The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-07-15
MAY RECOMMEND
MONEY FOR HOME
vHIs Is RECOGNIZED NEED OF
STATE INSTITUTION FOR
YOUNG GIRLS.
DOING A GREAT WORK
ANOTHER TEACHER AND ANOTHER
BUILDING ARE AMONG THE
NEEDS THAT WILL BE
ASKED FOR.

Judging by the evidence heard and
taken and the expressions which fell
from the lips of some members of the
State board of charities and correc-
tons. the management of the Virginia
Home and Industrial School for Girls
Investigation of which was practical
~ completed on Saturday, will be COM
mended for the way in which 1t has
performed its duties, and 1t Is probable
that the board will recommend further
State aid so that the unfortunate in
mates OF the institution may be proper
ly grouped.
Many of the girls are within com
paratively easy reach Of redemption,
as is proven by letters received from
seven families who have taken girls
reformed II the Bon Air institution
into their mes. Others verge upon
imbecility and unnatural depravity,
and in the opinion of Mrs. NJ. NJ. Light
and the Rev James Buchanan. both
sociological workers of experience.
these should be segregated from the
others
Does Remarkable Work.
Within its limited facilities the in
dustrial school and home is credited
by both its governing board and the
State board of charities and correction
with having done. and with now do
ing. a remarkable work, Girls who
either by unfortunate environment or
by inherited unnatural depravity
have become. outcasts from society
have in some instances been redeemed
and placed upon a proper footing as
members of society, or have bean ma
terially helped. Reformation for
few may be hopeless on account of
mental and moral disease, but they can
at least be segregated from society
and kept apart from the other in
mates of the institution. The Rev.
James Buchanan struck the crux of
the situation when he said that such
a home would always be necessary un-
I'll 1t becomes impossible for moral
degenerates to propagate and the pub
lie conscience is aroused to the need
Of a general social reform.
When effort was made to prove that
the girls were oveTtaxed by their la
Dor in the fields ii failed utterly. for Il
was shown beyond question that such
was not the Case aid that only such
outdoor exercise as the girls were re-
qaired to do could effect cure This
was shown TO he automatic truth.
learned by physicians and social work
ers after years of experience in ex
actly such conditions.
Negro Is Contention.
INSOFAR as the testimony concern
ed Beverly Banks the negro who was
said to have bossed the girls the gen
erai charge was utterly refuted. Ii
was only A. c. Feion. a Northern man
by birth and one admittedly unfamiliar
with the nature OF the negro in the
South, who said that the employment
OF Banks might give the institution
q black eye in the community" II
was Polk Miller, a Southerner in every.
instinct a Confederate veteran and a
man than whom none is more familiar
with the negro, who said that Banks
was 2. type of the old-fashioned darky
and one OF irreproachable character
The State board of charities and
corrections may recommend that the
| Institution rid itself Of Banks services
in order to allay all doubt and sus-
picion. but for no other reason. and
the governing board will he hard put
to fill his place.
1t Is more probable that the State
board of charities and corrections will
recommend that the State give more
money to the institution SO that it's
work may be more scientifically car
ried out. Segregation is needed, and
there is need for a teacher to give
lessons in manual training. All this
was brought out in the evidence. and
was admitted by those conducting the
investigation.