The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-03-04
Verdict of B. w. Tice, of New
York's Society.
Praises the State Industrial
School for Girls.
BEST IN THE COUNTRY.
Found Kansas Institution the
Finest Ever Visited.
Has an Inspiring Orchestra of
Fifty Girl Musicians.

BeIoit, Kan, March 4.-The Indus
trial School for Girls. located here Is
one of the leading institutions of its
kind in the country. The following let
ter has been received by Mr.. Bracken
from B. w. Tice, of the New York
Children's Aid society, los East TWEEN
ty-second street. Mr.. Tice recently
made a tour of inspection of homes OF
this kind in the west, including the
ole located in Beloit. Mr.. Braeken is
member of the board of directors OF
the Beloit institution. and Julia u.
Perry is manager. The letter of Mr..
Tice. praising the Beloit school fol-
lows:
pear Mr.. Bracken:-More than two
months have elapsed since we We're at
your enterprising town where we Sc
cured good homes for 10 OF our nome
less children.
Our society is under great obligation
to the 'ocal committee who aided US SO
materially in selecting the homes ana
also to the kind citizens whose hearts
were warmed and whose homes We're
opened to receive and care for these
unfortunates.
Through you desire to thank every
one who aided in our work.
4 remember, with a sense of graft
tude your kindness and the courtesy OF
Mrs. Perry in placing every department
of the Industrial School for Girls open
to our inspection.
ct have been interested in private
and public institutions for the training
of children for many years. For ten
years I was principal of School ana
for three and a half years an 1nstruc-
toc in the greatest reformatory for boys
in the United States-the New YORK
State reformatory at Elmira. / was
one year a trainer of Indians at the
Hampton Institute, Hampton. Va
For more than 20 years have been
engaged in finding homes in private
families for dependent children and for
10 years out of that 20 was also
superintendent of a working boys home
in the city of New York. / also ran
a Job printing office in connection with
the home to teach the boys The art pre-
sentative of arts and printed small
monthly paper called Work Among
Children
visit many different institutions and
have written criticisms on more than
one. I spent nearly week several
years ago studying the management OF
Island and New York and now there is
scarcely a week passes that 1 do not
visit one or more orphan asylumS in
connection with our work.
Having had so much experience 1
feel, though not in any sense an eX-
pert, that I know something about the
Y ay an institution should be operated
and so wish to saw something about the
State Industrial School for Girls at Be
lott, Kan.
The Best System.
1.-The old method of caring for chill
dren was to keep all of them in one
large building-hundreds under one
roof This was called the congregate
system. The results of housing so
many together were not satisfactory
a nd improved methods were sought and |
all up-to-date institutions have adopt |
ed what is known as the cottage sys-
tenn
This is briefly explained by stating |
that from 20 to 80 children are placed |
in one cottage by themselves under an |
expert house mother or sometimes a |
man and wife are cottage Managers
acting as father and mother of the |
1T is much easier to manage boys |
or girls, better discipline obtains and a |
closer and better classification is made |
possible by the cottage system.
THE house father or mother can /
keep in touch with the children, is able /
to understand the peculiarities of each
end share in their joys and sorrows.
1T is the only correct system and |
Beloit has a most interesting and sue
cessful illustration of it where trained |