The central record. (Lancaster, Ky.) 18??-current, 1916-01-06
The Girls AT Greendale.

Mrs. Harry Bishop. an advocate of
the supplantation of the existing school
of reform for girls at Greendale by a
I separate institution for delinquent girls
situated mot less than five miles" from
the school for boys. contributes to the
Kentucky Woman's Journal an article
which sets forth the difficulties met
with when an effort is made to extend
a helping hand to youthful unfortunates
in Kentucky.
The Greendale school gives the boys
manuel training which fits them for
trades, and out-of. door recreation which
fits them, physically and otherwise, for
citizenship. The girls are kept under
lock ard key, as they must be to insure
separation of the sexes, and there is
no possibility of that freedom without
which we may not hope to develop the
sense of honor and responsibility which
is the first essential in training for cit
izenship."
The kentucky law. as enacted by
the Legislature of 1898, provides for
two institutions. one for boys ard one
for girls. We have at Greendale boys
/ institurion-the two hundred acres of
ground and the industrial equipment
are for their use, with the exception of
the locked cottage, where forty-one
hopeless white girls serve their sem
fences.
THE Juvenile Court Judges will not
commit neglected. unfortunate girls to
prison life. We know to-day that cor
rection does not correct We believe
that education trains and redeems.
A separate school with a sufficient
acreage for outdoor life, with POSSIBLE
tiles for outside active employment for
such girls as require that physical out
let is recommended, and. incidentally.
the abolition of the title. Reform
School, in favor of Training School
plus system OF encouragement and
trust as a supplanter of locks and bars.
Comparisons are made between the
treatment of unfortunate girls in Ken
lucky and in several other States. Vo-
catlonal training upon farms providing
attractive surroundings. and cottage
life with small separate room for
each girl, instead of a dormitory which
becomes melting pot of vicious in /
cllnations. ii is contended, is trans
forming the youthful delinquent girls
of several states. Upon parole they
readily find, aud gladly avail themsel-
YES Of, opportunities to become self
supporting and self-respectiLg. "Sev-
enty per cent of paroled girls in Indiana
succeed. " Good reports from Pennsyl-
States are mentioned as showing the
Of training and the honor
system as compared with the failure of
the prison system of treating this class
Of Young persons IN need OF assistance.
Obviously, the girls at Greendale are
not situated as well as they would be
f they were upon farm to them
selves and allowed the physical benefit
and the upbuilding influence of the
'ondiuons which surround girls in the
more up-to-date Institutions Tor their
exclamation.
The economic advantage OF any sys-
em which makes self-supporting wom-
m of girls who would otherwise be-
'ome an item of expense to the State
hardly need be dwelt upon. All deiin.
luent women are IN the final analysis
,ublic charges. Some of them become
,auper invalids, but that is the least of
ne reasons why Ihry should be recog-
lzed as expensive parasites. Voca-
ional vice radates disorder, crime and
isease which entails burden of ex- :
ense. Upon economic grounds purely ,
r to say ncthlng OF the moral RESPONSE
llity OF governments TO equalize the
pportunlties OF citizens. as far as that
nay be done by efforts to counterfeit
he efforts of unfortunate environment
r experience the modern method of .
ealing with delinquent girls recon- /,
lends itself whel compared with the
rison system, with its very low per-
sntage Of reelamations. \
!
The above is an editorial taken from
lie Courier Journal Of Jan. LIST. Mrs. !
AIRY Bishops earnest talk on this bill 4
nd this work was an interesting fea-
are Of the Womans Federated Club