The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1916-02-24
MORE GOOD WORDS FOR
HOME SCHOOL FOR GIRLS

AS was stated by the Herald at the
time of the Northern Minnesota Edi-
torial Association convention in Sank
Centre recently, only time would tell
of the benefits which the State Home
School for Girls would derive from the
visit which the visiting editors made
to the school. The institution is in It's
infancy. Comparatively few people
in the state know of its magnitude or
the splendid work it is doing. Publ
city was needed to tell the people OF
Minnesota what the institution is and
what are its aims. Editors as rule
are among the best informed people
in their respective communities. Yet
comparatively few of the visiting edl-
tors knew anything about this big
state institution located in Sank Cen
tire. Most of them admitted that their
former opinions had been erroneous.
The week following the editorial con-
yention the Herald reproduced nearly
two pages of enlightening comment
made in the papers of the northern
part of the state relating to the
school. Since that time newspapers
have commented from time to time
on the institution, an instance oemg
the following from the editorial page
of last weeks WheelOck's Weekly OF
Fergus Falls:
The state school for girls at Sauk
Centre is one of the most valuable OIL
+ho state institutions. Its central idea
is the fitting of girls for better cltl-
zenship. for higher aims, than tnev
have ever known. Girls come there Iii
every stage of mental "tumble-down,
ness" some of them merely WIZ
and wilful, others sullenly conVlnce1
+hat the world is against them anu
+hev against the world. Some are llttie
Girls some are young women. some
S.vo come from good surroundings,
hut for the most part they have hao
had training, or no training. Ihes
are assigned to their proper cot'ase
BONES and a new life begins Tor
every one of them. Each cottage mas
a house mother, and its capacity Is
about twenty girls.
The discipline in the cottages is not
severe. The teaching of right living
is not by precept so much as oy eA
ample and the showing Of its deslra-
bleness. There are rewards Tor IN
dustry and good conduct. PUNISH
ments are not drastic except In ex-
treme cases. The grading OF the
cottages is from worst to best, and
there is a regular system OF promo
lions first in the cottage itself, later
from one cottage to another OF hlgher
grade. The girls do practically all the
work. even to some in the fields. The
kitchen is the honor point in every
cottage. The inmates struggle to get
into it. Ambition awakes, emulation
and example have their effect. Pay
ment is made in the "home curren-
CIV" for all work, and fines deplete
the small boards. The girls make their
own clothes. They make the decora-
lions and embellishments that help to
render the cottages homelike. They
some furniture. They are allowed a
free hand in the adornment of their
own rooms which results in a wide
range of taste and attractiveness. But
the poorest little starved intellect OF
them all glimpses better things ahead,
and presently begins to strive for i'm
provement.
Let it be corrected here, the mis-
taken impression that perverted sex
ual instincts are the cause of most OF
the arrivals at the state school. That
motive for evil exists in many cases.
of course, but in less than half the
inmates. Unframed activity, wild an
imal spirits, cross grained DISPOSE
lions, unhappy childish surroundings
the poverty or degradation of parents
neglect-all these are the potent fac