USA > New York > Bronx County > The Bronx and its people; a history, 1609-1927, Volume II > Part 24
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3,000 children, and to be ranked among the greatest institutions of its kind to be found in the world.
It became in time evident that ampler accommodation, beyond the city limits, would be an imperative necessity. The Board of Managers and the Brothers were convinced that the influence of environment in a densely crowded- city like New York told against the success of the work. Then began a search for a permanent location. A farm adver- tised for sale near the village of Westchester, then some miles beyond the boundary line of New York City, was visited, and found eminently favorable as a site for the institution. It consisted of about 114 acres, having commodious barns and outhouses, and was purchased for $40,- 000. To this an adjoining farm of some fifty acres was subsequently added. Today the property is valued at two or three million dollars. Shortly after entering into possession at Westchester, a spacious brick building, designed to accommodate from 600 to 800 children, was erected for the boys. Arrangements were also made to erect one of equal di- mensions during the following summer for the accommodation of the girls. In subsequent years other buildings were put up as the con- stantly growing numbers of the inmates and the exigencies of the times demanded: The Administration Building, a massive and beauti- ful building, which contains the offices, parlors, Brothers' community room, private chapel, library, kitchens, refectories and dormitories for the nine hundred boys of the senior department, lavatories and store- rooms; The St. Aloysius Chapel, having a seating capacity of two thou- sand; the Lecture Hall, of like capacity ; the Senior Department School Building, containing eighteen large classrooms, two music rooms, and a hall for military drill; the Industrial Building, in which are housed many of the trades taught in the institution, the electrical engineering department, the laundry, the store-room, and shipping depot; the Manual Training Building, fully equipped; the Junior Department Building, which contains the lavatory, kitchen, refectory, classrooms, and dormitories for the younger children, besides a community room, library, and private chapel for the Brothers of this department; the In- firmary Building, with accommodations for a hundred patients, erected in accordance with the requirements of modern medical and sanitary science; the House of Reception, where the newly arrived are kept for a period of fifteen days before being assigned to the school or division for which they are suited.
The institution had only begun when the necessity for a system of trades became apparent. Most of the children received into the insti- tution, particularly during the first years, were the victims of indolent or vicious habits, which time and patience alone could eradicate. Ex- perience soon taught the management that to succeed in the work of reformation, constant occupation, pleasantly diversified, was essential.
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THE BRONX AND ITS PEOPLE
Change and relaxation, it was seen, were demanded. But there was an- other advantage in the introduction of trades. A feeling was thereby produced in the minds of the children so engaged that they were doing something for themselves; that they were acquiring a skill which might lead to a prosperous position in life. The following trades are taught in the Protectory: Typesetting, printing, electrotyping, bookbinding, tailoring, plumbing, carpentry, blacksmithing, bricklaying, masonry, harness-making, laundering, bread-making, electrical engineering, draw- ing, photography, gardening, farming, dairying, manual training, paint- ing, and general housework. A large amount of excellent work, within the buildings and outside, is done by the boys. Positions are obtained for many of these youthful mechanics when leaving the institution, and large numbers of them earn a good living, while very few fall back into the paths of vice.
The Protectory is a chartered corporation, the powers of which are exercised by a Board of Managers. These serve without compensa- tion. The Board is composed of twenty-six Catholic gentlemen, one of whom is the Vicar-General of the archdiocese of New York. The members meet once a month, and the various committees of the Board once a week. The Mayor, the Recorder, and the Comptroller of the city of New York, are ex-officio members of the Board. The Rector of the institution is present at all the meetings.
The first president of the Board was Dr. Levi Stillman Ives, who was born in Connecticut in 1797. He studied for the ministry and in 1819 became an Episcopal clergyman. Later he became Episcopal Bishop of North Carolina. The Oxford Movement in England which he closely followed, carried him into the Catholic Church. His book, "Trials of a Mind in Search of Truth," narrates the history of his religious opinions. He came to New York and was for a time professor of Latin and Greek in Manhattan College. Another noted president of the Protectory was Henry L. Hoguet, who was twenty-five years President of the Emi- grant Industrial Savings Bank. For sixteen years he administered the affairs of the Protectory with signal ability. In 1897, on the death of Bryan Lawrence, George B. Robinson was elected President of the Board and for over fifteen years without compensation, gave his entire time and undivided attention to the welfare ot the Protectory.
The children of the Protectory, which was founded for the educa- tion and maintenance of Catholic children, are instructed in their re- ligion. Patriotism is taught by precept and example. A great deal of attention is paid to hygiene, and with many of them they are not long at the Protectory when a great improvement in physique and general ap- pearance is noticeable. The boys learn the various trades well. The following account, appearing in the "Catholic Review," shows what some of the young printers in the Protectory are capable of doing : "One of
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the features which attract attention at the Male Department of the Catholic Protectory at Westchester is the spacious, airy, lightsome, and cleanly Printing office. In two weeks' time, the boys had set up, elec- trotyped, and printed 225,000 copies of a quarto double-page circular, issued to the Catholic people of New York, inviting them to the cere- mony of the laying of the corner-stone of the new seminary. Twenty thousand additional copies of these circulars were printed in German, ten thousand in Italian, and five thousand in French. The circular was also printed in Bohemian, Hebrew, modern Greek, and Syriac. This immense number of circulars was distributed in the various parts of the diocese from the mailing-rooms of the Protectory. In addition to this work, a number of railroad posters, twenty thousand two-page pro- grammes, and one hundred copies of the Latin Psalms, used in the blessing of the corner-stone, were printed. Moreover, at the same time, there was carried on in the same office the work of setting up, electro- typing and printing, a small sixty-two page souvenir of the laying of the corner-stone, for which twelve illustrations were made, and of which five thousand copies were printed. When it is considered that this work was done by boys who had been trained and taught in this insti- tution, and that the work itself was done in a manner to elicit the praise of everyone that examined it, it will be seen what a noble work the Protectory is doing."
The Male Department of the Protectory is divided into the Senior and Junior departments. The Juniors number about eight hundred boys, from ten to sixteen years of age, having their own school, play- grounds, refectories, dormitories, and lavatories. These boys are not committed for any offense; they are known as dependent children, and are not allowed to hold any communication at any time with boys of the Senior Department. There are about a thousand of these, running from fourteen to eighteen or nineteen years of age. They are subdi- vided into three divisions, and the boys of each division are kept abso- lutely apart, day and night. They meet only in chapel, and in the Hall for lectures, and for musical and literary entertainments. All the boys of the institution, except some seventy of the oldest and most advanced -who are termed A. D. W.'s (All-Day Workers)-attend school on all school days of the year. There are two sessions per day, from 7.30 to 9.30 A. M., and from 4 to 6 P. M. In addition there is an evening ses- sion from 6.30 to 7.30 from November to March. There are five schools corresponding with the five divisions, each with a seating capacity of about 350 pupils. The schools are graded as near as can be after the manner of the Catholic School system of New York. The classes are regularly examined by the Brother Inspector of the institution, by the Brother Inspector General of the district, and by the diocesan examin- ers. For each pupil the city pays thirty-five cents a week, in addition
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THE BRONX AND ITS PEOPLE
to the general charge of $135 a year for each child committed by the Children's Court.
St. Philip's Home is an adjunct of the Protectory, and is intended as a Home for friendless boys, who were at one time inmates of the insti- tution. It occupies two four-story and basement buildings at Nos. 415-417 Broome Street, Manhattan. It is under the control of the Board of Man- agers, and is conducted by the Brothers. It was opened in 1902, and during its existence has accomplished incalculable good. Only boys who are known to be of good moral character are received. Here these boys, friendless in the great city of New York, are sheltered, situations are found for them, a careful house training is imparted, and they are fitted in every possible way to take their places in the community as industrious and self-respecting citizens. Formerly these lads drifted into cheap lodging houses, where their morals and habits were cer- tainly not improved: St. Philip's Home is intended to minimize these evils, by offering the boys a home in the best sense of the word. Every- thing that savors of institution life, or of mere philanthropy, is rigidly excluded. All appointments in and about the Home, its arrangements and government, conform as nearly as possible to those which are found in every well-regulated family abode. The boys are made to feel that they are members of one large family, are placed on their honor, and are dealt with in a gentlemanly way. Out of their earnings they are re- quired to pay a small weekly sum for board and lodging; they purchase their own clothing and other necessaries; in a word, they are taught to pay their own way. They are encouraged to economize, being taught how to purchase the articles they require, and to distinguish between necessities and luxuries. The Home is a refuge for the boys when they are out of work. When wages are sufficient to enable the boys fully to support themselves, room and board in respectable families are found for them. They do not, however, entirely sever their connection with St. Philip's. Its parlors and recreation halls are always open to them, and their visits are always looked forward to by the younger boys and their old teachers.
The Lincoln Agricultural School is another important annex. Recog- nizing the tendency of young people nowadays to abandon country life for life in the city, and desiring to re-create among the youth a love for agricultural pursuits, the managers of the Protectory purchased in 1907 a tract of about six hundred acres, situated at Somers Center, in the northern part of Westchester County, forty miles from New York City, with the intention of founding a great agricultural school. Most of the land is tillable and productive, with desirable elevations for the buildings that will be required for such a school. Two large dwelling houses on the premises were thoroughly repaired and equipped, and fifty boys from the parent institution were brought to live there. A
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dairy-barn, costing $60,000, and a large ice-house were erected. Gen- eral plans for a systematic series of suitable buildings were agreed upon, and in the years that followed the plans were put into execution.
The following is part of the annual report of the Protectory for the year, 1924 :
To the Honorable Legislature of the State of New York, and the Board of Aldermen of the City of New York.
Gentlemen:
The Board of Managers of the New York Catholic Protectory, in accordance with its Charter, have the honor to present herewith their Sixty-second Annual Report. Owing to changes made in the rules of the State Board of Charities, this report is made for and covers the period from July 1, 1923, to December 31, 1924.
The number of children in Institution on July 1, 1923, was .... 1,987
Received on Committments :
From New York City (Courts) 1,396
From New York City (Department of Public Welfare) 88
From New York City (Board of Education) 351
From New York City (State Board Transfers) 15
From Westchester County 71
From other Counties
58
Boarders and Free Received
110
Returned from hospital, parole, etc.
552
Total cared for during the eighteen months
4,628
Discharged to Parents and Guardians outside of the State 41
Discharged to Parents and Guardians on Parole 1,519
Placed in Homes, including St. Philip's Home
123
Discharged to take Employment 43
Returned to Committing Officers
747
Transferred to other Institutions and Hospitals
103
Boarders and Free discharged 100
Left without permission 116
4
Remaining in Institution, December 31, 1924
1,829
4,628
Of whom there were, Boys
1,260
Of whom there were, Girls 423
146
Of whom there were, Juniors
1,829
During the past year our population has materially decreased, probably in consequence of the Widows' Pension Bill as well as the sense of thrift so evident among laboring classes of our great City and their desire to have their children about the home. There seems to be a great awakening of the people to give at- tention to home and its members.
Our schools show a marked change even in industrial and economic conditions that are in evidence, and there is a civic duty following the great war to gather the household near them.
Died
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THE BRONX AND ITS PEOPLE
Since our incorporation this institution has stood in the foremost ranks of child welfare, and our efforts have been strengthened each year by the full cooperation of that noble band of men and women who have hearkened to the great Father of all, and who have consecrated their lives to the uplift of those committed to their care.
During the past year all of our departments have assisted in complying with the suggestions laid down by the State Board of Charities. Various changes have been made in dormitories, dining halls, and recreation rooms, everything that would lend not only to educate but to elevate has been followed to the letter by our teachers and attendants.
The main Department at Westchester has been the seat of many changes, not only in the rooms of vocational training, but the environment within and without has been transformed for the comfort and the study of the boys assembled there.
The Girls' Department has been, likewise, the ideal home of our children, and happiness seems to radiate from the rooms and the recreation grounds as well. Our girls have shown wonderful proficiency by the number now attending high school and aptitude in stenography and typewriting, which later will be a great asset in their career.
Free Home for Young Girls-The Free Home for Young Girls is situ- ated at No. 318 Mosholu Parkway, having removed to that address from No. 23 East 11th Street. The officers for the year 1925 are as follows : Honorary Directress, Mrs. Frederick A. Booth; First Directress, Mrs. Ernest R. Adee; Second Directress, Mrs. Samuel Riker, Jr .; Treasurer, Mrs. James B. Lowell; Secretary, Mrs. Joseph Carson. The Managers are as follows : Mrs. Ernest R. Adee, Mrs. Dexter Blagden, Mrs. Fred- erick A. Booth, Mrs. Bertram H. Borden, Mrs. Joseph Carson, Mrs. George Carlton Comstock, Miss Fraser, Mrs. J. Prentice Kellogg, Miss Amy M. Kohlsaat, Mrs. Joseph de Tours Lentilhon, Mrs. James B. Lowell, Mrs. George Mair, Mrs. Deas Murphy, Miss Elizabeth T. Nich- olas, Mrs. Henry Alsop Riley, Mrs. Elvine Richard, Mrs. Samuel Riker, Jr., Mrs. Wyllys Terry, Mrs. John Seymour Thracher, Mrs. Samuel Sloan Walker, Mrs. Blair S. Williams. The chaplain is the Rev. George Mair, D. D.
The Standing Committees are as follows: Reception Committee- Mrs. Adee, Mrs. Lowell, Mrs. Carson. Committee on Supplies-Mrs. Lowell, Chairman, Mrs. Borden, Mrs. Carson, Mrs. Riker, Mrs. Terry. Sewing Committee-Mrs. Comstock, Chairman, Miss Kohlsaat, Miss Nicholas, Mrs. Walker. Advisory Board-Hon. William H. Wad- hams, Mr. Waldron P. Belknap, Mrs. William Wilcox, Mr. Samuel Ri- ker, Jr., Hugh Auchincloss, M. D. Superintendent-Mrs. William D. Cole. Assistant Superintendent-Miss Tibbals. Physician-Dr. Charles Fama. Dentist-Dr. William F. Gordon.
The following is the Certificate of Incorporation :
"We, the undersigned, Edward S. Jaffray, John H. Mortimer, Har- vey Fisk, Thomas C. M. Paton and Parker Handy, of the City, County and State of New York, all of full age, and citizens of the United States,
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CHARITABLE AND PHILANTHROPIC
being desirous of forming a body politic and corporate for benevolent and charitable purposes, under and pursuant to the provisions of an act entitled, 'An Act for the incorporation of benevolent, charitable, sci- entific, and missionary societies,' passed April 12, 1848, and the Acts attending the same, do hereby associate ourselves together for the pur- pose of becoming, with our associates and successors, a society and body corporate, and pursuant to the said Acts, and for that purpose, do hereby certify and declare :
"First, That the name or title by which such Society shall be known in law is: 'The Woman's Aid Society and Home for Training Young Girls'.
"Second, That the particular business and objects of such Society are to afford gratuitous aid to indigent and destitute females, and to provide temporary homes for young girls who are homeless and friend- less, and train them up to habits of industry and usefulness.
"Third, That the business and objects of said Society shall be man- aged and conducted by twenty-six managers, and that the names of those who are to manage the same for the first year are: Edward S. Jaffray, John H. Mortimer, Harvey Fisk, Thomas C. M. Paton, Parker Handy, Mrs. Caroline L. Walker, Mrs. Elizabeth W. Stuart, Mrs. Har- riet O. Tiffany, Mrs. Mary C. Barnes, Mrs. Cornelia S. Handy, Mrs. Sarah C. Hogarth, Mrs. Francis R. Mortimer, Mrs. Priscilla A. Lathrop, Mrs. Julima C. Angell, Mrs. Pluma Pond, Mrs. Abby B. Baker, Mrs. Caroline H. Johnson, Mrs. Elizabeth M. Bunker, Mrs. Sarah E. Church, Mrs. Julia Murray, Mrs. Catherine C. Halstead, Mrs. Julia Kent, Mrs. Elizabeth C. Rogers, Mrs. Mary A. Schanck, Mrs. Caroline T. Lowery and Mrs. Mary Beadleston.
"Given under our hands, at the city of New York, this twenty-fifth day of November, 1870.
Edward S. Jaffray, (L. S.)
Jno. H. Mortimer, (L. S.) Harvey Fisk, (L. S.) T. C. M. Paton, (L. S.) Parker Handy, (L. S.)"
The following are the requirements for admission into the Home: 1. Ages from 10 to 18. 2. Freedom from communicable diseases.
3. A willingness to abide by the rules and regulations of the Home. 4. Agreement to remain during the entire school year unless dismissed by the Home. 5. One complete outfit of clothing to include a rain coat or cape, rubbers and gloves.
Eight years after its establishment the name was changed to that of the "Free Home for Destitute Young Girls"; which again in 1902 was amended to "Free Home for Young Girls." The by-laws define the ob- jects to be, to afford gratuitous aid to indigent and destitute females,
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THE BRONX AND ITS PEOPLE
and especially to provide a temporary home for poor and friendless girls who are exposed to the temptations of the city, and, after sufficient in- struction, to provide them with permanent positions. Persons who sub- scribe to the funds of the Society and pay annually to the Treasurer at least the sum of three dollars, become members of the Society, and entitled to vote at all the meetings. Persons subscribing at one time $50 to the funds of the Society will become life members.
Webb Institute of Naval Architecture-The Webb Institute of Naval Architecture is situated at Sedgwick and Webb avenues in The Bronx. It was established by the late William H. Webb, to provide gratuitous education which would assist young men of talent who might other- wise find it difficult to secure advanced instruction. The Board of Trus- tees of the Webb Institute is constituted by the following officers : Pres- ident, Stevenson Taylor; Vice-President, Walter M. McFarland; Secre- tary-Treasurer, G. P. Taylor; then follow :- Lewis Nixon, Thomas F. Rowland, Jr., William J. Davidson, Harry A. Marvel, Edward P. Morse, Martin G. Kindlund, Matthews E. Davis, Pierce J. McAuliffe, Charles A. McAllister, J. Howland Gardner, Joseph W. Powell, J. Lewis Luck- enbach, Samuel D. McComb. Ex-officio members are: Frederick A. Goetze, Frederick R. Usher, Welding Ring, Edward W. Sheldon. The Committee on Education : Walter M. McFarland, Frederick A. Goetze, Martin G. Kindlund, Matthews E. Davis, Pierce J. McAuliffe. Mem- bers of the Faculty are as follows: A. C. Besselievre, Dean of Faculty and Professor of Naval Architecture; William L. Cathcart, Professor of Engineering ; Frank M. Lewis, Professor of Mathematics; John P. Sim- mons, Professor of Chemistry ; George W. Grupp, Professor of English and Economics; Benjamin C. Keeler, Assistant Professor of Mathe- matics.
Mr. Webb, the founder of the Institute, who was born June 19, 1816, and died October 30, 1899, was one of the most prominent and success- ful men of his day in shipbuilding. His education was limited to a course in the Columbia Grammar School, and at an early age, in spite of his father's wish that he follow some other calling, he became an ap- prentice in his father's shipyard. After his father's death he succeeded to the business, and assuming the heavy obligations with which the business was burdened when he inherited it, paid every dollar of that indebtedness and established an enviable reputation as a square dealing and successful shipbuilder. As he began to accumulate riches, it be- came his ambition to found an institution where those who had grown old in the calling of shipbuilding and marine engine building, and, were without requisite means, might pass their declining years free from care; and also to establish a school where young men of American birth, or citizens of the United States, might secure, without any sac-
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CHARITABLE AND PHILANTHROPIC
rifice on their part, the training which he himself had with difficulty acquired.
For years the fulfilment of his desires was postponed owing to re- verses which overtook him on account of his association with others in legitimate and more extensive business enterprises. Not until the latter eighties did his ideas and plans assume definite form, when, after as- sociating with himself a group of well-known shipbuilders and engine builders, steps were at once taken which resulted in the founding and building of the Institute. An ample endowment was made by the founder to provide for the maintenance and support of the guests and students. This endowment by careful handling, has been materially in- creased. The endowment for the Institute is incorporated in an Act of the Legislature of the State of New York, passed April 2, 1889, and amended by the Laws of 1894. This Act states that part of the object of the endowment shall be "To provide and furnish to any young man, a native or a citizen of the United States, who may upon examination prove himself competent, of good character and worthy, free and gra- tuitous education in the art, science and profession of shipbuilding, and marine engine building, both theoretical and practical, together with board, lodging and the necessary implements and materials while obtaining said education."
Originally, the name under which the Institute was incorporated was "Webb's Academy and Home for Shipbuilders." This name was re- tained until June 30, 1920, and on that date it was changed by an order of the Supreme Court of the State of New York, in accordance with the petition of the Board of Trustees, to "Webb Institute of Naval Archi- tecture," its present title. The building, a beautiful one of brown mot- tled brick, with ornamental towers and large verandas, set on a tract of eight acres, amidst large elms, was formally presented to the Trustees by the founder on May 5, 1894. Situated at Webb and Sedgwick ave- nues, in The Bronx, the Institute overlooks the Harlem River at a point near the entrance of the Harlem into the Hudson. A beautiful view of the Palisades is obtainable from the Institute, and from the towers, one of which is about one hundred and fifty feet in height, a view may be had of Long Island Sound, the several bridges over the East River, the Harlem and Hudson rivers, and of the adjacent country for miles around. The Institute is easily accessible from all parts of Greater New York.
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