The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1912-01-05
JUDGE ANDERSEN VISITS
THE INDUSTRIAL SCHOOL

j. H. Andersen, who has just re
turned from a visit to the Idaho In.
d strial school at st. Anthony, has
the following to say about that in
stitution.
| ''Of all the many educational in
stitutions of this state, including the
whole adequate and excellent system
of physical and mental development
there is perhaps less known of The
great work done by the Idaho Indus
trial school, under the capable and
competent management of Superin-
tendent Humphreys, than of any o!
the other institutions, while in truth
and in fact, this institution should
rank as one of the first educational
institutions of the state, and should
be visited and understood and ap.
preciated by every citizen of Idaho,
who has an interest in the upbuild-
ing of the physical and mental ca
pacity of the boys and girls of this
state whose temperaments and dis
positions are not understood else
where.
In this institution the child
whose unlucky disposition or pecu-
liar temperament has made him or
her the target for the ridicule abuse,
neglect and mistreatment of those
who misunderstood him, or whose
prenatal conditions or after environ
ments have SO warped his actions that
the ordinary teacher cannot control
Or teach him, is taken into the in
dustrial school, his case is made the
subject of special study, he is psy-
chologically solved, busted, taught, di-
rected, developed along proper lines,
in fact remade and finally turned out
a man Or woman, educated in many
lines, dependent upon no person, self
relient, fully prepared to meet the
battles of life without hesitation.
''The school and buildings attend
ant thereto, remind one of a select
military academy, and have the at
mosphere in and about them of cosy
comfort and kindliness. The bright
little boys and girls who before be-
ing brought there, never seemed to
fit in we'll are given just enough
work, play, study, amusement, disci-
pline, liberty and drill each day so
that they are really always busy, yet
the change is always rest.
Beside the ordinary courses of
study, the pupils are trained in vocal
and instrumental music, (and just
here | may say that the industrial
school band and orchestra are espec-
tally deserving of meritorious men
tion), stenography and typewriting,
dressmaking, tailoring, shoemaking,
cooking, baking, laundrying, farming,
gardening, dairying, carpentering,
building, plumbing and steam fitting,
mechanical and electrical engineer.
ing
Every child has a good warm bath
with shower in connection at least
once week, with change of cloth
ing, goes to chapel on Sunday, and
has three good square meals of ex
cellent food per day and sits down to
clean linen and silverware in large
dining room that does not materially
differ from well regulated cafe of
a large hotel.
At night every child has his own
individual single iron bed with soft
mattress, spring, pillow, warm blan-
kets and spotlessly white linen. Here
in his cosy nest he spends the long
night in pleasant dreamland, in we'll
ventilated room, and awakens with
the sunlight like a morning-glory.
There are persons who regard the
industrial school as penal institu-
tion. With those l have no patience,
and would advise them to spend
their first surplus pin money to find
out for themselves whether such is
the case, by making a personal visit
to the institution. Many a child in
this state living with parent or gaur-
dian has less happiness, less amuse-
ment, less attention, less liberty, less
cleanliness and poorer health, than
any pupil of the Industrial school.
There are about 200 pupils from
all parts of the state and every day
each one learns something useful to
his success when he leaves the insti-
tuition. A most thoroughly balanced
course of instruction, both mental
and manual, is meted out to the boys
and girls and the interest and pur-
pose with which they pursue their
work is not exceeded in any school
Of the state"