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The 'Reclamation and Protection of Childhood
and the Central "Jubenile Protectory. ”
"By S. T. Dalsheimer.
I
T is evident by even the most casual
glance at the history of the world, an
cient or modern, from the vaunted civ
ilization of Greece and Rome or from
the days of the prophets of old until the
present time, that there has never been
generated a force as potent for the pro
tection of the individual as that which
J came into being with the advent of
Christianity. Leaving all other and more ethical
considerations out of the question, one overwhelm
ing truth must impress itself on every thinking
mind—that the highest humanitarianism which man
has ever known followed close on the footsteps of
him who preached and practiced the doctrine of a
universal brotherhood. This great truth is amply
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demonstrated by many things, chiefly, perhaps, by
the position and condition of women in Christian
and un-Christian lands; by the care given to the
ill, the aged, the afflicted and the unfortunate which
has ever’ characterized the efforts of all followers of
the il inspired Nazarene.”
Yet despite the vaunted light of an advanced civ
ilization the world has been comparatively slow to
recognize the needs of children, who, from untoward
circumstances of birth, environment and example
have, at an incredibly early age, become a part
of that lamentable portion of society known as the
“criminal class.” The very term itself is a mis
nomer. Ignorant, yes; unfortunate, certainly; even
deliberately mischievous or malicious many children
may be, yet not “criminal.”
The perpetration of crime carries with it an im
plied understanding of cause and effect and a com
prehension of evil of which few, if any, children, are
capable. A contemplation of evil which results
in crime is distinctly a product of mental maturity,
and students of penology and of psychology must
ever acquit children of the power to commit act
ual crime. Yet the recognition of these facts has
been slow and only after careful investigation and
deliberation, with the consequence that it has re
mained for our generation to seek active alleviation
of the conditions which surround the child “crim
inal,” to shield him from the misdirected force of
the law, and to lead him into paths of right before
it is too late.
Juvenile Protectory Work.
The early years of the twentieth century will
ever be historically distinguished as the period when
the rights of children first became an active prin
ciple among some of the ablest leaders in the
thought of the time. Jurists, philanthropists and
law makers seem to have crystallized their efforts for
the protection and preservation of childhood with
the result that stringent laws are being passed to
prevent the stress of undue labor resting on the
weak shoulders of the child, and also to protect him
from feeling the full force of laws directed at wick
edness rather than at ‘ ‘ waywardness” or “misde
meanors. ’ ’
It has been exceedingly difficult for law makers to
form separate sets of Jaws for separate classes
of law-breakers, yet the strong man delights in dif
ficulties and the glory of his success is in propor
tion to the greatness of the undertaking.
The Pioneer in Juvenile Legislation.
The one man who will ever be credited as the
pioneer in the work of protecting the young law-
THE RAW MATERIAL.
breaker is Judge Ben B. Lindsey of Denver, Colo
rado, whose name has become a household word
wherever the rights of the child are discussed. But
Judge Lindsey’s work was and is devoted almost ex
clusively to the protection of juveniles in the courts
and in keeping them free from suffering the same
penalties as the adult criminal; his theory being
that a boy criminal was ignorant and that in the
majority of cases enlightenment would bring reform
ation. His success has proved the correctness of
his conclusions and he has a growing number of
followers in every section of the country.
Rev. Crawford Jackson’s Work.
The South has taken a most active part in the
work of reforming the juvenile offender and the
leader of this great movement is the Rev. Crawford
Jackson of Atlanta, whose sympathy with the er
rors of youth made him, first, an ardent follower
of Judge Lindsey’s methods and then an earnest
leader in his own field of endeavor.
History of the Movement in the South.
The history of this movement reads like a rom
ance founded on the beautiful cornerstone of reform
and with love and Christian sympathy as the key
stone of the arch.
In 1902 Rev. Crawford Jackson established a
weekly paper in Atlanta called “The Christian Un
ion” whose aim was the general uplifting of human
ity. At about the same time he was attracted to
the destitute and wayward boys of the community
and on one occasion he learned of a lad who had
been arrested twenty times, and consigned to the
stockade twelve times. During one of the trials
of this boy, who was at the time barely a dozen
years old, Mr. Jackson wais present himself in
court, and before sentence was passed he asked to
be given custody of the young criminal with whom
The (Solden Age for January 24, 190?.
all the usual methods of punishment seemed so in
effectual. The judge having the case in hand con
sented to Mr. Jackson’s request although frankly
saying that he “had no hope of the young offend
er.” Mr. Jackson, however, was uninfluenced by
this statement and he took the boy into his own.
home; gave him a place in the office of his paper
and finally secured a home for him under the ben
eficent care of Prof. Means of the Fulton county
industrial home. The methods which Mr. Jack
son used to impress the heart of this boy, we can on
ly conjecture, but we know that he met with a suc
cess almost miraculous and we can but believe
that his personal touch, his close help and friend
ship and the Divine aid given him resulted in the
complete reformation of this erring child who is to
day holding a position of trust in a prominent bus
iness house and who bids fair to become a wor
thy Christian gentleman. Mr. Jackson felt that
what could be accomplished in one case was also
possible for others and his active campaign for the
reformation of the child delinquent began from
that time. He soon found that the work was too
vast to permit of his continuing his paper and so
he resigned it and began to advocate everywhere
a saner and more Christian method of treating
youthful offenders against the law.
Just about this time there was a convention in
Atlanta of the Associated Charities and Mr. Jack
son met, personally, Judge Lindsey whose work he
had followed from a distance. Judge Lindsey dis
covered that in the Atlanta Stockade, where all
classes of criminals were held, there were fourteen
boys under twelve years of age. This fact appealed
to many persons, and Air. Jackson devoted the
final issues of his paper to advocating a better dis
position of the young law-breakers, and began
a vigorous campaign for a juvenile court such as is
held in Denver and other cities. Largely as a result
of this effort such a court was established in Atlan
ta in 1903 and has been in operation ever since.
Although inadequate in many instances it is a vast
improvement on former methods. Judge Broyles
is a sympathetic and wise jurist and with the as
sistance of Probation Officer Gloer he has done
some excellent work for the boys of Atlanta.
The Effort for State Legislation.
But it was seen that more than local effort was
necessary to the fullest usefulness of a juvenile
court, so, taking the Colorado legislation for juve
nile delinquents as a model, a bill was drafted by
Col. James M. Anderson, of Atlanta, in accordance
with the laws of Georgia, and presented to the leg
islature of the state. This bill meets every possible
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THE FINISHED PRODUCT.
requirement and contingency which might arise in
the treatment of juvenile delinquents, as well as for
the employment of necessary probation officers, the
treatment of all classes of youthful offenders,
their final disposition, punishment, etc. One of the
Concluded on Page 12,