Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1880-04-03

Ay Dear Iydr:-In view OF the Outcropplng of
lawlessness and brutality In our midst, the idea
viii obtrude itself that something more Is re-
quired than jail and material for gallows to
make our population what 1t should be- AS 1t
Is said that 1.-The boy is the father of the man.
suppose we cast glance at our boys and see
what crop OF future men we are raising. Let
us take those In my immediate neigab5rhood
for instance and pass them In review before us.
just as soon as they are able to walk without
MASKING their precious noses at every third
step, they are turned into the streets, to be out
OF the way, the mother being neither able nor
willing to be the guide and teacher OF those for
whose existence she Is responsible She has to
attend to her work, must go and do some shop
across the way had for breakfast and
intends to have for dinner, or how many yards
Mrs. Jones has in her new dreSS-anykoW, the
s'young ones are a bOSher, and may Just as
well be In the streets as anywhere else; it's good
for their health; confinement in the home yard
might dwarf them. Well there are plenty OF
larger boys around, who were showed out In
their turn also, and who are fully able to take
the education of these little ones In hand; and
they do it The result Is, fearful oaths and lam
guage vile and foul beyond description falling
from fresh, rosy baby lips that ought never to
utter anything less pure than prayer or the
name OF mother. AS time rolls On, they devel-
ness than intellect and get 10 be perfect terror
TO every lover Of peace and order In the
neighborhood. There are gangs Of boys,
years, roaming the streets TIL late at night.
who are about as promising a crop OF law
breakers as one can well find. The street Is
used for a baseball ground; cindeTs, brckbatS
stones OF half pound weight, varied with
Jumps of moist yellow clay, to avoid mOnotOny
fly into our yards from all directions, break our
windows and gently caution us to keep out OF
range at all hours and at afi seasOnsESunday
not excepted. Then they take notion to i'm
prove the labor market and forthwith clubs are
brought into reQuiS1tiOn during some dark even
Ing and, presto next morning the heads of pa
Hngs are found Knocked of, latcheS broken and
gaping yoids where windows used to be. Let
but a little bird show itself and dozen
demands for its life; and should your
pet kitten fall into their hands, expect
nothing but to find 1t moaning out its life,
crushed and mangled, near your very door.
With a street education like this-graduating
In malicious mischief, yulgarity and cruelty.
but the harvest OF crime we are reapiSs s DAY
after day? True, there are city ordinances pro-
hibiting any and all the things 1 have men
grandmotherly council like his instructions to
the police on this very subject, what becomes
OF said ordinances? Order-lOv1ng people are
simply at the mercy OF young rowdies, who care
about as much for such moral Suasion as he re-
commended as the boy on the apple-tree did
for the old mans punches of grass Sup
pose. since the grass Is not minded. we follow
out the parable and use something harder
returning TO the system Of uphOldiEg an officer
when he faithfully tries to do his duty in pro-
tectlDg life and property. be the offender old or
legitimate outlet for all this superabundant en-
ergy which leads boys into mischief? Would il
not be well to anticipate the cost OF future
jail and numberless trials by investing 1t In an
attachment 10 each large school building, which
should be furnished with books (noae Of your
goody stun, mind: but wholesome interesting
food for their tmagtnatiOns; travels. adventure
real boys reading,) with gymnaStic apparatuses
tools for wood Carving, and anything else prac-
tcable In that line. There are always mea In
community who are born teachers and Irie Ids
or boys, and ore such should be placed
In charge OF each room or hall OF this kind, anu
be invested with full power to restrain, teach
assist, In short be the genius, the soul of the
place. Large hearted, noble men would us,,
some OF their leisure hours In giving instruction
In using the tools, and thus, II play and work
could be combined, there would be no hanging
around saloons to pick up cigar stumps, vile
language and chance to drain the dregs from
aglass OF beer or whisky, and We would feel
that we had taken great step In the direction
OF temperance, and consequent prevention of
crime. OF course, my plan Is very crude, as
yet; but In city full OF thinking benevolent
men and women there is surely hose for its
being considered, improved, and, sincerely
hope adopted. MISS RRoWN