The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1921-04-25
SOCIAL DERELICTS SAVED.
Practical Vacations Are Taught in
Washington Jail.

I'm educational system Is in full oper-
alton III The District of Columbia which u
presupp0aeS not the budding mind OF
the child beginning schooling but adult |
experience; III TACT, Il past, Il recorded !
past. For no one can get into the ,
schools conducted by Charles 4. Eos |
ter unless he has been passed upon by a |
public tribunal, or, in other words, sent
to jail. Only those temporarily de
priyed OF liberty are eligible to maJricu-
are, however, no truants. The terms
vary according to the individual allot-
ments, and some leave the institutions
which house the schools before they
have been graduated from the school
classes. IN cases OF graduation, how
ever, the second system has already
proven its success as a pathological eN
pertinent.
The Foster schools began with the es-
adjustment OF Il school in the Jefferson
county Jail at Louisville, Ky. where MIR.
Foster was jaIler. 1t was the logical
working out of the idea that the lack
OF real education Is the cause OF
large percentage of minor crime in the
United States. The iailer put the theory
into practice. 1t worked so we'll that
the records show that out of 800 grad
yates of the school only one was ever
TesentenCed to the Jail.
When the Louisville man was APP
pointed to the SUPPLEMENTARY of the
District of Columbia institutions, the
wOrkhOuse at OCcuquan and the reform
atory at LoTton, Va, he again applied
the theory, although the war conditions
that existed then made the work OF es
Establishment of the schools Il little slow
They are now in full operation and to
them has been added Il fourth, the
school in the District of Columbia jail,
i'll the city of Washington, of which Mr.
Foster Is also superintendent.
The Washington fail school, which
has started with voluntary enroll
ment of twentyeight pupils. holds SEES
| ceilinged corridor lighted by tall win
| dows that, save by their bars, have a
cathedral effect. Two rows of desks face
| n teachers platform and a blackboard.
/ Each desk is equipped with elementary
| text books. pencils, pens and paper.
To some of the students the text
/ books are not entirely necessary. One
/ who enrolled Is the secretary OF con-
! gresham from a Western state. be is
! soiOuTning in Jail for contempt OF court
/ and evidently Joined the class to while
| away the dull hours. Most OF the pupils,
/ however, are illtcrate.
The Jail teacher. acting under the guild
! auce of the superintendent. has nstl-
/ tuted the individual method. lie lS
/ teaching a young colored man mensufa
/ tjon. so that the latter may be able TO
/ figure the cost of painting Jobs when he
/ Is free to work at his trade. lie m
/ struCts former team7tcr IN rudlmenl
AIRY accounting. He is laboriously
showing a middle-agcd man how to
spell. He has found the goal of all
those who have any, and is trying to
! set goals for those who have none.
| 1t is individual vocational training.
/ The teacher himself Is a prisoner. HIS
| educational proficiency did not Keep hm
out of Jail. for he has an Atlanta rec
| ord back of his sentence. but the super
;p+anGau+ IL Tot 6fscour.l vp1 about him