Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1919-04-05

penses $452.30, miscellaneous S1037.S7,
building repairs S2,023.49, total expen-
ditureS 9,938.22. Balance in hands of
treasurer S1,383.40. Less interest re-
ceived and not yet RENTED to state
treasurer S25.T7, total $1,357.63 To-
tai expenditures and balance of treas
urer, equalling amounts chargeable
against appropriation $51,295.S5.
Under the heading of Results" the
board makes the following statement:
The establishment of an ideal edu-
cational and vocational system has
been retarded for several reasons, the
lack of adequate funds, the difficulty
in securing officers of previous train
ing in modern correctional institutions
for delinquent women, especially those
experienced in out door life, the dormi-
tory system and only two cottages for
the classification of the inmates by age
only. And, yet, in spite of all these
handicaps the ten weeks experiment
with this small group of women has
given your board the vision of what
we may be able to do for these and
| for hundreds of their kind in the state
| of Connecticut. On the purely neg
ative side the State Farm has taken
| from their respective communities
| twenty nine troublesome diseased and
| defective women who have for years
! been clogging the courts and filling
| the jails. Given proper support we
| could free every community in the
| state of such undesirable members.
But the real proof of the worth of the
| experiment is to be found in the pos
| tive results on these women them
selves, physically mentally and moral
| ly. Ten weeks is a short time i'll
| which % change a life or to formulate
congratulations yet in that short time
| rs fra coen air life tells its own tale
| in increased l1eSh, color and animation.
| But the more important gain is the
sign of a slowly changing point of view
| as it appears in the faces and words
| and acts of a few of our women. To
| claim a change for all would be both
| improbable and insincere for more and
| more We realize that these women
undisciplined, unframed, impulsive
! and self centered. will need rigid and
regular training for body and mind for
| a period of at least a year, with few
/ exceptions. But certain reasonable
results of the wholesome home life
! have become apparent. Their spon-
taneous conversation, at first all OF
| themselves, of the past and of the jail
experiences changes as the past slow
| ly recedes and the future looms larg-
er on their mental horizon. The prac-
| teal lesson in pioneer home making
| has brought rich results. 1t has
! given them something to do and some
thing to think about and at times there
has been an ideal spirit of team work
/ with common pride in themselves anC
their accomplishments and of loyalty
TO the homes which they have so truly
created At first they could not com
pass the idea of the indeterminate SEN
tence especially those who had beer
jail offenders. The statement thar
their release depended on themselves
and not upon the calendar had NJ
! meaning. But they have had time t
think and they are beginning to lay
less blame on others. TO accept more
for themselves and gradually there il
drawing recognition of the relation
between their efforts ad their release
They have asked for books and they
have expressed a desire for religious
services as they have grown less sur
of their own strength and more de
pendent on the unseen. AT first
thought everyone was my enemy Whel
l came here, but now l am just begin
ming TO see what the State Farm 70
Women is trying to do for us Ant
so we have gained rather than los
faith in the recuperative power 0
many of our Wome nto right them
selves and to assume moral response
bility when they go out into the worl
again. And we believe that there ar
| hundreds of other women and youn
girls just starting downward in tn
| state Of Connecticut who could b
t | likswise helped if we may be give
to them through q staff of CAREFUL
the right and resources to minister I'm
selected women of spiritual ad intel
= ! lectual power.