PENNSYLVANIA REPORT OF THE BOARD OF PUBIC CHARITIES AND COMMITTEE ON LUNACY, 1895

Forty-ninth Street and Greenway Avenue.

Visited December 9, 1895

One hundred boys, three of whom were white, the rest Indians, ranging in age from seven to twenty-one year, were in the institution. There term of training according to Government regulation is five years; as the time expires others are admitted.

Effort is made to ground the boys well in reading, writing, and arithmetic; grammar, history and geography are also taught. Not all are apt scholars, while some are advanced in their studies. At present two attend the High School, and one the University of Pennsylvania. Shoemaking is taught at the institution; printing, harness making and tailoring are learned out of the establishment; eleven of the boys go to the city and follow these trades. By way of amusement of evenings, the boys dance in their recreation room down stairs, a cheerless room with stone floor. The whole arrangement of the basement is not good, and the general impression was left that nothing was cheerful; the rooms are dark and gloomy looking, with no attractive furnishing. The dormitories likewise have not an inviting look. They are large high ceilinged rooms, but devoid of any air of comfort; the beds made up by the boys, show a want of proper supervision; the whole aspect of the house seems to point to a need of system and a want of proper oversight.

Chapel services are held on Sunday morning and Sunday school in the afternoon; the boys assemble here for morning and evening prayer.

The boys are described as being tractable and deferential, and amenable to rules and regulations, which are seldom broken. A needed improvement in the way of a larger connecting pipe to the water-main for a greater supply of water for the several needs of the establishment was just being made, the building was also being painted. There are ample fire-escapes. The present Superintendent has been in charge since June of this year.

The general health of all inmates was good.

The force of teachers, matron, assistant matron and help numbers fifteen.

Document History

• Transcribed by HS 2025-07-27