Morning journal and courier., 1889-03-14
wOMANKEND AT THE BAR.
A Bachelor Judge Pronounces Rath
 CT Severe opinion.

From the St. Louis Republc.1
 The best known police magistrate in the United States is Judge Patrick G. Duffy of New York. A man whose sayings are con- stantly being published in the big daily pa- importance. The wide-awake reporters of the New York papers always keep sharp eye on the court where Judge Duffy sits, and not day passes that his queer, humorous, and epigrammistic sayings are not repre- duced.
 Reform wonen!" ejaculated Judge Duffy omewhat energetically. ''It is practically impossible to reform woman who has en- tered the ranks of the criminals. Not one in thousand reforms"
 The writer was somewhat staggered. El- bridge T. Gerry, the most radical in some respects of the persons interviewed, had said one in 800, and this was raising the figure with a vengeance.
 "What can be the cause of all the seeming demoralization of the female sexg'
 In his answer to this question the Judge. as always, was original.
 'Do you know," he said, lone of the chief causes s-what most frequently brings women into the court.
 I admitted frankly I did not.
 "Well, I'll tell you," said the Judge. "It is love of dress This is the first cause. I may not be agreed with in this matter, but what I say is frue. It is remarkable fact that the American woman has an inordinate desire for fine clothes, and I do not go too far when I say that many of them will sacrifice anything, even their virtue, to grat- ify that desire.
 ''There are men with money constantly on the lookout for such women," continued the Tr7dp nd ha ia off. .fo1A tall For time the woman has fine clothes, diamonds, and wine suppers. It is very fine, but it doesn't last. From wine the woman drops to whisky; from which to bee1-but what is the use of going any furthera The rest can be imagined"
 'Bub all cases do not begin with wine SUD- pers, Judge"
 'sNo of course not, :" was the response. 1T spoke of one class There is another class, found in the lower ranks of society, to use the prevalent term. Take our tenement houses, where any number of families live in house. The men during the day are l hard at work trying to make 8 living for their families. Very well. Mrs. Jones has | nothing to do, and she drops in to see Mrs. | Smith, and while she is there Mrs. Brown | drops Tn. Then Mrs. Smith sends for 8 l pint of beer, and all hands fall to discussing | the faults of Mrs, Sullivan next door. While ! they are doing Mrs. Sullivan drops in, I and that having been drunk the ladies be come dissatisfied, and a pint of whiskey is | bought and drunk, and so it goes on. .sMr. Brown comes home, and so dc | Smith, Jones, and Sullivan. They find theil | wives drunk. There is no fire and no sup per. Then Brown, Smith, Jones, and sulli | van go out and get drunk, too. When they come home again they beat their wives, and l the next morning they in court. This is l a sample case, but the city is full of them. l "A still greater cause for the demoraliza | tion of women is idleness and indolence Women whose husbands are at business hay, no work to occupy stheir minds ol hands The results are bad"
 .'It has been suggested, Judge. that il women had full and sole charge of institu. | tions in which women are confined they might be mere capable of reformation"
 1T don't believe it,' was the prompt reply ''There are half dozen institutions in thi city to which the Judges commit womer that are managed solely by women, and b, women interested in religious and philan | tropic work, too. You could not get il some of them, although 8 newspaper mal can go almost anywhere. As magistrate of the city of New York I have a right t. enter these institutions, but I assure 70, that even magistrate receives cold wei come. But they don't reform the women " send them any more than the workhouse ol 1 Blackwells Island reforms them. So mucl 1 for the management of women."
 "There must be remedy for all this Judge Duffy" ventured to remark.
 ''Very likely" he responded, with quiz zical smile. Perhaps there are too man. remedies. have few myself, but I an free to say that I don't know what the req remedy is.
 "The spirit of crine," said tbe little Judge looking up at the ceiling. "was implanted in the hufnan breast contemporaneously witl the Garden of Eden. We have always haG crime and criminals with us. We alway will have them unless the millennium come pretty soon.
 cone of my remedies is that all men an women ought to bs compelled to work a something, either with their hands or thei brains," continued the Judge, with som energy. "Idlensss is doing more damag than anything elsa. And when I say e,