Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-03-07
FURNISHING NAUGHTY sors.
The Method Proposed by the Ensiish Home
Secretary.

The Method Proposed by the Engiish Home
Secretary.
From the London Standard.
The careful student Of our police reports
must have noticed the increasing boldness. not
to say the increasing depravity, Of what is
called the juvenile offender. both male and
female. When these interesting cadets OF the
criminal brigade take to burning down houses,
promoting explosions of gas, breaking street
lamps, stealing steam launches, and commit
ting robbery under arms on the queens
highway. they become something more than
nuisance. Even if they stop short of dropping
bricks on the roofs of railway carriages, or
practicing with a revolver Of heavy caliber in
the back garden, they require TO be suppressed
with some severity.
At the same time there is no kind Of punish
ment which needs to be more carefully gradu-
ased than that intended for the young.
useful little bill which has lust been in
trodnced by the home secretary is skillfuliy de-
vised, as well for the benefit Of the youthful
Offenders as for that Of the society which they
Unrest. 1t should be promised that the express
sion youthful offender in the bill means
boy or girl under sixteen years of age. The
measure, 80 far as it affects boy Offenders, is
passed on knowledge of the great law which
famous schoolmaster threw into the aphorism
that the conscience of q lad is lodged in the
cuticle of his akin
MIR. Matthews proposes to approach the young
Offenders better feelings that way In other
words, he will allow magistrates to infiict the
penaisy OF whipping where "any youthful male
onender or, to use the language of ordinary
life, any very naughty boy-'shall have COM
misted any offense punishable by the court"
Inere are due safeguards against excessive use
OF the rod, since the boy is not to have more
than dozen strokes if he is under twelve, or
more than eighteen strokes il he is over that
~ fha
other person having authority is to be present
TO see that the warder or other minister of
justice who yields the birch does not '.lay it
on with superfuous energy.
Also, the boys parent may be present il he
pleases. No doubt, he will usually desire to as
slst at the ceremony. Apart altogether from
any parental emotions which may sgitate his
breast he will have a strong personal interest
In the affair, for the bill enacts that the court
may fine him any sum not exceeding 81, and
may also order him to compensate the person
or persons injured by the Juvenile offender"
whether boy or girl, to the extent Of E5. always
provided the court is satisfied that there has
been neglect or default on the part of the
parent in relation to that offender. This is
beginning at the right end, both with the child
and the father. The latter will have an addi-
tional inducement to look after his child him
self, and his objection to that kind of youthful
eIuberance which eliminates in damaging
other peoples property and putting other peo-
PIT lives ana Ilmps In danger Will De lntensl-
fed when he recollects that he may be asked TO
contribute toward the expenses Of the frolic.
Boys will be boys, but they need not be
young rufians or savages. II they show any
tendency to develop that way, a dozen strokes
with tough and wiry birch rod, applied with
science: are likely TO act as an excellent cor
receive. English public school men who have
been brought up in those great seminaries
from which the birch and the cane are not yet
banished know this we'll enough. They know
that fogging has = very impressive moral
and physical effect on any high-spirited young
ster. while leaving him none the worse for it
permanently. And there can be no question
that to give sound whipping to any lad not
hopelessly corrupted or deprsved is very much
better than to inject him with the prison faint
by sending him to Jail or to break his spirit by
keeping him for years in q reformatory.