RESCUED FROM EVIL HOMES.

Colonist, Volume LII, Issue 1271, 12 February 1910, Page 4

RESCUED FROM EVIL HOMES.

In the "Nineteenth Century" Mrs. ( j Barron relates the history of what may be called a Lilliputian republic, which lias been founded in the State of Now I'ork for the reclamation ot : youthful waifs and strays of both sexes, originally gathered together in the Empire City by a public-spirited philanthropist named George, and organised as a community upon a block of 300 acres cf good agricultural land, nine miles from the town of Ithaca. Mrs. Barron appears to be under tho impression that the experiment is a novelty ; but a similar one was instituted for similar objects, namely", the conversion of such waifs and of youthful criminals into industrious and iipright men and women, many years ago at Mettray, in France, and is still ! in active operation, we believe. The citizens of the young republic are boys and girls from the age of 14 to 21, who havo been taken from evil homes and surroundings, and rescued from lives of sin. "They are selfgoverning, make their own laws, elect their president, judges, police, and other officers. They punish each other, passing sentence in court quite independently of Mr. George or the superintendent, who are nevertheless always present." They have a school ■ house, library, ..undenominational " chapel and Sunday school. The motto . is "Nothing- without. Labour" ; and among other workshops are thoso of. the joiners, carpenters, printers, bakers, and lauudresscs. There are ten colleges, with a house mother to each, and upon her devolves the training and development of the boys and girls. Every citizen of the- republic pays for his or her board, lodging.and | clothing out of his or her earnings, and tho lazy are treated as vagrants, and sent to a workhouse, where labour is compulsory. Tho land is, of course, cultivated by tho boys. Many of the lads have taken good degrees at' Harvard and Cornell iiniversities, and others are occupying good positions in society. The George Junior Republic, as it is called, was founded on the 10th of July, 1895, and has proved •"a wonderfully humanising -scheme for the reformation of character." It has been so thoroughly successful, indeed, that, as Mrs Barren tells us, "it is being enthusiastically adopted by the States, and philanthropists from all parts of the world go thitheir to see Mr George • and inquire the methods of his work."

A corner section in Manchester street, Feilding, with a single-storey brick building, was sold at £100 per foot, the total price being £2250. Dogfish, which were formerly regarded as a post, arc now being caught in largo quantities by the Cornish fishermen and sold as food at lemunoiutive prices. An Australian settler put in 150 acres of wheat tin's season by himself, and harvested it unaided. After yokl ing up the, team each day lie drove the stripper, and in the moonlight sewed up the bags filled during the day. Judge Cannon, who has been investigating the civic affairs of Montreal, finds that they arc "simply saturated with corruption and soaked with patronage '■' He declares that 25 per cent, of the civic revenue has been sunk in bribes, 'and recommends the prosecution of eight aldormon and several officials.