The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1912-12-10
fL0R|OA'S REFORM
SCHOOL At MARIANA

| :, buel 10 Investigate alleged short
| omings there, mistreatment of the
+! boys etc. and wrote about her visit
as follows in the Tampa Times:
4 good deal has been said, and
more things thought, about the State
Reform school at Mariana; and as
ne city OF Tampa is more largely
represented than any city in the
State, will you allow me little
space in your paper to give to the
public and perhaps I" some mother
tai has a Icy there that may he
situated SO inc are unable To visit
H.. school, 5. 4. '.ta OF VIVA. Z .
like, and sometime ..bOut thO,. r
charge of the sc;:oO'
Tne manage :t. consist OF super
iv,endent, MI aa,r matron. two
q ards and saamstress. There :rt
l.. present fiji !. rllc boys in school
no. for white boys only rang
ing in years from eight to seventeen
arrived in Mariana Saturday
night, October 26, and Sunday morn
ing met the manager and boys at
the Episcopal church. They driy.
in every Sunday morning and attend
No ,h,,r hnp, 1 nH
cut To dinner at tn, school and was
driven out by one OF the guards. As
We drove through the beautiful
country of very high red clay hills.
| thought how finely adapted it was
Tor such school The school is
three miles from town. After dris
ing some distance we reached a large
safe, which the man driving in
formed me was the grounds OF the
school My first thoughts were:
"Oh, how beautiful surely, If the
brys are treated kindly. they must
IT, very happy here. For fully half
= mile leading straight up on this
VERY high hill. With Il lovely avenue
q. oaks stood the large red brick
| uildinu As We drove up the hill
ul! one side WAS Il fine vegetable gar
d. n; on he opposite side many acres
Of fine white pods of cotton. Look
iEg across this cotton field to the
next hill was building exactly
similar in size and appearance to the
tnr We We're approaching. was toll:
that il was school No =, for cOlOreI
boys, over a hundred being in that
s hool.
As We meared the school | noticed
he pretty low, white picket fence
the nicely laid out Hover garden
aud neat cement walk from the front
sate to the steps. was conducted
at once to the matrons room tShe
had not been we'll for several days
fell in love with her at once. 4
woman tifty-tiyc years OF age, with
lovely white hair. you can read at
glance that the boys have a moth
'r as well as 'matrOn" at the
81 hool. Mrs Barclay is cultured
lady. from one OF the best Southern
families. Kind. gentle and consider
ate Of the boys. and they. as | found
later, were very fond of her in re-
turn
IN few minutes Mr.. Ball. the
manager. came in with tho bows.
hey looked very nicely dressed in
'helr blue SERGE suits their SUNDAY
.lothrs. In Il short time dinner WAS
announced, The boys marched in
perfect order to their places in the
'ihlhgroom. and stood while m.
manager said grace. When all were
seated never saw more perfect or.
Ger In any dininsroom. They ar.
taught good table manners, and ,c
eli properly. | fear there ar, many
noys there that never knew what
table manners" were unit, they on
tered this school The dinner con.
sisted OF good wholesome food
"hieh, | was informed was their
regular diet, After the meal was
over the boys We're marched ont in
order. and on Sundays allowed n
amuse themselves until about 3.3Ol
o'clock. when they are assembled in
the schoolroom, as one of the min.
isters from Mariana addresses
the school. This particular Sunday
the Baptist minister talked Of tho
Prodigal Son." bringing sadness
ana even tears TO some. On w.oL
Gays they are marched out ana a..h
assigned his duty for the day. The
boys do all of the work-w,sh;,o
ironing, cooking. scrubbing. chamber
work and field work. They h.vo
''out three or four hundred acres
Oh land under cultivation. raising