Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-12-13
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Tenny place the Rambler continued
over through the Hickey farm across
Hickey run, to Red Oak springs ana
then along the Licking banks OF the
group of those interesting and enthu.
siastic out-of doors people who call
themselves wanderlusters.
At one point along this walk the
Rambler sat down and looked across
to the grounds of the National Training
School for Boys. with Its group OF
buildings That hilltop affords one of
the finest and widest views of Wash
ington and its country and the tower
of the main building is one of Wash
ington's familiar skymarks. bearing
about the same relation to the north
east that the steeple the Fairfax
Episcopal Seminary does to the south
west. Looking into the grounds OF the
training school good many reflections
came to the Rambler. In the older
washinEton-that is. the Washington
of the mid nineteenth century, there
was an organization called the Guar
dian Society. The object OF which was
to reform Juvenile offenders in the
District of Column bia- Prominent among
the members of that society were Amos
Kendall. John NJ. Broadhead. Zenas C
Robbins, Sayles J. Bowen. Nehemiah r
Northrup. Benjamin IL. French. Joseph
Bryan, Peter y. Higinbotham. James
c. Jenner. David W. Heath. James r
Burr. Matthew Waite, Samuel A. H
McKim. John r. Nourse and stephen
Prentiss July /. 1862. President Lincoln
approved act to incorporate the So
ciety Tor the purpose of encouraging
and aiding such children of the poor
ignorant and vicious as could be In
duced to make such efforts they
ought for an improvement in their con-
dition."
According to a report of a select corn
mittee OF Congress-James Mcmillan,
Charles J. Faulkner and Thomas 8
Mart from the Senate and Mahlon
Pitney. Stephen A Northway and Alex
ander NJ. Dockery from the House-to
investigate the charities and reforma-
tory institutions in the District of
Columbia. in 1895. the act Incorporating
the Guardian Society Contemplated
house of industry to which minors might
be sentenced by the courts, and the
trustees were empowered to receive
children at the request of the parents.
guardian or next friend upon a written
surrender Of such child"
The trustees Were not to he reqeired
to receive any offenders known 80 re
extremely vicious or to keep any who
might prove incorrigible. but such wee
to be sent to the Jail or pen;ten' ary
under an alternative sentence that the
court was empowered Ia impose. The
trustees were empowered 20 hin out
by indenture any who might appear To he
suffic ENTITY reformed. or the Inmates
might be hired during the daytime 20
employers whose work was not too far
distant from the house Of industry.
Five or six thousand dollars sub
scribed by philosophical citizens in
Washington. and n 1865 one the hos
pital barrack buildings used in WASH
ington during the war was secured and
removed to the government farm four
miles of the ritV north n what
became the Conduit road.
The Guardian Society exhausted its
funds in this work, and in July. 1866.
Congress created a house of correction
for boys in the District of Columbia for
the sa e-keeping, correction. governing
and employing of offenders legally COM
mitted thereto by the authorities of the
courts and the magistrates Ct the Dis
trict of Columbia" The old building on
the government farm was transferred to
the new institution, and its management
was intrusted TO a board of seven trus-
tees to be appointed and commissioned
by the President Of the United States
enc TO be nominated by the mayor Of
Wash ngton, one by the mayor Of
Georgetown. one by the president of the
Levy Court of the county of Washing
ton and four by the Secretary of the
Interior.
The institution had a rather lean and
hungry growth. An act of Congress OF
May 6, 1870, changed the name of the
institution to the reform school of the
District of Columbia, and in 1872 Con-
gress authorized the Secretary Of the
Interior to purchase a new site for the
school. Because of the bad health of
the boys at the farm in the summer
and fall of 1871 the board of trustees,
H. d. Cooke, N. w. Burchell, j. E. Car
penter. H. A. Brewster. Nathan Sargent,
d. V. Burr and w. B. Todd, determined
to ask Congress for new site and a
new plant. The sum of 100000 was
appropriated and a site was bought on
the hill where Fort Lincoln stood, the
property being known as the Peter
farm. The first purchase was of $50
acres at cost of $4,000
The plant has been extended and in
creased until it has become one OF the
features of the environs of Washing
ton.