Memoirs of Waukesha County. From the earliest historical times to the present with chapters on various subjects, including each of the different towns, and a genealogical and biographical record of representative families in the county, prepared from data obtained from original sources of information.

              188 MEMOIRS   OF  WAUKESHA   COUNTY
may be admitted was extended to eighteen. Since the purpose of the school has developed from mere restraint to that of sending out lads and young men who are skilled in manual work, educated in all the fundamental branches, and fitted to become respectable and respected citizens, the criminal class should be excluded, and committed to the state reformatory, and not permitted to contaminate the children who are only unfortunate in their home surroundings and the inability of their parents to restrain them.
There are in the school at the present time (November, 1907) 330 boys, of whom fifty-seven were committed since September i, 1907. About fifty are under twelve years of age, and are in a cottage home by themselves, with their own playground, and are not permitted to play with the older boys. There are about forty twelve or thirteen years of age, and above that even to young men who have been sent back after parole. The policy qf the school is to keep them from eighteen to twenty months and then send them- home on parole, or if their home surroundings are not desirable to find them good places on farms not too far distant from the school. In the latter case the money they earn is placed to their own credit, and not infrequently boys have several hundred dollars saved with which to begin life.
The movement of the school popuktion depends somewhat upon the number of commitments. As for instance at the present time every bed in every dormitory is filled. If a new boy arrives it means, neces¬ sarily, the parole of one of the best pupils, who otherwise might have remained a longer time.
The school proper, under the charge of Professor J. S. Roeseler, who has thirteen assistants, fits a boy for entrance to any high school in the state in English. Other languages are not taught. The older boys study four hours, and are employed in some kind of work four hours which still leaves ample time for play and sleep. The smaller boys are in school four hours and occupied with Sloyd work for two hours, spending the remainder of the day in play.
The education of the school is not limited to book knowledge. A still more important part of their education is the training in neat¬ ness, punctuality and responsibility and also in skill in hand crafts of various kinds. Farm and garden work, care of cattle and horses, cleaning, cooking, sewing, carpenter, cabinet, blacksmith and mason work are some of the principal lines; and the department of manual training and the shop fitted up with all kinds of tools and machinery moved by two motors, are considered a most important part of the edu¬ cational appliances.
It causes a little thrill of astonishment for one to go into the large assembly hall, and be told that the three or four hundred chairs with which it is seated are the work of tlie boys. Equally remarkable it seems to visit the store rooms and closets and see the piles of clothing made in the tailoring department, or the stores of bed and table linen, night shirts, and blue-checked shirts made in the sewing room by the boys of about twelve years of age.
None of the educational "fads" are permitted in the school work, which is intended to be practical, with the single exception of music^