The West Point Reformatory.
It was formerly our practice on the occasion of the distribution of prizes at our College to give a Report of all our Roman Catholic Schools and Charitable Institutions but these having increased, we confined lately our Annual Report to St. Joseph's College and the Convent Schools; the others, among which is the Reformatory, remaining untold although progressing. We consider the Reformatory one of the most advantageous Institutions in this Colony. From whatever point of view we consider it, moral, physical or industrial, we cannot in any way regret the pains we have bestowed upon it. The Government and the Community have helped us with their assistance in the development of this Institution and we think of doing a grateful act by publishing its history.
It was in the year 1864 that the Reformatory was started. It had its birth in a small Chinese house in West Point, from which came the name of West Point Reformatory. We received twelve Chinese boys from the Convent, and adding a few more, we opened the Reformatory in a Chinese house which contained a refectory room, a dormitory, three shops for carpentership, shoemakership and tailorship, and two more rooms, one for the Superintendent, and the other to be used as school and prayer room. The day the Sailors' Home was opened our little Establishment was honoured with a visit from His Excellency the Governor, then Sir HERCULES ROBINSON, and Lady ROBINSON. His Excellency has always been a friend of our Establishment. It was he who granted us the piece of ground we occupy at present, and in 1865 we were able to transfer the little Reformatory from the Chinese house to a