The Golden age. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1906-1915, May 03, 1906, Page 2, Image 2

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2 to the jail and the following is the story in his own words: The boy knew me, for he had been a chronic little truant, and there may have been woise things, but they may be left unsaid, for it was the boy, and not the “things” we were trying to redeem. A boy is worth ten thousand times more than anything he steals, yet I knew a ten-year-old boy who stole a bicycle in the old days and ten times more labor and money were expended to recover the wheel than the boy. I sat down in the cell on the iron floor and put my arm around the boy. I told him how much I thought of him, and how I despised the bad things he did. Yet what could I do if he did not help me. I might help him, but I could not carry him; I would always be his friend, but he was getting both him self and me in trouble if he “swiped things,” for if I should let him out and he “swiped things” again, would not the officer say that the judge made a mistake in not sending “that kid to “The State Industrial School,’ where he would not have a chance to swipe things?” Then they would say both the judge and the boy should be in jail. How could he expect a judge to keep his job if his boys did such things? He saw the point, and, standing upright there in the cell, the light of his eyes speaking better than his words, the earnestness of his promise to “stay wid yer, Judge,” as he tear fully declared he should never get me into any trouble and we would both keep out of jail. And so I almost tearfully accepted his proffered protection, and out of the jail we walked together into the now raging storm. A child with no father and a mother, however noble, who un der such handicaps and difficulties tries to perform the functions of both, gen erally fails to perform that of either. Is it a won der then that the child is not “brought up in the way he should go?” Is it the child’s fault? If not, why, then, the jail and degradation? The boy returned to school. He brought good reports for over two years, and with . them he brought joy and gladness. One day his mother came to tell me that Harry was a changed boy. “Judge,” she said, with tears in her eyes, “I never knew just why Harry changed so much till one day I was ill and he had been so sweet and kind that I asked him how it was he had become good for the judge, and looking up into my face with a tear in his eye, he said: “Well, mother, you see it’s this way, if I ever gits bad or swipes things again the judge—the judge—will lose his job, see ? An ’he is my friend—he is—an’ I’m goin’ to stay wid him.” Loyalty, responsibility, trust, confidence and love—all the ennobling instincts of the soul—were there, and these were played upon, rather than hate, fear, despair and gloom. That they responded sweet and pure, clear and true, the boy and the mother knew. And God knows and I know, and thus to know is one of the sweetest joys of life. From this little incident it will be easy to see that the boy offender is “not a criminal and should not be treated as such”—this principle may be said to be the basis of the whole Juvenile Court System—a system perfected as it were, by Judge Lindsay in Denver, boasts similar courts in Chi cago, Indianapolis, New York and many other cities and efforts are on foot to establish a like sys tem in numerous states. No Philanthropic Movement of the New Century is of more value or lasting import than this present day interest in saving our boys; in the uplifting of the degenerate youth and rescuing them from crim inal surroundings as well as from criminal courses. There has come a growing recognition in America that reformatories are more potent for good than prisons, and it has been proven that it is better for the state or city to expend a few hundreds to lead a youthful offender to better thinking and purer living than to condemn him to consort with harden ed criminals and eventually cost the state thous ands of dollars for his prosecution and support. One yields good citizens, the other confirmed crim inals, to say nothing of the expense. Judge Lindsey has surely sown the seed of this The Golden Age for May 3, 1906. reform movement from one end of the country to Lie ether as he hrs addressed private audiences, c.uls, legislatures and organizations of all sorts in the interest of his great work. His remarkable success is due to the fact that he has the lespect of the boys under his care—he meets them on a common ground of friendship and comradeship—Jack the newsboy and Bill the boot black, formerly the terrors of their neighborhood, are now, like “Harry” of whom Judge Lindsey tel.s, respectable, law abiding citizens. Hie judge goes arm in arm with these boys to places of amusement and entertains them at his own looms. It is said in Denver that Judge Lind sey, to the amusement of an entire court room, once interrupted at the hearing of an important case in winch thousands of dollars were involved, to listen to the plea tor aid from one of “his boys” who had suffered some injustice through a policeman; the newsboy’s request was granted before the hear ing of the case was resumed! Judge Landsey was first induced to take up this work by hearing a youthful malefactor tell of his trial tor a first offense. It seems that this trial consumed about ten minutes in time and No Chance was Given the Boy to “Make Good,” but a heavy sentence was passed on him and months were to be spent among confirmed criminals, which probably meant the ultimate ruin of the boy bim self. The hearing of evidence and the final decision in this case probably occupying almost as few min utes as it has taken to tell the incident. Judge Lindsey has found but few of the youthful criminals are moral degenerates— most of them hav ing been the helpless victims of evil environments and lack of parental control. In many cases a confirmed “bad boy” has proven only a victim to some physical malady and proper medical care occasionally works wonders. Another perfected plan of Judge Lindsey’s also, is to give the boys, wherever possible, increased physical comforts—to initiate them into the mys teries of a bath, clean linen and other aids to re spectability, which in many instances heightens the boy’s self-respect and hence his moral sense. A strict code of honor is observed among these boys, and on this, too, Judge Lindsey worked with good effect. It is indeed seldom that he regrets his leniency for as in the case of “Harry,” the boys “stand by the Judge.” In appearance, Judge Lindsey is below medium height, with a slight wiry frame and a face though fresh and boyish, which bespeaks intellect and char acter. When speaking of his pet project—the up lifting and betterment of the street waifs of his community and of the United States, his face kin dles with enthusiasm. He is a most entertaining talker both on the platform and as an after dinner speaker. His wit adds largely to his success, and this, as well as his perfect fairness, sympathy and intelligent interest has endeared him to his loyal band of boy followers. The intellect of the average street boy as well as his sharpness and adaptability renders him a fine subject for reforms and in many instances the street waif of yesterday becomes the able citizen of tomorrow. Y hile it is quite possible that mistakes are often made under the new juvenile court regime, while there are of necessity, some reforms only surface deep, some confidences betrayed, on the whole the movement is of immeasurable power and value, and ot each child born amid evil surroundings it gives an opportunity for noble manhood which, in other days, was totally denied him. But Judge landsey counts hearty supporters just as he does his probationers among all classes in Denver and if there is any degree it is indistin guishable. It is a remarkable fact that Judge Lindsey’s court grew into being i n an unusual manner, He worked out his plans, tested them, developed them, had them all in practical operation, then went about getting necessary legislation for the legal establish ment of his Juvenile court. A News of the Week. The senate committee on judiciary voted to report adversely a bill to increase the compensation of circuit and district court judges of the United States. i i Walter Wellman, the newspaper correspondent who will next June make an attempt to reach the North Pole by dirgible balloon, sailed on the 24th for Europe. Dispatches received here from Reykjavik, Iceland, state that three Iceland fishing boats sank during the recent storm off the coast and that seventy of the crew were drowned. Because the Italian delegates to the Algerciras conference did not support Germany the sufferers from the eruption of Vesuvius are not to receive any assistance from Germany. Many Austrian Jews who are opposed to the sub scription of any part of the Russian loan in Austria, are holding meetings with the object of dissuading their co-religionists from participating. At the concluding session of the Alabama Med ical Association at Birmingham, Ala., stringent resolutions looking to a war upon tuberculosis in the state were adopted by the organization. The dowager-empress of China has sent a check for $50,000 to the American legation. The sum is to be used in relieving the Chinese who suffered in the ’Frisco disaster. She has also forwarded $20,000 direct to the Celestial residents of that city. A serious outbreak of the plague has occurred at Jamu, in Kashmir, Northern India. There have been many victims among the members of the palace household and the imperial service troops. Two hundred and eighty-five deaths occurred during the past week. A six hundred-foot steamer, christened the “J. Pierpont Morgan,” by Miss Blanche Hanks, was launched at the South Chicago ship yard April 21. The vessel is the largest craft on salt water. She is 56 feet in beam, 600 long and has 32 feet depth of hold. Her capacity is 12,000 tons of freight. Fraunces Tavern, where General Washington hade forewell to all his generals after the close of the Revolutionary War, is no longer to be a public resort, and as Fraunces Tavern it will cease to ex ist. The historic buildings at Broad and Pearl streets will now pass into the Society of the Sons of the Revolution. The valuable Germanic library of the late Profes sor Richard Heinzel. of the University of Vienna, has been purchased by the George Washington I niversity. The library contains about 7,200 vol umes and pamphlets bearing on Germanic philology, and a large number of works and periodicals in the cognate branches, especially Anglo-Saxon. The official program has been announced for the international conference of growers and manufac turers of cotton, which will take place at Washing ton, D. C., on May Ist and 2nd. One of the main objects of the convention will be to place the cot ton situation upon a more stable basis and with that end in view speculation has been set down as one of the leading topics for discussion. . M. Gaston Thomson, minister of marine, is tak ing measure to check the sale of opium which pre i ails in the seaport towns of France. Steps will e taken to have the opium dens closed and legisla tion passed to make the selling of the drug for other t inn medical purposes a criminal offense. Reports o the medical authorities in the seaport towns de e are that the health of the population is being seuously affected by the abuse of the drug among all classes.