* * * * *
There is a rumor that Spain will appeal to the Powers to help her in her
Cuban war.
It is said that she cannot conquer the Cubans without some aid, and, as
she can look for none from the United States, she will appeal to the
Powers.
Spain, therefore, will try to convince Europe that she ought to receive
the same kind of help that was given to Turkey, and that the Cuban
Question is of the same nature as the Cretan Question.
It is stated that an endeavor is being made to convince the Powers that
Spain's retention of Cuba is necessary for the peace of Europe.
The assertion is made that, if the United States obtains possession of
the island, serious trouble may result to the English in Jamaica, and to
the holders of the other West Indian Islands.
A similar appeal was made two years ago, and, if it is indeed renewed,
it will be interesting to see what action the Powers will now take.
Mr. Calhoun's work in Cuba is nearly done. It is expected that he will
leave Cuba about June 3d, and when he returns he will put the President
in possession of what information he has gathered.
Very little light has been thrown on the cause of Dr. Ruiz's death by
the inquiry which, as we told you, was the object of Mr. Calhoun's visit
to Cuba.
Before the inquiry was commenced, General Lee said that it would be
quite impossible to get at the truth of the matter. He declared that the
people dared not tell what they knew for fear of Weyler.
His words have proved absolutely true. Not a single witness who had any
important testimony to give appeared before the Committee.
The jailers and people around the prison who had had the care of Dr.
Ruiz came forward and made statements as to the extremely kind treatment
the doctor had received from them, and of the many privileges he had
been given.
These accounts General Lee declared to be entirely false. He said he had
several witnesses who could have proved the truth of his assertion; but
he did not call them for fear of turning the anger of the Government
against them.
The result of the inquiry was to have been in a written report, signed
by both the American and Spanish Commissioners. The two parties,
however, do not seem to be able to agree as to the facts to be stated in
this paper. Each objects to signing the report prepared by the other. It
is therefore supposed that two reports will be made; one by General Lee
to the United States, and one by the Spaniards to the Government in
Madrid.
Of course these reports will not agree with each other, and the two
governments will, after they get them, be no wiser than before the
Commission began its work.
It is stated that, under General Lee's guidance, Mr. Calhoun has seen a
great deal of the sufferings of the people, especially of the
unfortunates who have been driven into the towns.
The Cubans in Havana say that he has been much affected by the misery he
has seen, and that his report to the President is likely to urge the
necessity for immediate action.
The news that the United States is going to send relief to the starving
people has got abroad in Cuba. The poor Cubans think that the help will
be given to them as well as to the Americans, and they are crowding the
doors of the United States consulates, begging for food.
Poor souls, it seems impossible to make them understand that the Consuls
are bound to send them away empty-handed, in order to avoid trouble
between this country and Spain.
Several victories have been reported for the Cubans during the last few
days. They appear, however, to have been of no greater importance than
the majority of the battles that have taken place during the war.
Several filibustering expeditions have reached Cuba in safety, but the
_Dauntless_ has had the misfortune to get into trouble again.
Word was sent to Washington that she was taking on men and arms for
Cuba, and the United States cruiser _Marblehead_ was sent down the coast
after her.
A few miles south of Miami, Florida, the _Marblehead_ came upon a tug
carrying a cargo out to the _Dauntless_, which was lying out at sea,
with steam up ready to start at a moment's notice.
The _Marblehead_ seized the tug, and sent her back to port. The
_Dauntless_, realizing what had happened, started off down the coast as
fast as she could steam, the _Marblehead_ in hot pursuit.
At last, after a very long chase, the cruiser captured the filibuster,
and took her to Key West, where she will be placed under arrest, and
treated as the _Three Friends_ was.
It seems as if the time had come for the governments of Spain and the
United States to find a means of settling the Cuban question. This idea
is so strongly impressed on people's minds that the news of battles and
filibustering expeditions is not half so eagerly listened to as are the
debates on Cuba in the Spanish Cortes and the American Congress.
* * * * *
The Porte, as the Turkish Government is called, lost no time in sending
a reply to the note from the Powers.
Turkey said she would be quite willing to talk over the terms of peace
with the Powers, provided certain formalities about signing the
armistice and the treaty of peace were followed by the Greeks.
The European situation grows more serious daily. There is little hope of
peace being arrived at, even though the armistice has been extended
beyond the seventeen days first agreed upon. It has now been arranged
that the armistice shall last for a further period of two weeks, and
should the peace discussions not then be concluded the Porte will grant
still another two weeks.
The cause of the delay is the disposition to be made of Thessaly.
The Powers insist that Turkey shall not keep possession of this
province, and Turkey seems determined to hold it.
[**Transcriber Note: possesson changed to possession]
Troops are being sent into Thessaly daily, and it is said that Edhem
Pasha has now a force of 200,000 men under his command in the disputed
territory.
The Greeks are very much alarmed at this, and have sent an appeal to
Russia, begging her to prevent the Turks from fortifying Thessaly.
At present Russia has not had time to take any action, and Turkish
troops and arms are being hurried through the mountain passes; and fresh
volunteers are being called for in the Turkish cities. Six ships laden
with soldiers have been despatched from Constantinople, thirty-two
battalions of troops have been ordered to Thessaly from Syria, and
others have been sent to the seat of war from the Servian and Bulgarian
frontiers.
This does not look as if the Sultan intended to give up Thessaly. It is
indeed reported that he has taken a hint from the Greek occupation of
Crete, and, having seen how incapable the Powers then were to dislodge
the Greek army, he means to stay where he is and see whether they will
be any more successful in dislodging the Turkish army.
In Constantinople the feeling is running very high about keeping
possession of the coveted land. It is said that all classes, from the
Ministers to the porters on the streets, are against giving up the
conquered territory. Every possible influence is being brought to bear
upon the Sultan, to persuade him to keep Thessaly.
The Sheik, about whom we spoke last week, has again been to the Sultan,
and declared that the land conquered from the enemy must not be given
back to them.
The Sultan, meanwhile, lets no one know what he intends to do, but
carries out his own plans without letting a hint of what these plans are
escape him.
The general opinion is that Turkey will hold Thessaly and if Europe
wants her to give it up she will have to fight for it. The conviction is
growing daily that Turkey's newly found power cannot be curbed without a
great European war, the terrible European war which it was thought the
sacrifice of Greece would prevent.
Germany is very unpopular in Europe at this moment.
When the Powers were made aware of the fact that the Porte declined to
discuss the subject of giving up Thessaly, and only agreed to submit
certain parts of the treaty of peace to their consideration, they were
greatly astonished. When it was further learned that his Ministers had
urged the Sultan to regard the Powers as enemies of Turkey, Europe began
to open her eyes.
That Turkey should suddenly show such disrespect to the Great Powers
seemed impossible to believe, until it was learned that Germany was
supporting Turkey, and had assured the Sultan that if he refused to give
up Thessaly the Powers could not put him out of the conquered country.
All the rest of the Powers at once began to abuse Germany; but, if the
blame for this disgraceful situation is to be properly bestowed, it will
only be right for each of the Powers to take an equal share of it.
Had the Powers not upheld Turkey in the Cretan trouble, the chances are
that there would have been no war, and Thessaly would now be peacefully
and prosperously gathering in her harvest, instead of being robbed and
plundered by a cruel foe.
Once having joined together to assist Turkey to regain her position
among nations, it seems foolish for the Powers to try and throw the
blame on any one of themselves; they are all equally blamable.
* * * * *
It is said that King George is preparing to leave Greece.
There has been a bitter feeling against him since the failure of the
war. The people declare that the disgrace of the Greek arms was due to
the fact that the King officered his army with Court favorites, who had
had little or no military experience.
It is stated on good authority that the King is now barricaded in his
palace, and that the Powers have been appealed to, to protect him from
his people. It is feared that nothing but the presence of foreign
warships in the Piræus prevents the people from rising and trying to
overthrow the monarchy.
The captains of these ships are under orders to land the men under their
command at the first sign of trouble, and join with the police in
restoring order.
A special guard of the most trusted citizens has been recruited to help
the police in their daily work, and it is hoped that as soon as the keen
edge of their disappointment has worn off the people may return to
their old affection for their king.
* * * * *
The _Naniwa_, with the Japanese Commissioner on board, has arrived
safely in Honolulu.
There was considerable excitement among the crowds of Japanese that
lined the streets and the docks to greet the Commissioner, but there was
no disturbance of any kind. The Commissioner was politely received by
the Hawaiian Government, and no unfriendly feeling was shown by any one.
The Commissioner, whose name is Mr. Akiyama, stated that he had come on
a friendly errand. His Government had been told that the Hawaiian
Government had refused to allow Japanese emigrants to land on the
Sandwich Islands, and he had come over to investigate the matter.
He felt sure that if it should be proved that the Hawaiian Government
had acted unfairly to the emigrants, or had broken the treaty between
the two countries, there would be no trouble in arranging that a
reasonable money claim for damages should be paid to Japan.
Mr. Akiyama was most anxious to begin the inquiry as soon after landing
as possible, and so no time was lost in getting to work.
He wanted to know on what grounds the emigrants had been refused, and so
he was told the Hawaiian side of the trouble.
According to this, it began nearly two years ago, when the Hawaiian
Government made a regulation that a certain number of the laborers
employed on the plantations must be brought from other countries than
Japan.
Japan immediately asked why this regulation was made, and Hawaii replied
that she had a right to import laborers from what country she pleased.
This was the commencement of the bad feeling between the two countries
on the emigrant question. Japan, however, still continued to send over
her laboring class in vast numbers.
Under the immigration laws of Hawaii, every immigrant seeking admission
to the country is bound to have not less than fifty dollars in cash in
his pocket and a contract in his possession that will guarantee him
employment for two years.
It was brought to the attention of the Hawaiian Government by the agents
of the two steamship companies that a fraud was being practised upon the
country by these same steamship companies; each agent accusing the other
company of the misdeed.
The fraud was this:
To enable the emigrants to pass the customs officials safely, the
steamship companies agreed to carry the passengers over to Hawaii for so
much money per head, in return for which they also loaned them the
necessary fifty dollars to show the officials, and they also furnished
the required contract for their employment when they landed.
[**Transcriber's Note: funished changed to furnished]
It is hardly necessary to say that the fifty dollars was taken from them
after they were safely landed, and that the promised employment was not
given. The laborers were turned adrift to look out for themselves, as
soon as the formalities of the Immigration Bureau had been complied
with.
After the Hawaiian Government had received this information,
arrangements were made to inspect the next Japanese emigrant ship very
closely.
It was found that the agents had stated the matter correctly. Nearly all
the emigrants on board had fraudulent forms of contract. They were
refused admission and sent back to Japan.
Of twelve hundred Japanese emigrants to Hawaii in two months, over one
thousand were found to have false contracts.
Mr. Akiyama, having been acquainted with the Hawaiian cause of
complaint, persisted in declaring that it was wrong to send the
emigrants back, because it had caused much trouble and loss of money to
Japanese subjects; he further declared that by sending the emigrants
back the Hawaiian Government had broken the treaty with Japan.
He demanded that the Government should pay a sum of money to recompense
the emigrants, and give Japan an assurance that its emigrants should not
be interfered with in future.
After very careful thought, and consultations with the best lawyers in
the Sandwich Islands, the Hawaiians absolutely refused to agree to
Japan's demands. They denied absolutely that the treaty had been broken,
and refused to admit Japanese emigrants unless the laws were properly
complied with, stating very clearly that any Japanese who attempted to
enter Hawaii on fraudulent contracts would be at once sent back to
Japan.
This answer was sent to the Japanese Minister.
This gentleman is, however, very indignant with the Hawaiian Government,
and refuses to accept the answer, because of the form in which, it
reached him.
It seems that it was given to the afternoon papers at the same time it
was sent to him, and that he actually read it in the Hawaiian newspapers
before the official document reached him.
He says he shall not regard this as an answer, but will renew his
demands for a money recompense, and will keep on renewing them until
Hawaii agrees, or gives a good reason for refusing.
Should Hawaii refuse, he declares that he shall leave the islands, and,
returning to Japan, cut off all diplomatic relations with the Sandwich
Islands.
If he is driven to this action, he declares that there is only one
course open to his Government; and he darkly hints that this will be to
declare war.
* * * * *
Great preparations are being made in London for the celebration of Queen
Victoria's Jubilee.
On the 20th of June she will have reigned sixty years, and the event
will be marked by parades and processions and festivities of all kinds.
All the colonies of Great Britain have sent over soldiers and important
people to take part in the affair, and all the nations of the world are
sending representatives.
There will be kings and princes by the dozen, and great men of all races
and shades of color.
With the city filling with strangers, come from all parts of the earth
to do honor to the Queen, it has caused a good deal of surprise and pain
that Ireland should come to the front as the one nation that will not
join in the general festivities.
A resolution has been passed by the Irish party in Parliament, declaring
that it is impossible for them to take part in the Jubilee.
The Irish party declares that these rejoicings are not to celebrate the
many private and public good deeds of Her Majesty the Queen, but the
triumph and prosperity of her government, and that, as Ireland has not
shared in the prosperity, Irishmen do not feel called upon to rejoice.
They say that for the sixty years of the Queen's reign, while liberty of
thought, speech, and action has been given to all the other nations
under the English rule, Ireland has been governed against her will and
deprived of her freedom.
They declare that Ireland's population has been reduced one-half, while
Great Britain's has been doubled, and that their country has been loaded
down with taxes heavier than it could bear.
[**Transcriber's Note: heaver changed to heavier]
Under these circumstances they find it impossible to take part in the
rejoicings.
* * * * *
There has been another disappointment in connection with the Jubilee.
One of the great princes of Hindustan, the Nizam of Hyderabad, possessed
a very wonderful diamond, called the "great white diamond," which it was
his intention to present to the Queen during the celebrations.
This diamond was the largest known brilliant in the world.
It is said that it was stolen from the Kimberley Mines in South Africa,
and taken to Europe. It was such a big and costly stone that no one
could be found who wanted it; and so it was taken to India, because the
Hindu princes are very fond of fine stones and are willing to pay a
great price for them.
This great white diamond is said to have cost the Nizam of Hyderabad
about a million and a half dollars, which he was quite willing to pay to
become the possessor of the finest diamond in the world.
A short time ago it is said that he wanted to have the jewel reset
before he presented it to the Queen; and on the stone being fetched from
his cabinet he made the dreadful discovery that the real gem had been
stolen, and a paste imitation put in its place.
The Nizam, therefore, loses his million and a half, and the Queen of
England her costly present.
* * * * *
There is an amusing story about King Leopold of Belgium in connection
with the Jubilee.
It would appear that King Leopold is a very eccentric monarch, and that
it is his habit to disappear from his kingdom every now and then, and
wander about the world like an ordinary gentleman.
His little ways are well known by this time, so no anxiety is felt about
him, and the Court newspapers put in the usual accounts that His Majesty
breakfasted here, and lunched or dined there, just the same, whether His
Majesty is in the kingdom or not. Last week affairs of state got to be a
little tiresome to him, so, without a word of warning to any one, he
packed his grip, went aboard his yacht, and steamed over to England.
He was seen in London eating in cafés, strolling in the Park, and
enjoying himself in a quiet, harmless way, watching the preparations for
the Jubilee.
None of his royal relatives knew that he was in the country, until
Victoria, paying a state visit to the little town of Sheffield, was
surprised to see His Majesty the King of the Belgians standing in the
front row of the crowd that lined the sidewalks to see her pass.
Finding himself recognized, Leopold followed Her Majesty to Scotland,
and paid her a short visit. Immediately his duty was done, he started
off again on his yacht, and he has not since been heard from.
If he does not appear in state at her Jubilee celebrations, it will
probably be because he has decided to see the sights from the crowd
instead of a state carriage.
* * * * *
It will interest you to know that the police have traced the cannon
stolen from West Point.
Colonel Ernst's idea, that they were taken from the fort one by one, and
carted away in a wagon, proved to be the correct one.
They were sold to a dealer for a few cents a pound as old metal, and
apparently two of them have already been shipped to Germany to be
melted. The same dealer also bought a couple of boxes of old pieces of
brass, and it is therefore feared that the famous Monterey cannon has
been destroyed, but the authorities are not quite sure about that point
as yet.
It appears that the cannon were stolen by a plumber in Highland Falls, a
little village near West Point. This plumber, whose name is Earle, sold
them to a dealer in old metal.
The plumber and the man who bought the cannon have both been arrested,
and, if the charge is proved against them, they will both be severely
punished; the plumber for stealing the cannon and the dealer for buying
stolen goods.
* * * * *
Mr. Havemeyer and Mr. Searles have both escaped punishment.
The jury decided that neither of these gentlemen had been guilty of
contempt of the Senate, and so they have not shared Mr. Chapman's fate,
but have been set at liberty, to return to their homes and business.
* * * * *
The United States Consul at Zanzibar has sent word to the Government in
Washington that the Sultan of Zanzibar has issued a proclamation
abolishing slavery in the islands of Pemba and Zanzibar.
This good work has really been accomplished by Great Britain, for
Zanzibar has been under the protection of England since the year 1890.
The country ruled by the Sultan of Zanzibar is on the East Coast of
Africa, and consists of the islands of Pemba and Zanzibar, and a strip
of the coast, which runs from the commencement of the Mozambique Channel
to Somali Land. The Mozambique Channel is the arm of the Indian Ocean
which separates Madagascar from the mainland of Africa.
The slave trade has been carried on very extensively in Zanzibar, and
despite the attempts of the British to prevent it ships full of natives
have been brought from the mainland to be sold into slavery in Zanzibar.
These slaves were employed in the cultivation of cloves; Zanzibar grows
four-fifths of the clove crop of the world.
The inhabitants of the islands are principally Arabs, a race of men who
have always been prominent in the slave trade since first the shameful
traffic in human flesh began.
These Arabs have pleaded that the freeing of the slaves in Zanzibar will
destroy the clove industry, and that their trade will be ruined.
After carefully looking into the matter, the British decided that the
industry of the islands would not in any way be injured, and informed
the Sultan that they wished him to free the slaves.
The British power in Zanzibar is very strong, and while the Sultan is
the ruler of his kingdom in name, in actual fact he has to obey the
wishes of the British without hesitation or question.
England, therefore, prepared the decree freeing the slaves in the
islands of Zanzibar and Pemba, and the Sultan obediently signed it.
This decree states that the slave-owners will be paid for the loss of
their slaves; and if the Government has not enough money in its treasury
to do this, Great Britain will give what extra money is needed.
It is said that slavery was never abolished in any country with less
trouble or disturbance.
No great changes are looked for. The negroes will now be paid for their
labor, and have the right to choose their own employers; but it is
expected that nearly the whole body of freed slaves will remain on the
plantations where they have been working.
It is estimated that about a quarter of a million slaves were liberated.
* * * * *
The United States had a shock of earthquake the other day, which was
felt in the States of Ohio, West Virginia, Tennessee, and Georgia.
Buildings were shaken, and in Atlanta the shock was so severe that
pictures and wall-hangings were thrown violently from the wall.
An earthquake is a movement of the earth's crust, caused by volcanic
action. The earth moves as it were in waves, billowing like the waters
of the ocean.
The destructive nature of earthquakes depends very much upon the nature
of the ground. Sometimes the movement will be felt very slightly, and no
damage will be done. At others, a hard bed of rock will lie in the path
of the wave; it will not bend and move the rest of the ground, but
splits in two, and then a fissure, or opening in the ground, is formed.
* * * * *
There is a new break in the levees near New Orleans.
Since the Mississippi River began to fall, the danger was supposed to be
over, and the guards and inspectors who had been patrolling the levees
became a trifle careless.
The present break, therefore, found the people quite unprepared to deal
with it; and it was some hours after the trouble had occurred before
help could be obtained.
This new crevasse is said to have been caused by the caving in of the
bank, a thing which often happens as the waters subside.
The engineers had been warned that this might happen, but unfortunately
did not heed the warning.
The direct result of the Mississippi floods will be an appeal to the
United States Government to take charge of the levees along the entire
length of the river.
These matters at present are managed by Levee Boards, who control the
banks of the river for certain distances, and through certain districts.
Each Board has the power to do the work for its own district in the
manner that seems best to it.
There has, so far, been no general meeting of the various Boards to
decide on the best kind of levee to build, but each has done the work
independently of the other, and put up the best levees it could afford
with the funds it had.
In view of the widespread distress caused by the floods this year it is
thought that some better system should be adopted, and that all the
levees should be under one board of management.
Daring the recent floods, it was found that certain levees were able to
withstand the force of the waters better than others, and the farmers
all along the river are insisting that when the new levees are built
they shall be of the kind that withstood the flood.
It has been felt that the work should be taken in hand by some one body
which should have control of both banks of the river throughout its
entire length. Want of money prevents the dwellers of the Mississippi
Valley from doing this for themselves, and so the appeal to the
Government has been made.
Should the request be granted the dwellers along the river will be
relieved of one great anxiety. When the waters run very high the people
along each bank would be glad if the bank on the opposite side would
break and relieve the pressure on their side, and so several times men
have been wicked enough to cut the levees opposite, and allow the
floods to pour over their neighbors' lands.
This has resulted in bad feeling and distrust, and now, whenever the
river rises, men patrol the banks, carrying loaded guns, and shoot
without mercy any persons who are suspected of having evil designs on
the levee.
In New Orleans, during the late flood, a strong demand was made that
some of the country levees might be cut, so that the town would be safe
from the fear of a flood.
You can imagine the bad feeling that this caused. The farmers did not
see why they should be ruined to save the city, and the city people did
not see why the farmers should mind having their fields under water, to
save the misery and distress of a flood in the city.
If the Government took charge of the work all this trouble would be
ended. The levees would be properly built, kept in repair, and guarded,
and no one would dare to interfere with the property of the Government.
It will be a splendid thing for the dwellers in the Mississippi Valley
if it is arranged that the Government controls the levees, but it will
cost the country a great deal of money. Twenty-five million dollars to
begin with, and more than five millions every year afterward, is the
estimated cost.
* * * * *
An experiment to make gold out of other metals has been attempted in
Washington.
Ever since the world was young, men have been trying to discover a means
of making gold.
The old alchemists, who were accused of being magicians, and having
dealings with the powers of evil, were always trying to make gold.
Apparently no one ever succeeded.
Lately, a man from Chicago, a Mr. Brice, went to the Government and
asked for a patent on a method of making gold, which he offered to sell
the Government.
It has long been known to scientists that the precious metals, silver
and gold, are present in many of the baser metals, such as antimony and
lead.
Mr. Brice claimed that he could extract the gold from these metals, and
that he could also make gold.
When he applied for his patent it was refused to him, on the ground that
he had not shown that the work could really be done. He continued to ask
for the patent; and, as the laboratory of the Patent Office was too
small for him to show his process to the authorities, he was allowed to
use the laboratory of the Mint Bureau for his experiments.
A committee of scientists was appointed to conduct the experiments, and
Mr. Brice furnished them with his formula for making the gold.
The first experiments were tried with metals that were known to contain
gold and silver. From these, by Mr. Brice's process, eighty-four per
cent of the gold was recovered and fifty-six per cent of the silver.
They then tried to make gold from minerals that were free from the
precious metals, but this experiment failed; no gold resulted.
In making their report of the attempts to make gold, the committee
pronounced them failures.
They said, first, that in the attempt to extract gold from metals known
to contain gold and silver, Mr. Brice's process had only extracted a
portion of this metal.
Second, that the claim of making gold was entirely without foundation.
Mr. Brice replied to this, by complaining that the commission did not
follow his formula.
He declared that certain chemicals had been used which he had expressly
stated would ruin his process if added to his formula. He said that the
commission had also declined to use a certain apparatus which he
insisted was absolutely necessary to obtain the desired results.
Mr. Brice says he will go to England and try his experiments there, and
offer Great Britain the wonderful secret which the United States has
refused.
* * * * *
A new method for using electricity instead of steam has been tried on
the railroad.
It has proved to be such a success that many people declare that the
days of the steam locomotive are numbered, and electricity will soon be
used in its stead.
The plan was tried on the New England Railroad, between Hartford and New
Britain.
It is called the "third-rail system," and consists of a third rail, laid
down in the centre of the tracks, between the ordinary supporting rails.
This third rail looks like a capital A, flattened down. It is laid on
blocks of wood, and through it the electric current passes to the cars.
An arrangement is made by which the current is carried from the rail to
the motor, which is in the truck of the passenger-car.
A great rate of speed can be gained with the third-rail system, ten
miles having been made in thirteen and a half minutes.
It is rumored that the elevated road will most probably adopt the
third-rail system, and if this is done the journey from Harlem to the
Battery may be made in fifteen minutes.
The great drawback to this system is that the current is exposed, and
persons crossing the tracks are liable to get a very severe shock.
The current used will be six hundred volts, and, while the company
insists that this will not kill any one, they are of the opinion that it
would be better to avoid the shock if possible.
* * * * *
A new school was opened the other day in East Twenty-first Street, New
York City.
Though girls will be admitted into it, it is especially a school for
boys, as you will understand when you learn that it is a Truant School.
It is one of the laws of our country that children must attend school.
Parents who do not send their children are fined, and children who play
truant when they are sent to school are also punished.
For years it has been the custom to arrest all truants, or children who
will not attend the public schools. If the magistrate found that the
culprit was a bad boy, who continually stayed away from school, he would
commit him to a Reformatory.
Many people have felt that this was not the right thing to do, for,
while boys who play truant are certainly very naughty, they are not
necessarily wicked boys who need to be sent to a Reformatory. The
truant school has therefore been founded to prevent this. This school
is in fact a big boarding-school. The truants who are brought in are
housed and fed and taught. They are treated with the greatest kindness,
but are constantly under the eye of the teacher, and forced to study.
Any boy who misconducts himself in the Truant School is sent to a
Reformatory; but the other lads are kept at their work for a certain
period, and then allowed to go back to their homes, if they agree that
they will attend school regularly in future.
Boys who behave nicely are given leave of absence to go home and see
their parents from Saturday to Monday.
The boys are treated exactly as if they were at boarding-school, the
only difference being that they are never allowed to go outside the
walls of the school.
They have every comfort, with playrooms, and gymnasiums, and yards for
exercising; but out into the street they cannot go.
On the upper floors are neat white dormitories and bathrooms, and
washrooms.
Their only hardship is that they must study. They cannot escape their
daily lessons, nor the certainty of being sent to a Reformatory if they
give trouble.
The truants will have to stay in school till late in July, several weeks
longer than the regular schools. This is to teach them that it pays boys
better to be good and go to school at proper times.