Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1891-05-07
PUNISHMENT OF NAUGHTY BOYS.
The Rod to BE Applied when Occasion
Warrants II In England.

Warrants IL In England
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 explo-
sions OF gas, breaking street lamps, steal
ing steam launches and committing rob
bery under arms" on the queens highway
thew become something more than null
sance. Even if they stop short of dropping
bricks on the roofs of railway carriages OF
practicing with a revolver.of heavy calibeF
in the back garden, they require TO be sup
pressed with some severity.
AT the same time there is no kind OF
punishment which seems to be more care
fully graduated than that intended for the
young.
A useful little bill which has been in
troduced by the home secretary is skill
fully devised, as well for the benefit Of the
youthful offenders as for that Of the So
ciety which they infest. 1t should be pre-
missed that the expression youthful Of
fender in the bill means boy or girl
under sixteen years of age. The measure,
SO far as il affects boy offenders, Is based
on the knowledge of the great law which
a famous schoolmaster threw into the
aphorism that the conscience of a lad Is
lodged In the cuticle OF his skin
Mr. Matthews proposes to approach the
Young offenders better feelings that way
In other words, he will allow magistrates
to infiict the penalty Of whipping where
sanv Youthful male offender"-or, to use
the language of ordinary life, any very
naughty boy-''shall have committed any
offense punishable by the court" There
are due safeguards against excessive use OF
the rod, since the boy is not to have more
than a dozen strokes If he is under twelve,
or more than eighteen strokes II he Is over
that aye; and the governor of the prison,
or some other person having authority, Is
TO be present to see that the warden or
other minister Of Justice who yields the
birch does not 'lay it on" with superfiuous
energy.
Also, the boys parent may be present il
he desires. No doubt he will usually de-
sire 10 assist ut the ceremony. Apart al
together from any parental emotions
which may agitate his breast, he will have
strong personal interest In the affair.
for the bill enacts that the court may fine
him any sum got exceeding one pound,
and may also order him to compensate the
person or persons injured by the Juvenile
offender whether boy or girl, TO the ex-
tent OF five pounds, always provided the
court is satisfied that there has been neg
lect 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 additional inducement TO look
after his child himself. and his objection to
that kind Of youthful exuberance which
eliminates in damaging other peoples
property and putting other peoples lives
and limbs ia danger will be intensified
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
roung ruffians or savages. II they show
any tendency to develop that way, dozen
strokes with tough and wiry birch rod.
applied with science, are likely to act as an
| excellent corrective. 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
well enough
They know that logging has very
| impressive moral and physical effect on
any high spirited youngster, 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 depraved is very much better
than TO infect him with the prison faint by
sending him to Jail, or to break his spirit by
keeping him for years in a reformatory.-
London Standard.