The New York herald., 1922-01-08

M by the New York Centrals slow
(locaI) trains little school was
established three months ago the pupils of
which are adults desirous Of taking advan-
tage Of the extension courses arranged by
| Columbia University and of correcting do-
fects In their early education.
This Is not an unusual wish among serious
persons, nor is 1t an unusual method OF
gratifying It, But there are some features
of the little school which unusual. One
of these is that the pupils wish to withhold
their names. And their modesty isn't due
TO the fact that they are only beginners.
The chief unusual feature is, however, that
the school is held in Sing Sing prison, and
the pupils are all convicts, who answer TO
numbers instead of to names.
For some time there has been a school of
kind in Sing Sing, where the illiterate are
taught to read and write and, perhaps, If
they displayed extraordinary brightness of
intellect or exceptional ambition, little bit
OF arithmetic also. But this is a primary
affair, well nigh a true Dame" school.
Welfare workers of the Y. NJ. c. A. thought
Of plan Of increasing the scope Of the
school, making the classes larger and more
important and urging the pupils to greater
study. They talked this plan over with Prof.
Tyson of the extension courses of Columbia,
ana scholarships to the number Of fifty were
who had passed the sixth or seventh grades
in public school would be eligible.
The secretary of the Mutual Welfare
League of Sing Sing Prison worked ener-
getically and sympathetically with others
interested in the project. and about the end
Of September the school was started
Money Bar to Courses at First.
But Welfare Workers Helped
Ii began with handful of pupils. but this
was not due to lack Of interest of the con-
victs but because so few could find the
money necessary. The Columbia courses, or
scholarships emitting these pupils to them,
we,. set at from $40 to 500, but for obvious
reasons convicts not often able to dig
down and bring up even these small
amounts. Then the various welfare agents
came to the rescue; they interested private
persons and collected the money. At present
there are forty-five convicts taking the
extension courses.
These cover variety Of subjects--history,
mathematics, languages and the arts. Eng
lish and mathematics are common to all of
them. In spite of the difficulty of finding
instructors in these branches in the prison
there were found four or five educated men.
and Il In said that these men have developed
the faculty of imparting what they know.
1t is also said that the pupils are eager and
willing.
Indeed, both Prof Tyson and Miss Day,
secretary Of the Welfare League, are quoted
as saying that results of the school so far
havr been most satisfactory
The men study on their own time. A work
day In Sing Sing is seven and half hours.
The private study can be done, and Is done,
every day after p NJ, Saturday afternoons
and holidays.
Major Lewis Il. Lawes, warden of the
prison. showed surprise when a reporter of
THE NEW YORK HERALD visited him In Sing
Sing to ask about the school. He did not
want to say much about II, he said, because
only vague things could be said owing to the
short time this innovation had been under
way.
"This does not mean that am not pleased
with 1t or that am not always encouraging
toward little and big opportunities for these
men. That is my feeling. ! consider that
prison system the best which sends man
out of prison after he has served his term
prepared to stay out and to be willing to
stay out.
"But to talk of this extension school now
is TO put forward the tail of kite. Less
than Is per cent. of our inmates have
accepted the opportunity and that leaves
lot here who stand no immediate chance of
benefitng by it. At least 30 per cent. of