Smyrna times., 1875-06-16
m IS E eII011 T OF S .
Boys in Court.

DOyS III OOuft,
Ih"y have an informal way OF administers
ms justice in the Phiadelp PIMA court, which
i not without its sound sense and force.
A boy was bgou.At ul before Jude, Br;,,,,
last week. charged with -tabbins another
lad. The culprit. it appeared was head of
4 gang. and the victim. cut OF a wholesome
fear ot tht future. gave, evidence. in Li,
flyof. Ino,~tead OF ~ymdin. tine bow for
year- - prison tn the enforced comp.lIion.
snip Of older thirvv, and rl.tanS. the it!rv
acquitted lima. requesting tina; the Court
snoul,i admon.~h john" John v..> there.
lore brought up before the Judge. who put
she ease of this boy and all others of the same
s'lass into Il forcble ta,hcrlv talk. unusual
enough on the bench but with v:gar and
sounu sense in it which many judge, and
all fathers might u.s.. with ADVANTAGE. In
lieu OF the ordinary vague morulitic, and
njnnctlons 70 60 and >in no more. tho rood
Judge sharply set before John the fact thar
ne was an exceedingly yiciou, Loy on the.
ulgh road TO the gsl!ow~ and that III,
V'lousne>s was due 10 irtYucut.ny thu. low
Lhc2tero IN front OF one Of wLicI. the
atiray took place, where he learned that
guilt and murder constituted heroic. Iit..
haFlns stripped John OF any compliment
belief that he was hero, or ANYTHING bu,
silly. tou!lninieI child. the .}ud.e babe tIl,.
Toy come 10 hi house, and lie would do all
he c"a.d 70 put him Ia better pat. j. !.:,
few judy. Brig -, or other sensible.
hh4ly men, in tine place of the machinery
ri our PRISONS i4I5tIJ do something for the
john, in thi, 4nj other large rit;r,.
Nothing Is more hopeless than the sensual.
Reckless faces oi the gangs ui such bows and
"olse of the girl, VINO accompany them
!Aat crowd nightly into the variety tho.,t.r,
ana concert saloons. The Pn.!ad.Irh;a
iUr-t touched the root OF the matter when
ne SAID that these places are institution,
ofeducatlontrom which criminals gradaute.
He based his opinion on his own exp.rj.
ence in the courts. whom he affirmed thar
70 these haunt- more tlan to anv other
cause could be traced the fall not only of
ignorant boys. such as the culprit before
him, but Of young lnen Of Iroln,. and
fortune If the law gave the power" be
added, = ] would break up every such place.
and that at once. Not long ago we cited
the Mayor Of Philadelphia a, saying that it
was TO the sensational. f~veri>i literature
provided for boys, and u th- low variety
nails whore such literature wa. drallatjz.d
that he 1.eribed tn. rapid increase Of
Juvenile crime IN that city 50 doubt chill
dren who read whoI"-on- book. and ar.
taken to good dramatic performances are
not going to fall through those lower means,
But john and his Iike have no money To
buy 81. N~h9tax or tickets to Booth, or
Walleck 's-yct they must have alLli-e
ment Any reform fall short of tn. mari,
which does not prpyid.. for Til, Necessity Of
human nature. II the lpn theatrical -how. .
could be closed by law. a9 jui.e Brisa, /
suggests the lads vino frequent th",u would .
find equally cheap and VIII. cXeitment in F..
rat-pit- and dancc-hou,c-. Tine fact l.. the /.
first reform needed Is tine establishment Of
low priced and decent places of amu-c
tree Inns and innumerabl. othcrdeyc,s 10
allure adult men from tayerus and other .
haunt. Of dis,ipation. Wny Is nothing
done for the boy. whoarr fIrmore Inalicalla +
subjects Of reform?
Now Yilcnrs- and crime are, not necessary
elements in entertainment. which please
the most ignorant laj. Thcb,otblach vii,
spends his last penny for IN. Pohr. G.,-a..
or for ticket to a bowc.y saloon. would
be Just as delighted with "a Christmas pan
tomime or day i'll the fields. The worst
social danger before til" next generation
lies precisely in this direction. and the only /
help for it is i'll the provision for the lower
clauses Of rational, clean amusement, and
in the personal supervisors Of every edu-
Gated boy by his parents, that he Dc not
tainted by either the books to which we
adverted or by the plays which present
them. These books, let us add, will be
found in places where the most careful
mother will hardly look for them. The
issues of respectable publishing firms, even
Sunday school libraries, are full Of tales Of
heated passions and reckless bravado which
end precisely in such heroisms as poor
Johns, in the dock. Even when such tales |
are untainted with actual guilt they give |
the boy utterly false ideas of his place and |
Importance in life. ewholesomest lesson
for lad is that of his own insignifcance. |
Our grand-fathers erred perhaps in stern |