INDUSTRIAL SCHOOLS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CIV, Issue 12323, 13 October 1900, Page 9

INDUSTRIAL SCHOOLS.

TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —In the necessarily very much' condensed report of my speech last night regarding Industrial Schools, there is one niisr take I would like to correct, i.e., that “religious institutions have no rights.” ’ ! was speaking of religious societies, to which referenoe has been made by a previous speaker,' and said “ religious bodies ; have no right” in connection, with Industrial-and : Reformatory Schools. They have privileges,, and responsibilities, but no rights.,' Thebb.-;-' ly Divine rights in regard-to the trainingdf our children are those of the parents and the State.—l am, etc,, H. 0. M. WATSON. ' ■ Oct. 3. ‘ TO THE EDITOR. Sir, —I have been reading the matter pub-, lished in your columns relative to industrial schools, their management, etc.,., and am simply astonished that .better headwayhas not been made respecting this social question. It goes without saying.' that ;the present industrial system, fails to, prdduejs. good moral characters; but it’has in .many instances- become the nursery of crime* Boys who would never become criminal are , made such through their- environment.'' What is required are not men simplyset', over a number of small boys and youths,-as task-masters, in such a way as to make' what should be an industrial home into an industrial prison; and the idea of stripping, a boy well on in his teens, tieing him t& "i»table and strapping him, ought to be scouted, and the individual instituting siibh.; punishment on his own responsibility should; himself be punished. Industrial institutions • should be made homes and not,prisons ■. It is remarkable that, with all that has been said concerning these institutions,’ the. Salvation Army have had nothing to''say,! and still more remarkable that some of! your contributors who profess to ,be such!' authorities on social questions have not Con-; suited some of the chiefs of the Salvitipn' Amy. In my judgment they hold the] key of the situation. If the little religious bigotry interferes with the proposal to ask' advice from the authorities of the Salvation; Amy, I should advise that a committee should ask the Premier of Victoria .with! what satisfaction does the Salvation Amy,: deal with their reformatory boys and girls,! or ask the Queensland Government the same question. ’ • v •

Some years ago I was visiting. Victoria myself, and, in addition to seeing other in- 1 ' stitutions, I visited the Reformatory Boys’: Home, under the Salvation Amy manage-; ment. On inquiry, I was told that some of the worst boys in the colony were, sup- 1 posed to bo in this institution, a - number of them being uncontrollable. “How did you get the boys?” Lqueried. “The Vic-; torikn Government handed them- over - to the Salvation Army, and I. am the officer in charge,” was the answer. • “How are you getting on with them?” was the next question. “So well that reformatory girls' are also placed in the Army’s charge." On further inquiry, I was informed that all; semblance of anything outside ‘of what' might be called home.was removed, and, he showed me the huge garden, with,the crowd of boys, with an officer here andi there, working and chatting with them. One boy was, pointed out to me as.'having! been.tlie blackest sheep of the-flock under the old industrial system. “But T gqi hold of him' quietly and alone,” the officer said, “and appealed to what I believed to be his better feelings and rising, manhood. ; I became his friend in his, moral.weakness,, pointed out all the consequences I,; could think of, took an. hourly and .’daily.interest in him, and he is now become one of. the best and, most hard-working boys of" the crowd, and all because he thinks someone cares for him.” • .... ■■ i,

It seems to me that the. Brotherhood of Man and Fatherhood of God principle, exercised in place of reform, is the great secret of success, and the fail'ure.a's the lack of human love. ', V ’ :

I do not say chastisement is unnecessary, but I do say that chastisement whliflr robs a boy of every good inspiration, and cultivates the spirit of hate, is radically, wrdpg. and ordinary phrenological science-will prove that the culmination of that, hatred means crime, and eveu murder. Many- a criminal has been made’out-,of a merely mischievous boy, because undue chastisement has been meted out to him, and hence cultivated the spirit of hate in his nature.

Trusting that these few hints may be 4 of some service to those labouring for reformation of cur wayward youth,—l am, etc-, ...... ■ PHRENG.