chill
dTen may attend school"
Keeping Baby In Jail.
Haven't I had in my care for the
past month there at the Jail baby I've
ben begging you 10 come and get, be
cause its mother cannot provide for II
while its father IS in Jail?" flashed the
warden
Ma" answered = Miss Brown .-Th7
Associated Charities has never heard
from you In regard to the case. or L
would have been attended TO and
Then, am wrong said the warden
It is the Chiidren's Board OF Guardians
70 which I have appealed without re-
suits
Mr. Mckee asserted that conditions
at the District jail would not be even
humane until the present renovation
which the building is undergoing has
been completed He said that the
District Jail was erected thirty-fOuF
years since, after models of one thou
sand years ago and that the reform
which IS now under way is due to the
efforts Of the late Mrs Ellen J. Foster
No Place For the Sick.
we have no place even yet, how
ever" he said, 'to care for III pa
tients. When man or woman faints-
or is i'll, there is the floor Of a cell for
them, nothing more And, though
there is a vacant building within 200
feet Of the fail, we are not able TO
obtain its use for sick prisoners
"The Red Cross Society viii estab-
lIsh a relief station at the Jail al
once. warden called out Mrs Nora
h-NcLaughIin. District Red Cross
secretary
Dr. Mckee asserted that the lack Of
Industrial training among boys IS nj
directly responsible for a large percent
age Of prisoners who drift into cine,
because they have never learned to
work
THE saloon" he declared, does the
rest Close the saloons IN Washington
and we might almost close the JAIL
The speech made by DIT. Henry J.
Harris, secretary of the Child Labor
Committee Of the District OF Columbia.
also contained startling disclosures with
reference TO the employment Of children
in the District Of Columbia
There are not less than 5000 children
working in the city Of Washington to-
day" said Dr. Henry.
Learning No Trades.
Hundreds Of these are engaged in
blind alley occupations, or occupations
which do not call for skilled labor. When
& boy works as a messenger. OF a bun
die wrapper, when he should be learn
ing trade in the public schools. YOU
can see how Il is that he reaches the
age Of manhood without being prepared
TO earn his livelihood Thus he is
thrown upon the community, and comes
too often a dangerous, Instead Of q use
fuI. citizen
THE acquaintance with vice, which
hundreds Of children in the District
make through their work, declared DR..
Harris, further. is heart rending."
He then condemned teh employment
of youths and children by messenger
services, as perniciOus 70 the moral
development Of these youths, and hint
ed that the corruption which exists
among Washington boys who are thus
employed. and are senet at ala hours
Of the day and night to immoral re-
sorts, is alarming.
Mrs. William J. Boardman told Of
the work accomplished by the Red
Cross day camp for tUbercular pa
tieuts. She said that with the $4,000
made last year on the sale Of Red Cross
seals. the District branch Of that or
eanization had been enabled 10 keep
forrv-nine patients at teh camp during
the past summer. Twenty Of these were
were children. Of whom seven have been
dismissed as cured
Miss Cole announced at the cOnclu-
sion Of the meeting that beginning with
Monday evening classes in current
movements and events viii be held at
fhe Y w c A. the meetings dealing
with local movements OF philanthrOpic
and educational nature