28 
NORTH SHORE BREEZE 
EDITORS VISIT STATE FARM AT BRIDGEWATER. 
Very Interesting Day’s Outing. Bridgewater Said to Be Best Kept In- 
stitution in the State. 
The members of the Massachusetts 
Press Association paid a visit to the 
state farm at Bridgewater, Monday, 
following out the suggestion of Gov. 
Draper some months ago. Some 
thirty-eight members were in the 
party which left the South station, 
Boston, at 10.85 under special ar- 
rangement with the New York, New 
Haven and Hartford R. R.. 
A splendid lunch was served at 
the home of Capt. H. M. Blackstone, 
after which the visitors were shown 
through the various departments of 
the institution. 
Editors Marshall of the Manches- 
ter Cricket and Lodge of The Breezs 
were the only Essex County members 
present. 
The Bridgewater State Farm was 
established in 1853 and originally 
consisted of 150 acres. It now in- 
eludes 1,184 acres and with build- 
ings is valued at $1,032,320. 
The number of inmates on Sept. 7 
was 2,459, including about 700 crim- 
inal insane and 300 state paupers, as 
it is also the State Almshouse for 
Southern Massachusetts. Of the 
4.680 persons committed there for 
the last official year, 3,999 came un- 
der sentence from the local police 
courts; 3,583 were males, and 1,504 
eame from Boston. Drunkenness is 
by far the principal cause of com- 
mitment (3,417), with vagrancy 
(359) next in importance. While 
the State Farm is usually the last 
resort of the police judge, when 
other appeals to manhood have been 
tried and failed, and the superinten- 
dent of the farm, Mr. Hollis M. 
Blackstone, says in his report, 
“‘They are a broken cog in our ma- 
chinery and sometimes a real men- 
ace, bnt more often a mere physical 
stumbling black,’’ he still has faith 
and continues with these words: 
“‘Hfe is still a man, a brother, deserv- 
ing still an opportunity to try, try 
again; and after a few months of or- 
derly living, regular sleep and good 
conduct, co-operating in responsive 
spirit with his supervision, he has 
earned the indulgence of renewed 
confidence to try again.’’ The super- 
intendent believes the Farm to be a 
real step in progress of true penology 
and declares that ‘‘a vast majority 
are willing, tactable men, intending 
to do well—not ill.”’ 
While the men are given indeter- 
minate sentences of one year for 
drunkenness and two years for other 
offences, a parole system is author- 
ized by law by which those under one 
year sentenct are released at the end 
of three months, and two year prison- 
ers at the end of nine months. This 
parole is on condition that the per- 
son does not thereafter return to his 
former habits of dissipation or va- 
grancy. If he violates his parole he 
is returned to the Farm for the rest 
of the original sentence less 30 days 
deduction for good behavior. While 
under parole the men are in charge 
of a corps of volunteer probation offi- 
cers to whom the man must report 
within 24 hours after arriving home. 
These probation officers (an original 
idea of our State Board of Charity) 
have been of great service in assist- 
ing the men. From 15 to 20 per cent. 
of the men are are returned for vio- 
lation of their parole. Since this 
system was established in 1898 the 
commitments for tramping and va- 
grancy have dropped from 33 per 
cent. to 10 per cent. 
The farm is cultivated solely in 
the interest of its own inmates, none 
of the products being sold. The 
principal crops are hay, vegetables, 
milk, eggs and pork. The value of 
these matured and stored last year 
was $35,673, no estimate being 
placed on the garden truck raised. 
The principal items last year were 
500 tons hay, 11,140 bushels potatoes, 
47,873 head of cabbage and 8,887 
bunches of celery. There are no loaf- 
ers at. the Farm, some 300 being en- 
gaged in reclaiming wild land and 
there are chair, tailor and shoe 
shops and the regular farm work. 
While at work the men are under 
supervision, but do not have a ‘‘shot- 
gun’’ guard. About 25 or 30 escape 
each year. 3 
On Sundays 
both Catholhe and Protestant, are 
held. 
was $308,999.40 making a per 
capita expense of $2.56 weekly. 
The present farm is a monument 
to its very efficient superintendent, 
Mr. Blackstone, who was appointed 
in 1883. Within 48 hours of taking 
office the farm buildings were burn- 
ed to the ground, and he has planned — 
and carried out all the work of the — 
present valuable plant with signal 
administrative ability. 
SAMUEL H. STONE 
164 Cabot Street, Beverly, Mass. 
Notary Publie Justice of the Peace 
Oldest and Strongest English. and 
American Insurance Co:s 
North Shore Real Estate a Specialty — 
religious services, 
| 
The cost of maintenance in 1909 
a 
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