The daily press. (Cincinnati [Ohio) 1859-1859, 1859-05-14
The Anniversary in New York, May II.

JuveniLs Reforp,otory Conpsntion--Interesting
Debates on The Methods Of Treating and Pre-
renting Juvenile Criae-- Ohio SpeoIs.
Mr. Charles Reemelin, of Ohio, reviewed the
whole question. Boys whose crimes are not
found out were just as great criminals as they
who were caught in them. They who had the
disposition TO steal, but were not subject TO
immediate temptation to steal, needed the
same training as those who were discovered
thieves. The Ohio laws permitted the parent,
the guardian, the next friend, the Court, or q
single magistrate to commit-and they worked
we'll. 1t was mistake to allege that juvenile
crime was mostly caused by poverty. Barbarism
that walked on throe-ply carpets was quite ne
prolific of it. The most difficult subjects were
children of the rich. The worst boy in the
establishment under his charge was one
who, ON coming of age, will have 40,06O
under his control. But step-parents wero n
great cause of juvenile depravity. 1t was
impossible to draw distinctions between va
grancy and destitution on the one hand, and
crime on the other. We must not over-esti-
mate the difficulties in our way There is
more destituton and juvenile crime than
people suppose who do not much consider
the subject, but far less, he believed than
they supposed who saw much of it. We see
the one bad boy in the street, but the dozen
well-behaved boys in the house we do not
see. Our Government - Mr.. RS tongue, as
well as his intimacy with foreign methods of
reform, bctray the fact that our country has
not the credit of his birth T. is not the best
portion of us. Our best meu are not our
members Of Congress, members of the Legis-
lature, 'Squires or Constables. And hence
we should not intrust TO our governments
these very delicate duties.
would have, said he, about one-tenth of
our juvenile delinquents intrusted to their keep
ing, for them to put up splendid establish
ment for their own credit and fer us TO glorify,
but 1 should not expect very much good from
it. The rest would turn over to "private re-
formatories but they not to be modelled after
any particular and fixed fashion. If there is
any shoemaker, carpenter, blacksmith, or so
forth, who has large heart and the faculty to
manage boys, let him take fifty or one hundred
of them under his care, in an unpretending
building, to learn his trade, TO be kept out of
mischief, trained to habits Of industry, clean
illness, sobriety and virtue. Let the thing be
done modestly and without any display. The
more of them the better, but don't let them get
| too large. Begin with one, and increase them
only az they are needed.
The larger they are the worse they are. The
nearer you get any reformatory school to the
family the better-the more directly you can
teach the better your success. Let the occu-
pations be as manifold possible, so if boy
or girl has an inclination or special turn
for any particular one, it can be indulged.
Only use the State to receive its appropriations
and ease the burden to society. Here the
President reminded the gentleman that he was
trenching upon a topic not yet before tho
house. "Let him go on, he is good" said Mr..
Barnard. And there was unanimous consent1
Coaxing is better than arresting. For two
and a half cents dinner in Cleveland they get
children plenty in, whom the police would not
be smart enough to catch. Offer them evening
schools, pleasant place to lodge, something to
eat Connect these objects with your public
| schools. Let it be every where known that an
education-not merely the alphabet, reading,
writing grammar, arithmetic and the ologies
put an education, intellectual and. moral
every child shall have, and a home; that tho
vagrants must be housed, the criminals i'm
prisoned, and those who have a tendency to
crime "put under restraint"