Library Collections: Document: Full Text

CONTRIBUTION

"But it is the intangible contribution, that is most important and most difficult," wrote an assignee working in a training school. "Every child needs to be near some one he knows will always protect him, never hurt nor ridicule him, always lend a sympathetic ear. At the same time the attendant must constantly instruct, criticise and, when necessary, discipline the children.

"The attendant has three or four hours a day when he can teach the lowgrades to dress, clean, or feed themselves. He can play simple games or make toys for them. And all of this is a never ending job. So far, it's the most rewarding one I've had."

Cheltenham

In the 1860's, top-hatted, long whiskered visitors to the Maryland penitentiary came back with some amazing stories. Eleven children less than twelve years old were sentenced there, "one of these but five years old, so small as to be able to creep through the prison bars." A Grand Jury report of 1867 tells of one child in the Baltimore City Jail for stealing three loaves of bread; another child in jail for stealing 3 cents. Another Grand Jury report for 1871 tells of children "scarcely more than infants" serving time in the City Jail.

Something had to be done. White children caught in the toils of the law had a special institution, the House of Refuge, but Negro children were herded in with hardened, adult criminals. A group of public spirited citizens, including a number of Baltimore Quakers, studied the new "cottage system" for schools, raised some $40,000 and inaugurated the "House of Reformation and Instruction for Colored Children." With state and city aid the school opened on Feb. 4, 1873.

By the end of 1873, there were 72 boys ranging from seven to 20 years old. Only three "could write a little," four could "read books generally," 36 did not even know the alphabet.

Rather pathetic stories can be found in the early records of the boys in school: "Does not know he had a father and mother. Was taken from them at an early age (the effects of slavery)." Another: "Very good boy in every respect. Escaped." Or. "Sent to Infirmary May 16, 1887 and I think he died there."

STATE SCHOOL

In 1937 the State of Maryland assumed complete control of the school; renamed it the Cheltenham State School for Boys. The first CPS unit to work in a training school opened here Nov. 7, 1942, under the administration of the American Friends Service Committee.

"Cheltenham," wrote one of the CPS men, "is one of the most challenging projects in CPS. The problem of delinquency is accentuated by wartime conditions and the need for adequate personnel in institutions for delinquents is consequently more pressing. Cheltenham is not an institution of permanent custody; every child must be prepared for return to the community as soon as possible.

"Most of the 240 boys remain in school here for about one year, some for even shorter, some for longer periods. In most cases the boys are neither psychotic or feeble minded; for the most part the institution is dealing with emotionally disturbed or untrained children. The job, therefore, is principally concerned with restraining boys while they are in school and making adequate plans for their release on parole."

WORK

Each of the six cottages has almost fifty boys, and four of the cottages are manned completely by CPS men. Running a cottage (there are two men to a cottage) is a twenty-four-hour job. "The work is largely routine -- supervision of cleaning, seeing that the boys get off to work detail or to school, handling of discipline, settling of disputes between boys, giving haircuts, checking on clothes, answering a few hundred questions and numerous telephone calls, checking the whereabouts of all boys at all times -- that is the life of a cottage master."

The Psycho-Social Clinic was established in the school about three months after the arrival of the CPS unit. All psychological testing for the school is done by one psychologist -- a CPS man, and the two social case workers -- both CPS -- handle 80 percent of the case work done in the school. This involves counseling the boys when they come into the school, keeping in contact with them during their stay, planning for their paroles when they have earned their release.

Another CPS man has been acting as Medical Attendant in the hospital. He has been instrumental in establishing connections with the Freedman's Hospital in Washington; securing medical treatment for the boys not available through the school's own infirmary.

There are three men working in the school business office. The oldest from the point of service at Cheltenham is a CPS man who doubled as the school dietician for three months.

CPS men have at various times served as work detail supervisor, have supervised the boys' and staff dining rooms; had various other duties such as serving as members of the School's Discipline committee or searching for runaways. One member of the unit has done an outstanding job in transforming the shoe repair shop from the level of low grade maintenance work to a program of shoe repair vocational training and still kept up the necessary maintenance work.