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THE ADVOCATE AND NEWS. 1808. 3 TWO STATE INSTITUTIONS. , THE STATE REFORM SCHOOL. BY MlrtS NELLIE CHAMBERS. Three and one-half miles north of To peka, in the richest valley within the borders of the most fertile State In the Union, is situated the "Reform School for Boys." Here 225 as line looking boys as ever spun a top or robbed a bird's nest spend their time growing up into man hood and citizenship. A group of fine brick buildings at the foot of the hills, surrounded by a beau tiful lawn of twenty acres, form a State home for Incorrigible and abandoned boys. The farm contains 200 acres of the finest Kansas land. This summer we tramped over the place to Its remotest corners and never was there a farm In more admirable condition. With Its wood-lawn of twenty acres, crossed and recrossed by splendid drives; watered by a beautiful fountain; covered with the most stately trees and lovely flowering shrubs, we thought It one of the "garden spots of the State." Do the boys work? There are twenty acres of fine Kansas potatoes, five acres of sweet potatoes, three acres of toma toes, 100 bushels of "snap beans" on the vine, great quantities of radishes and lettuce, seventy-five acres of corn, be side millet, sorghum and grasses, con vince your correspondent that Idleness Is not cultivated. Grapes, raspberries, blackberries, currants, cherries and oth er fruits load their tables and teach the boys the value of horticulture. We are informed that the potatoes alone, sold at the market price, will run the Institution for the next two months. The farm will produce 250 hogs during this year; fifty head of cattle are kept on the farm and four teams of horses do the work. Forty employees superintend the ed ucational and industrial development of these little wards of the State. Strict discipline, hard work and close confine ment to the farm make this an admirable place for a boy. The boys not only do the outdoor work, but they also have Indoor Indus tries. At one end of the main building Is a large airy room known as the sew ing room. Here they are taught to make their own clothes and to do the neces sary mending. The work Is character ized by neatness and precision and every one in the room full of busy boys does his task easily and gladly. Some young man is here serving his apprenticeship who will perhaps become a successful tailor. The laundry is supplied with many machines to make the work lighter and more convenient. Any one who sees the interior of the laundry will perceive that the process of washing and Ironing in this great Institution is very different from that In a private residence. Dur ing the hot summer months this work Is neither pleasant nor agreeable, yet each boy does his share cheerfully and will ingly. Almost every Kansan has heard of and admired the Reform School band, many of whose members possess real musical talent. The band renders with success many of our greatest composers' most difficult pieces of music. Their former instructor has always aided in and taken great Interest in their prosperity and good furtune. All of the boys receive military train ing from Major Anderson, and as they march and drill they exhibit a skill and precision which excite surprise and ad miration. Many of these young men would make gallant defenders of their country's flag and brave fighters In the cause of humanity. The beautiful flower beds and plants loaded with blossoms are the product of two large greenhouses connected with the institution. The boys have the entire care of these and they feel that the re sults amply repay them for their toil and trouble. There are play rooms and a large play ground where the boys spend much of their leisure time and where they have line times together. Since the Institution has been under the care of the present Superintendent, J. M. Hat, there has been practically no sickness and only one death the result of an accident. The teachers and officers are willing and capable of doing their duties well. They are in perfect harmony with their little charges and nothing disturbs the peace and quiet The incoming Legislature should fully comprehend the needs of thl3 Important institution in so prosperous a State as Kansas. Here is the State's home for the unfortunate boys who find their way to this place, stay for a time, and then are discharged to become citizens of our State. Other industrial pursuits should be provided by the State In addition to ag riculture. More room should be pro vided for the care of the boys In order that they may be kept here during the formative period of their characters. A small machine shop and a black smith shop should be erected and fully equipped with tools and machines; car penter and cabinet work should be taught; brush drawing and basket mak ing would be profitable. In short, all these much-needed Improvements would require an appropriation of $100,000, di vided about as follows: Cottage, $35, 000; renewal of steam plant, $15,000; new barn in place of one destroyed by fire, $2,500. The remainder of the appropria tion should be applied to the building of shops and the introduction of new In dustries. It Is cheaper for the State to make good, useful citizens of the boys confined here than to turn them out upon the public but partially educated and with half-learned trades. These boys, properly cared for, would all become good citizens useful to society, and the State can well afford to protect the weakest of Its citizens. THE INDUSTRIAL REFORMATORY. BY HENRY O. EVANS. The Reformatory is located on a farm of 640 acres, about one and one-half miles southeast of the city of Hutchin son, and consists of three large stone buildings, furnished throughout with all of the modern improvements of the day. The cell house has accommodations for 200 Inmates, and there Is an additional cell block now in course of construction which will have accommodations for fifty more, making a total of .250 cells. There are three more cell houses to be built in the near future, or as soon as the Legislature meets and makes an ap propriation for them, and when that Is done the Reformatory can accommodate 800 Inmates here. At present there are 203 inmates confined here, guarded and cared for by thirty-eight officers and guards. The law provides that only those be sent here who are between the ages of 16 and 25, although there are quite a number here who are consider ably older. Those who are here now are well clothed, fed and cared for; In fact, better cared for than when they were cit izens. They attend Sunday school and preaching on Sunday, and most of the teachers, If not all, are ladies from the city who voluntarily do thl3 work, not for pay or applause, but for the sake of reclaiming these boys. The rules of the institution are neces sarily very strict, but not Irksome, and the rules governing the officers and guards while on duty are almost as binding as those governing the boys. The work In the house and on the farm is all done by the boys, and the majority of them are good workmen. Although drones are to be found here as well as elsewhere, nevertheless those who are able must work. So far there has been but one death in the institution, which speaks well for the sanitary conditions and the medical department, under the super vision of Dr. Hutchinson. There are many bright boys here, who no doubt will make good and useful cit izens, while there are quite a number that will never make anything but crim inals. It is the aim of the management to make this institution self-sustaining as nearly as possible, but it will take time and money to accomplish their aim. I would deem my letter very incom plete were I to close my letter without a word in regard to the genial superin tendent, Mr. S. W. Case, for he is a big. whole-souled, kind-hearted gentleman of the true Christian type, and he may not be an expert in reformatory work, but he rules with a firm yet kindly hand, and Is respected and loved almost as a father by every one of the boys. His aim Is to carry out in letter and spirit the object of the institution, and I am glad to say that he Is doing it as none other could do it. If I were to go into details and describe the workings of the shops the shoe shop, tailor shop, laundry, car penter shop, blacksmith shop, engine room, barber shop, kitchen and dining room, it would require more space than Is available. Some statistics as to the Inmates may be of interest. Of the 277 persons re ceived at the reformatory for two years prior to June 30, 1898, the greatest part of the number found their way here through some kind of theft Over two thirds of the inmates are In for stealing. Eighty-four committed burglary, 110 grand larceny, 7 larceny in a dwelling house, 1 larceny in a railroad depot, 7 In railroad cars, 1 in a store room and 1 stole from the pocket of another person. There are nine Inmates who narrowly escaped being murderers, and are in the reformatory for assault with Intent to kill. Nineteen are in for forgery, two for embezzlement and three for as.iault with Intent to rob. Four were conlctel for manslaughter. Among the rest of the inmates there are a number for different crimes. Four were convicted of arson, one of obstruct ing a railroad and one of poisoning a do mestic animal. A Kansas Hand Book. The enterprising passenger depart ment of the Santa Fe Route has issued, for free distribution, an exceedingly in teresting and instructive hand book on "What's the Matter With Kansas?" It contains answers to this Important ques tion from the Governor, several ex-Governors, other State officials, editors of newspapers, farmers and creamery men, with two full-page maps of the State and statistics by counties which show that the State Is exceedingly prosperous, her fields very productive, her granaries overflowing, her mineral resources inex haustible and her banks burdened with surplus money. Among many other good things It says that Kansas raised more wheat in a single year than any other State in the Union; Kansas raises over three bushels of corn for every man, wo man and child In the United States; Kansas has the biggest orchard In the world and furnishes apples for the royal households of England and Germany; Kansas has some of the richest cement beds in the world; Kansas has salt mines that are richer than those of Mich igan; Kansas has millions of acres that are underlaid with an unlimited supply of petroleum; Kansas has railroad mile age that is only exceeded by two States in the Union, and that Kansas can raise enough grain and garden truck to sup ply a million more residents without half trying. It also shows that Kansas lands are cheap, that the climate Is mild and healthy, the markets convenient and good, her schools and churches unsur passed and her crops as reasonably cer tain as in any other place in the Union and much more so than in many other States. This valuable hand book will make every resident of Kansas who reads it proud that he is a Kansan and every non-resident who reads it will wish that he might be a resident of this grand commonwealth. If you want a copy or want one sent to a friend who ought to live in Kansas, write to the General Passenger Agent of the Santa Fe, Topeka, Kas. Gold Production Increases. The statement of the national Treas ury department regarding gold produc tion in the United States and in the world 6hows that the mines of the United States produced more gold In the year 1897 than In any preceding year, except those of the great gold development of California 1852-3-4. The gold produc tion of the United States In 1897 Is given at $G7.3G3,000, while that of 1852 was $00,000,000, that of 1853, $G5,000,000, and that of 1854, $60,000,000. Colorado Is shown to have taken, In 1897, first place In the raffk of gold-producing States, her production In that year being $19,114,200, against $14,618,300 by California, while prior to that time California had constantly stood at the head of gold-producing States. The coinage of gold by tho United States mints in 1897 was $64,631,865, which Is nearly 50 per cent, greater than the average annual coinage since 1870. Tho statements covering the gold pro duction of the world are also especially Interesting. They Bhow by stated pe riods the amount of gold produced in the world since the discovery of America, th total value of the gold produced from 1492 to 1898 (estimating 1897 at $240,00;), 000), being $9,023,320,600, of which amount $6,065,097,600 has been produced since 1850, the product of the last half century being thus double that of the preceding 350 years. MANY A HUSBAND cannot persuade his Invalid wife to con sult physicians because she very natur ally dreads the inevitable examinations and "local treatments." He can .per suade her, if she needs persuasion, to take Dr. Pierce's Favorite Prescription. This truly wonderful medicine has cured hundreds of women after the best physi cians have failed. It has been in con stant use and tested every day for thirty years. It Isn't an experiment, there are no chances about it. It is a certain and infallible cure for all derangements pe culiar to women. Those who care to know all about it, and to receive the best medical work ever prepared for the eral public are Invited to send twenty one 1-cent stamps, to cover cost of mail ing only, and receive a copy of Dr. Pierce's thousand-page book, "Common Sense Medical Adviser." Address World's Dispensary Medical Association, Buffalo, N. Y. Send to this office for clubbing rates with other papers. We can save you money. rfe ft cv PP 'I Mrs. Perkins. Jack Burroughs' wife told me that all last Winter he was poorly and had no appetite, but that in March the man from New York, who boarded with them at the farm last Summer, sent him some Ripans Tabules and they seemed to hit the trouble, whatever it was. Jack was brighter the very next day, had a better appetite and now his health is ever so much better than it has been at any time before in ten years. Mrs. Cole. I have noticed that he walks more briskly and his eyes are brighter, but did not know the cause of the changs. Mrs. Perkins. The cause is Ripans Tabules, and one gives relief.