The Feeble-minded.- The Ohio legislature has provided for a custodial department in connection with the School for Feebleminded at Columbus. $70,000 have been appropriated, and 1,000 to 1,500 acres of land will be purchased for this department.

Penology. In Indiana the "State Prison, South," at Evansville, became the "Indiana Reformary" April 11, 1897. It receives convicts under thirty years of age. In Wisconsin Hon. James E. Heg, president of the Wisconsin State Board of Control, has been appointed superintendent of the new State Reformatory for Young Men, under erection at Green Bay. 2,000 acres of land have been purchased. A cell-room, with a capacity of 100, is under contract. The reformatory will be modelled as much as possible after the Elmira Reformatory, and is expected to have an ultimate capacity of 600 inmates.

Pauperism.- In Indiana and Ohio laws have been passed, levying taxes upon the townships for poor relief given by township authorities. Heretofore township authorities in both States have given relief, drawing upon the county treasury, resulting in extravagance and other abuses. The Ohio poor law has been recodified. The word "pauper," has been eliminated. The obligations of public agencies have been defined. The county infirmary directors are responsible for permanent care at county expense. Township trustees are responsible for temporary relief at township expense. The law provides that township or corporation officers may, in their discretion, accept the investigations of charity organization societies instead of making investigations themselves.

WESTERN STATES AND TERRITORIES.

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State Boards. The legislature of Washington passed an March 7, 1897, establishing a "State Board of Audit and Control," and abolishing the boards of trustees of the State correctional and charitable institutions. The board consists of four unpaid members, and a fifth, known as "the commissioner of public institutions," with. a salary of $1,500.

The Insane. In Arizona the insane hospital "is run on a nonpartisan basis." It has 168 patients. California maintains 5,063 patients in five State asylums. It is one of the few States providing for all of their insane in State institutions. Colorado provides for 431 insane; New Mexico, 40; Oregon, 1,140; Utah, 269.

The Feeble-minded.— California is the only Western State which makes provision for the feeble-minded. The home at Eldridge cares

for 525.

Epileptics.- California has provided for the establishment of an epileptic colony, to accommodate 500 epileptics. No other Western State has made such provision.

Dependent Children.- A Masonic Home for Widows and Orphans, to cost about $75,000, is under erection in California. The State of California supported last year in private institutions 1,517 orphans, 7,509 half-orphans, 937 abandoned children, 389 foundlings,— total, 10,352,— at a cost to the State of $333,500 (apparently, this includes all children cared for, for a longer or shorter time). Idaho has no institutions for children. The Odd Fellows have projected a home at Idaho Falls. Oregon gives State aid to six institutions for children. Utah has only two institutions for dependent children, containing about 75 children.

Delinquent Children.— The Arizona legislature of 1897 appropriated $17,000 to complete the Reform School at Flagstaff; and a Rescue Home, for women and girls, has been established at Phœnix. In Idaho "youthful offenders have to be tolerated, reprimanded judicially, or committed to the jails or penitentiary." The Utah legislature of 1897 passed a law "for the establishment of parental schools for incorrigible children"; but no schools of this class have yet been reported.

Penology. The Idaho legislature provided that convicts shall be conducted to the penitentiary by the warden or guards detailed. The Board of Pardons is now authorized to parole prisoners not known to have received a previous sentence for felony, after serving at least one-third of their full term. The Utah legislature passed a law to give convicts a portion of their earnings.

CANADA.

The Canadian Conference of Charities and Correction was to meet May 11, 1898.

The secretary of the Prison Association has been investigating institutions for inebriates, on a special commission. He has reported against the adoption of any proprietary or secret remedies, but in favor of medical treatment in penal institutions in conjunction with.

an indeterminate sentence; also in favor of the adoption of the probation system for hopeful cases of drunkenness and for other offenders as well.

In these reports two things of special interest to this Conference are noticeable: first, the general trend toward better methods and higher standards; second, the perceptible influence of the National Conference of Charities and Correction and the several State conferences in causing and promoting this trend.

All of which is respectfully submitted,

HASTINGS H. HART,
MARY HALL,

TIMOTHY NIcholson,

Committee on Reports from States.

ALABAMA.

BY MISS JULIA S. TUTWILER, CORRESPONDING SECRETARY.

The legislature of Alabama meets biennially in the even years. Consequently there has been no important changes since our last. Conference. At that time the ten years' lease of the company which had been hiring most of the State convicts was about to expire. Before going to Toronto, I visited our newly elected governor, and asked him whether I might say to the Conference in my report, on his authority, that the State convicts would be leased to no company or individual without the giving of a pledge that, wherever one hundred convicts were leased, night schools for colored and white should be conducted by competent mission teachers. Governor Johnston assured me that I might make this statement with safety. In fulfilment of this promise, five teachers are now at work. These also conduct Sunday-schools and visit the hospitals daily. When certain necessary buildings are ready, the promise will doubtless be fully redeemed by the appointment of the teachers still needed.

There is an unfortunate distinction in this State between county convicts and State convicts. Any person convicted for a crime requiring less than two years' imprisonment is a county convict, and remains under the care of the county. The president of the Board of Convict Inspectors has authority to inspect the condition of these

prisoners also; but, as each county hires them out in any part of the State that it chooses, they are so scattered that thorough supervision is impossible. It is also impossible to provide instruction except for those who have been hired to these lessees, who have also a large number of State convicts. The county convicts are employed by the lessees in various ways,—some in mining, some in saw-mills, and some in ordinary plantation work. The contract with the county is generally only for one year. The price paid is $6.50 per month. The lessees must pay this for all convicts, whether male or female, sick or well. As the proportion of women, children, and old men is very small, this provision is not a serious drawback to the profits of the lessee. He is not required to build a prison; but, if the convict escape or die before the expiration of the time for which he is leased, the lessee must still pay for the whole time. Now, if these lessees can make money out of this arrangement,and they would not lease the convicts except for profit, why cannot some penologist, who wishes to study by the laboratory method, hire from counties some of these petty criminals, place them on a farm in conditions not too different from those to which they have been accustomed, and demonstrate to the State that there is a way to transform these burdens into good and useful citizens? I speak advisedly when I say that land for this experiment will be loaned without expense for any number of years to any responsible person. The houses should be log cabins, such as can be built for twentyfive dollars each, if there is woodland on the farm. In fact, they will cost even less than this if the men build them themselves. A large room for the night school and Sunday services will not cost much. If the experimenter does not design to make money, but only to pay expenses, I think he need not fear failure. All provisions can be made on the farm, besides a crop large enough to pay for the hire of the convicts. If some such simple industry as broom-making could be added, in order to utilize the labor of the men in weather unsuited for farming work, there would be still less danger of a deficit, especially if the materials for the brooms was produced on the farm. There is very little danger that the hands will run away. In order to make this still less, it would be well to follow the French plan, and set aside a small proportion of the earnings of each man, to be given to him at his release. Tickets representing the amount due should be given out at the end of each week. The tickets

should be of different bright colors, one for the nickel, one for the dime, one for the quarter, and one for the dollar. They should be non-transferable, and redeemable only at the expiration of the sentence. The childish pleasure of stringing them together and hanging them up conspicuously on the cabin wall, and seeing the string grow longer from week to week, would do much to keep the inmates satisfied.

That respect for each other's rights which is essential to good citizenship can be best taught by having them live in small families in separate cabins. If the conditions surrounding them during the time of detention are wholly different from those of their past and future lives, the virtues inculcated during their time of punishment will seem extraneous elements of life, and will probably fall away from them when they leave the tutelage of the lessee; but, if their life is in many respects similar to that which they have always led, with order, cleanliness, and system added, there is hope that the new habits may take firm root and continue to grow.

I will gladly give further information in private to any one who is interested in the subject.

ALASKA.

BY SHELDON JACKSON, D.D., LL.D., CORRESPONDING SECRETARY.

No means have been provided in Alaska for the care of orphans, old people, deaf and dumb, blind or insane persons. The governor in his report for 1897 says: "If an insane person can be turned into a criminal, he can be taken care of, otherwise not. A number of sad cases have already occurred. The marshal of the district should have a special fund to draw upon, when insane persons come under his care." The bill now pending before Congress provides: "He [the governor] shall, subject to the direction and approval of the Secretary of the Interior, advertise and receive bids, and in behalf of the United States contract from year to year with a responsible asylum or sanatorium west of the main range of the Rocky Mountains submitting the lowest bid for the care and custody of persons legally adjudged insane in said district of Alaska. The cost of advertising for bids, executing the contract, and caring for the insane, to be paid, until otherwise provided by law by the Secretary of the