The Washington times., 1921-05-08

OUD JAIL SEI-TtNo. ~"
Set. however, In . high, white-
washed corridor that 10 ceilinged In
azure blue and lighted by the iofty,
barred byzantine windows ofiffsho
District Of Columbia jail, they pre-
sent one of the new aspects of Amer
lean penology and constitute another
link In the chain of pedagogical, ex-
periments for criminal offenders.
The school. which has just opened
with a registration of twenty wen
volunteer students out of the 800
prisoners in the jail. 10 the fourth az
It's kind which has been established
by Charles C. Foster, superintendeHt
OF penal institutions of the District
of Columbia
The hrst was opened In the jail at
Louisville. KY. when he was tailer
of Jefferson county, and was the
pioneer school in the unitSd States
for short term priponers Since hts
lsuperintendency of the OccoQuan
workhouse and Lorton Reformatocy,
both District of Columbia Institutions,
he has repeated his experiments with
such success that the jail schcool In
Washington has been inaugurated.
ALL SHORT TERMERS-
The District Jail, loated on the put
skirts of the city OF Washington. -
the only Jail under direct Federal 5ur-
isdiction and shelters its prisoners for
q shorter time than any other similar
Institution. Nearly all defendants con-
victed OF crime in the District--ex-
cept murderers condemned to death
are sent to the Occoquan Workhouse.
the Lorton Reformatory, or to one OF
the Federal penitentiaries. The In
stitution would, therefore. seem to Of
fer unpromising material for school
establishment, but with the confidence
of success won in even stonier helds
the, superintendent decided upon the
establishment of an opportunity Tor
mon to redeem themselves from the
ignorance that he believes IL one OF
THE comon causes OF crime.
On the night the school began tho
twenty-seven men, twenty of them
colored, volunteered their desire to
attend and enrolled themselves In
the school. Every evening at Z
o'clock they hle into the corridor,
pa ssing "Murderer's Row" and the
cid cell where Guiteau was held
after he had assassinated President
GARFIELD, and take their places At
the desks. One of the registrants Is
the secretary OF q Congressman. q
prisoner for. contempt of court and
apparently choosing the course as q
barrier against ennui. Most OF the
students, however. are practically IL
literate, as their wresuings with the
elements Of education testify. Their
struggles with rudimentary express
son are Infinitely more pathetic
than those of the adult students OF
night schools in the great cities, for
their knowledge of their double
handicap of ignorance and imprison-
rent seems an actual ball and chain
upon their intellects.
OVERCOME DOUBTS.
what To- should I learn mensura-
tion?" demanded a young colored boy
of the teacher on the FIRST night Of the
sessions. He was repeating the teach
er's suggestion.
whats your trader
Me-? Use . painter"
"well, II you took q contract for
painting q house, wouldn't you want
to know just how much II was going
to cost your"
But what's that got to do with it,"
Tll show you"
He did the showing with >prae-
tical demonstration until the youth
scratched his head over an additional
aspect Of the problem.
Guess / amt never gwine to be in
no business for myself" he decided
glumly. How'd I ever get . start?"
"I'll show you" said the teacher
once more. At the end of the show
study Of mensuration. Maybe I'll
beat this III ole game yet" he voices
his hope.
The roster of the students shows a
diversity of reasons for their matricu-