The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-12-09
IDR. ORNE SPENDS | 4 VERY BUSY DAY
Inspects County Jail, Aims House, Mercy Home and
 Girls School

LIT. X. '. oT0c Sptiil d pussy udy yes terday in visiting the county jail, county aims house. state Mercy home. industrial school for girls at Woodlawn and Home of Refuge of Alabama, in company with Mrs. Orne. The couple will rest today and will speak al the county and city jails and aims house tomorrow.
 Sheriff Walter K. McAndry most cor dially welcomed Dr.~ orne when he ar rived at the court house yesterday morn- ing to ask permission to make tour of the county jail and commissioned Chief Clerk Walter Metcalf to be Dr. Orne's personal escort.
 Approaching the prison. pr. Orne was held up by Warden McAdory on the charge that he remembered that when he had seen pr. Orne II years ago in gos- pei wagon in south Alabama he told him the way to the county jail. After hearty handshake and renewal of the acquaint- ance begun under different circumstances over a decade ago, Dr. Orne passed into the jail interior. Here he met Warden Merriwether, who gave him the key and allowed him to thoroughly inspect every nook and corner
 T found there" said Dr. Orne about four times as many prisoners as the space could accommodate, crowded like sheep, but the building was in apple pie order, considering the conglomeration of hu- mans clustered there.
 There is certainly a crying need for a relief of the congestion of prisoners and this demands a new jail l understand that there is movement under way for if there is any possibility of bringing this to a realization it should be done by all means.'
 After escaping from the county jail Dr. orne journeyed to East Lake to visit the Home of Refuge for Girls of Ala bama. He reported that there are only five girls there now, as five ran away during the past week, Dr. Orne takes issue with the superintendent, Mrs. A. E. Palmateer. in her statement to him that girls of this class as a rule are worse than boys and declares that in his opin- ion this is merely the utterance of the general public attitude towards the girl who strays. pr. Orne advocates the pre- vention of crime and evil habits rather than condemnation proceedings after girls or boys have been brought to the bar.
 Dr. Orne also said that Mrs. Palmateer has encountered here a species of citi2en- ship that also thrives in other municipal ities that support an institution of this kind. That is. the man or woman who expects that a girl who has been sent to court for theft or any other misdemeanor can be transformed into reliable, trust worthy person in period of six or eight months. It oftentimes requires 21 years to make a character in the best of homes, continued Dr. Orne, yet certain people think that humanity can be ground into finer shape as rapidly as corn can be made into meal.
 The county aims house was the next in- stitution inspected by the humanitarian and with this place he expressed great delight.
 They have new superintendent, w. c. Taylor, at the aims house." he said, "who began 10 improve conditions there as soon as he took control; many departl ments are in state of modern sanita- tion and cleanliness. The insane ward is up to. date in every respect and the pa tients are given the best of care.
 There are 80 paupers, men and women, living there at present which includes a crippled boy and one not quite normal in his mental faculties"
 Going from the aims house, Dr. Orne entered the Mercy Home Industrial school for girls, close by, and was more pleased with what he found there than anything he had yet encountered He emphasized the fact that this is state provision to supply a need that 99 cities out of every 100 have failed to recognize and that through this establishment Alabama has taken a large stride towards crushing of law breaking tendencies in their incip- iency It is open to the dependent girls of the state and to those from the juven- ile court.
 q forgot to say Thursday" he said, that the industrial school boys are con structing three story brick veneer building at their home in East Lake with their own labor. The new structure is to house the blacksmith shop, machine shop, tailoring room, printing presses and oa- kery. They are the brightest happiest and best looking lot of boys that l have seen in some time and will make the high est type of citizens some day"
 
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