The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1910-09-15
Red Wing Paper Throws Mud at
Mrs. IF. Morse
CHARGES NOT PROVEN
Accusations Published in Red Wing
Publication Have No Foundation
In Fact


contained articles making charges
against Mrs. F. F. Morse, superin
tcndent of the Girls Industrial
School. Mrs. Morse took charge of
the school about the first of August
One or more of the teachers left OF
their own accord and it was not very
long before it was evident that Red
Wing. which has never been able to
conceal it's chagrin at losing the in
stitution to Sank Centre, would try
out it's ill feeling on Mrs. Morse.
She was snubbed socially and made
to feel in more ways than one that
she was persona non grata" in the
town.
Then came the articles in the Re
publican, the substance of which was
that since Mrs. Morse took charge,
the discipline has been very lax, that
the girls in the school have been do
ing just about as they pleased, and
other charges of a similar nature.
The Twin City papers copied the ar
ticles and the Minneapolis Journal
interviewed Mrs. Morse over the tele-
phone, but she very properly declin'
ed to talk for publication, referring
all would-be interviewers to the
BOARD of Control
Some of the Twin City newspapers
sent reporters to Red Wing to in
vestigate the published charges.
Careful inquiry failed to discover any
truth in them.
The facts are that Mrs. Morse's
en- of dealing with the girls in
che school are quite different from
hose that were in vogue there be,
fore she took charge The girls used
o. be treated like the inmates of a
1eual institution and harsh measures
sere very often employed.
Nlrs. Morse, who has had extended
xberience in a school where there
we're several hundred inmates, fol-
low a different line. She treats the
elris as human beings who should
receive kindly treatment instead of
being looked upon as criminals.
The Board of Control took suf-
fcient time in selecting a superin-
tendent of the school to satisfy them
selves that Mrs. Morse was the per-
son to fill the bill They are salts
fed with her record and with the
manner in which she is conducting
the school at Red Wing. AS soon as
the cottages here are completed the
girls will be removed to Sank Centre.
Meantime Mrs. Morse will remain in
charge at Red Wing.
Maria Sanford, retired professor of
the Minnesota State University, con-
tributed to the Minneapolis Journal
Of Sept 9 the following letter rela-
tive to the matter:
"All the investigation of the affairs
of the Industrial school at Red Wing
has shown that the board of control
knew what it was about when it
brought Mrs. F. F. Morse to Mime
sofa.
1T is not strange that those per.
sons who are familiar only with the
severe methods usually employed
IN such institutions fail to under
stand the power of a system of love
and confidence in the restraint and
regeneration of girls and boys, who
for the lack of such influence in their
lives have gone astray.
"The criticism of the school evil
IDENTIFY proceeds from those unac-
1uainted with the success of such
methods. The wonderful record of
Mrs. Morse in conducting the Indus
trial school in Lancaster, Mass,
where through the power of noble
mothers and the inspiration of high
ideals, together with right habits
firmly but gently enforced, she led
hundreds of erring girls to true
womanly lives, certainly gives prom
Use of success here But this is not
all that We have to depend upon. The
change she has already wrought in
the whole tone of the school, substi-
tuting at once tenderness and trust
for severity and fear, and securing
the response which the human heart
so involuntarily gives to affection,
shows what we are to hope for. The
cautious need not fear for the
thoroughness of Mrs. Morse's control