Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-01-29
LEGISLATORS MAKE
CLOSE EXAMINATION
OF THE WORKH0USE
mey Seemed impressed and
Pleased With Conditions as
They Were Found.
SOME TALK OF LEGISLATION

An unaxpected treat Was provided
for tf,e LEGISLATORS on thear visit OF
inspoction to the wuekhouse yesterday,
in the shape OF a concert by the Mems
3lee Club, In the main corridor, fol-
lowing the mneh served In the guards
dining room
Tho club numbers 30 voices, the ma
iorfty Of their owners being Negroes
They were led In several selections by
one Of the Negroes who has very
sweet lyric tenor voice. The voices
are not highly cultivated, but are moro
or less natural harmonists, and there
is a really wonderful volume In the bass
part, which sustatns the rest like the
diapAson OF an organ. two Of tho sing
ers taking a very sonorous low b nat
An Incident punctuaing the tour or
the party was the receipt by the
warden while. In one of the depart
nsnts OF q letter promising the IN
ausnos of the Wonan's Club or Sea-
ford, from Mrs. j. n Dutton. On be-
ing handed it for perusal. Senator
Insley exclaimed: That lady is my
ns.ce-I can testify as to its genuine
ness.-
Another letter contained n check for
sac or the recreation fund. fron an An
onyu1ous doner-
Many OF Inc COnlrnIILe6 Ncie iuSH
aetsd in the account of the school
which il he,' In the dining room in
ths evening several times week.
under the supervision OF Prof. Coke.
Of the Wilmington High School. with
the asssstancs OF ak of the inmates of
various nattonRltties
Legislators Impressed
The Impression made on the minds
of the p,ainbers of the legislative COM
natfee by their inspection of the
uu9khouse WAS undoubtedly very
favorable, especially as concerns the
movement for separate woman
building and for the parole amendment
advocated hu Warden Piunnler
The ns<d of the first mentioned pro
vision, separate housdns for the women
inmates. Is sslf-evident from even
cnSual observation. as the present
quarters are small and not capable Oh
sxHpansAon. The spaoa that AZ present
10 oocupacd by 20 inmates was not
oux ago crowded with 80. which re-
,,,sred placdnS three and four In one
coll. intended for two or three only.
rhe success of the open air exercise
Ind r~,creation feature in creating
morale and in keeping down sickness
nas been so marked that OH extension
~ AZ 20 the women seems inlperauVely
necessary.
AS 10 the parole feature which IL
garrnly advocated by j. A. Oliver, the
parose orioer of the Court Of General
sessioSaA who Joined the party during
IL visit: ard the example OF the heip-
ful effect Of the more humane treat
Tnsnt OF the inmates under WsToen
flurluna9, WA such as to prompt he
rac,Ark hy one OF the committee that
II wa. q PITY thai the whole Lesis-
,a,ure cxrlA not personally make the
lnspeoxtocA
The condition of al the buildings and
At.nsils--And everything was freely
.xpoeso TO the scrutiny of the visitors
-vas scrupujously neat and clean
The shop IN which nearly 200 OF the
nan work is lofty. airy and lght-
The ecuipuent Of the dining room.
while servtce4hla. is old fashioned and
rs u,od4r1nizntion would be highly de-
sirAble.
But most impressive is the air Of
nhye,cal well being and mental salts
faction. so far the surroundings
yzrrau6 OF the inmates themselves,
making due allowance for differences
81 endowrnsnt- This fact was pc
,.ulisrly evident 10 those who han seen
the institution under administrations
previosas TO the present, and almost
equally 80 TO those making their nrst
visit
The rn~n a. play ~ modification
q. leap frog" or taking more sedate
exercise ka the yard so evidently were
urodttus both by the recrea ton and
he open air thas It wAs 5000 10 see
them
The hospital was empty. save snr
one patient, who had been snekec up
by a tumble from load OF hay, a Gay
or TWO ago. on the home ferm-
A number of the Legislative com
u1it,ee made q trip 70 the farms. after
lunch The remainder having engage
,,ents which called for their return TO
town.