Elko independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1915-current, 1915-08-28
THE FLIGHT FROM
THE INDUSTRIAL SCHOOL.

THE Elko Industrial School has o
been open less than three months and
two attempts at escape have been
made. At this writing the last two
youths to take leave of absence have
not yet been captured.
In an article some time ago the In
dependent had some remarks to offer
about the prohibition of tobacco among
the students. 1t seems the suggestion
made was misinterpretcd in certain
quarters.
The Independent does not advocate
the use of tobacco as a necessity by
school boys o by any one else. If
anything tobacco is a luxury.
And the Independent expressly
stated hat 1t had no criticism to make
OF General Kyle's management of the
school and that he was the right man
for the place.
Two boys have run away. Four
others tried to do SO. The others are
only waiting an opportunity to make
their escape.
The question is this Is it better
10 prohibit the use of tobacco and let
the boys all get away or to give them
tobacco and have them stay?
General Kyle is right in prohibit
ing the use of tobacco among the boys
If it can be successfully done. What
the Independent had to suggest was a
better way to influence the boys to re-
frain from the use of tobacco.
What the Independent said in its
first article was that the use of to-
bacco was not immoral. There are
medical authorities who claim that the
use OF coffee is more d]eleterious to
the body than is the use of tobacco.
But no n will contend that drinking
coffee is immoral.
The training of those boys should be
along rational lines. The use of to-
bacco has nothing whatever to do with
making them better men. Tobacco
is supplied to soldiers in the army and
to the convicts in the ~penitentiary.
II those boys in the school want to.
bacco and will run away if they don't
get 1t 1t Is better to let them have q:
THAI 20 empty the school. But it is
better still to put theTa through a
course of training that will quell this
appetite for tobacco.
This brings us to the second sug-
gestion which the Independent had
to make and which in the rush of
work has been put of till the pres.
emit time.
Practically every boy in the school
Is there for burglary. He was led to
steal because he had no work and
wanted money. The prime cause of
his trouble was lack of employment.
Employment of the right kind would
practically prevent more boys going to
the school.
This same principle applied in the
school would In due time free the
boys from the school. This principle
Is now at work in a way. That Is
each boy is given certain credits each
day for work and for behavior.
The hoy can not get less than seven
credit marks In one day nor more
than fourteen. When he has earned
five thousand credit marks he is en-.
titled to recommendation for parole.
This is an abstract way of putting
things and means practically nothing
to a healthy boy in his teens. a bet.
ter way would seem to be to pay the
boy for his work in real money. Give
him no less than seven cents a day
nor more than fourteen.
Pay the boy at the end of each days
work or by the week. Let him handle
the money himself and give him to
understand that when he had Gun
lated fifty dollars he would be entitled
to his freedom.
A still better way would be to pay
the boy S1.14 a day for his labor and
deduct n dollar for his board and
clothes. This would teach him the
value of money.
The boy would soon learn RESPONSE.
bility and he would soon be wanting