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Show S State Industrial School Boys Make Good Citizens The followln article, written by Parole Agent O. H. Petersen, Is ! taken from "The Evening Breeze News," Utah Industrial School publication. pub-lication. ! Because of a rather wide-spread misconception of what becomes of boys who have been pupils In the State Industrial School and released releas-ed on parole, It might be worthwhile worth-while and profitable to the public to have some pertinent Information Informa-tion on the matter. Such mis-apprehension and prejudice on the part of the public generally inflicts a grave injustice on the boy, and minimizes his chances to make satisfactory sat-isfactory adjustment in his home, school and community, and limits his opportunities for employment and success. A case in point was forcibly brought to our attention recently when two boys were released to attend school and a probation officer of-ficer was assigned to supervise them. He was Imbued with the popular Idea' regarding what to expect from the boys, but he was delightfully a-mazed a-mazed on his first contact with 1 them to find that their attitude was 'splendid, that the had a sincere desire to make good. It is no exaggeration ex-aggeration to say that at least 95 per cent of the boys thus released from the school are possessed with a firm desire and determination to intake good and refrain from wrong doing and further violation of the law. The State Industrial School Is generally known by Its failures, by those few boys who make the headlines head-lines because of certain escapades, and are known to have been pupils of our school. By the very nature of our work we can in no sense advertise ad-vertise our successes or even mention men-tion them In any manner, as other schools are free to do, but nevertheless never-theless we do have tome outstanding outstand-ing successes; boys who haVe achieved In various walks of life. The proportion of these success cases naturally would not run to as high a figure as in the more select sel-ect groups, a condition we should not expect, of course. The present war has given a number of our boys an opportunity to bring their powers into play and a few have achieved in a manner which Is to be commended. Among 699 boys who have been discharged from our jurisdiction because of having attained the age of twenty one, 147 are in the Army and twen-' ty-elght in the Navy, making a total to-tal of 175 who are serving in the armed forces. Undoubtedly many more are also serving, a condition to be expected because of their eligibility and age. Out of a total of 176 boys still under our jurisdiction jurisdic-tion and under the age of twenty-one, twenty-one, 45 are in the Army serving, In all branches of the service, and1 31 In the Navy, Including the Marines Mar-ines and Merchant Marine, making a total of 76. Jour of these boys have already made the surpreme sacrifice; one a young marine, killed kill-ed at Pearl Harbor; one In Bataan, one recently in Italy, and one in Europe. Six former pupils have gained commissions, ranging from 2nd, Lieutenants to full Commander In the U. 8. Navy, a graduate of the U. 8. Naval Academy. Ten or eleven of the boys have earned the rank of sergeant, and one is a staff sergeant In a bombing squadron taking flights regularly over France and Germany. One boy was a member mem-ber of the crew on the aircraft carrier car-rier which took Oeneral Doollttle near enough to Japan to bomb Tokyo. These boys are naturally adventurous, daring and courageous and possess the stuff out of which good military men are made. 1 We bespeak, for our school and its boys sympathetic understanding understand-ing and tolerance,, for our problems are many,' varied and complex, not forgetting that boys who come under our care are socially sick and In need of guidance and expert treat-1 ment. In fact they are the product ; of our complex social structure and our mismanagement of that structure. |