Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 3.djvu/603

 CHARACTER ni'ILDL\G AT ELM IRA 589

one-half hours per day, five days per week. The influence of the new environ- ment sustained the effort made in November to improve, and, by securing a perfect month in December, all his past was blotted out and he was restored to the lower first grade through "amnesty " on December 25, 1896.

Conv. 6361 on December 25, 1896, is where he was institutionally classed at the time of his admittance two years and three months ago, vi/., lower first grade, from which all who are committed begin the reformatory course of treatment. In January, 1 897, he lost two marks as a result of school failures. In February he secured a perfect demeanor record. In March he lost two marks. April and May were perfect months in all respects, and he was graduated from the manual training department in May, returned to institu- tional life, and assigned to the exercise squad in the morning and stone- masonry in the afternoon. Later his daily assignment was changed, placing him in the molding class of the technological department to complete trade. From this he was returned to the manual training as assistant instructor in the molding class, and is doing well in all departments, having been pro- moted to the upper first grade in August, and ranking as sergeant in ' I " Company.

<;iUHT III. DATA.

Conv. 6577. Received June 30, 1894; height, 5 ft. % in.; age, 17 years; weight. 112 Ihs.; maximum, 5 years ; crime, grand larceny, second degree; proposed trade, printing.

On March 17, 1896, his daily assignment was changed from the manu- facture of umbrellas to the manual training department as a pupil in Group III. The records show repeated failures in arithmetic. He had been in the reformatory nine months previous to manual training assignment and showed no signs of susceptibility to the usuaj treatment, being at this time in the second grade with failures as noted. Immediately following the assignment to the manual training he was reduced two sets in arithmetic and advanced one class in language.

Successive failures in arithmetic and trade school, with irregular passing in language for eight months, led to reduction to a lower set in arithmetir. Observe that with these failures in si: noted is the correspond-

ing increased loss of marks: Ma\ 31 he lost five marks; June 30 he lost fifteen marks; July 21, lost twentv-one marks, and in August four marks, showing that the undeveloped mind leads its j,h\siral and recogni/ablc self to violate established laws. Observe next that, while no progj. shown in language or arithmetic dm months between Maich

and November, there is a marked depic< iation of demeanor markings, and in November a j.eitr. t month is made, resulting from passing in Ian. arithmetic, trade school, and dcm- 'toning do\\n." this enlarge-

ment of perception and regulated expression, is the result of manual training. December show !ect month, with markings as follows: language,