Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1922-04-19
FINE WORK OF STATE
GIRLS SCHOOL DESCRIBED
TO LEAGUE WOMEN VOTERS

The work which the State School
for Girls at Hallowell is doing in the
development of the girls sent there.
was ably described Tuesday night by
Miss Gertrude Mcdonald the super
| intendent of the institution. at a
meeting of the Augusta League Of
Women Voters held in the Y. NJ. c.
A. assembly hall
Miss Mcdonald first told the his
tory of the school. of its foundation
i'll the seventies and of it's growth I'M
til it now numbers nine buildings.
She told of the many things which
have been done. such as the provis-
ion of the water supply and other
/ things The government of the school
is vested in q board of trustees APP
pointed by the Governor. They meet
every two months. The direct Su-
pervision of the institution is given
to the superintendent and in addition
each cottage has a matron, assistant
matron and teacher. The girls are
committed to the school not for any
definite sentence. There have been
1l44 girls placed in the school since
it was founded.
A careful history of the girl is
made at the time of entrance and all
of the reports that are made of her
while in the school or under its di-
rection are carefully preserved for
future reference. Girls are assigned
to cottages and there their education
begins. first in the care of their room
and later in a cooking course which
all girls are obliged to take There
are also other courses such as sew
ing and other kinds of domestic
training
Their religious training is care
fully watched as are their amusc-
ments. They have morning and eve
ming devotions and are marked on
their conduct during the day They
! have recesses during tie day and
during the evening they dance to the
+, tune Of the Nictrola with which all
Of the cottages are equipped. There
ale parties. Il school paper and other
forms of amusement in which they
participate.
Many of the girls are paroIed.
there being now 221 in the school
with so or parole. They are placed
in the homes of good people. mostly
in the country. The girls are sti1
under the supervision of the school
and can be taken away at any time
for cause. They are expected to
work faithfully, but not beyond their
strength and are paid according to
I
their ability. OF this money, one half
must be sent to the school and the
remainder is given to the girl If she
shows discretion in her spending. If
she does not. then she receives
small weekly amount and the rest is
spent according to some plan worked
out to tit each individual case
One reason that the girls arc
mostly sent to the country is that
there they are received into the
family and so they feel better and
conduct themselves better than they
will in place where they are kept
to themselves. They are given Il
chance to prove that they viii be
able to take care of themselves when
they attain a legal age
hlSS AltbOlldiu Sulu tlldI SIlc mas
visited many similar institutions in
other parts of the country and that
she thinks that the one at HalIoWell
is one of the best. giving the girls all
the chance in the world to live right.
and at the same time giving them
much freedom.
Previous to the speaker the regu-
lar business meeting was held with
Mrs. Merrill, the president in the
! chair. An outline of the activities of
the American Women's Hospitals in
France, Serbia. Armeni and Russia
was read and it was voted to con-
tribute to this cause.
Mrs. w. II. Pattangall has already
left the city and Mrs. Walter Thur
Der and Miss Rosamond Conner will
soon leave to go to the National
| Convention Of the League which is
to be held in Baltimore, Md, the last
Of the month.