The evening world., 1894-04-21
THE TRuANTs OF NEW YORK.
There Are Not as Many Of Them
az in Former Years.
The Work Done by tho Truancy
Department Agents.

hoy with n skull cap and the physique Of
a miniature athlete darted from the side
walk and took shelter behind a dilapi-
dated old truck.
A few minutes later the gentleman had
the small boy by the arm. and was en-
gagged In conversation with him. The
boys name was Henry. He belonged to
the Bayard Street School. He was In
Miss Somebody's class OF the fifth grade
and on his way to the Times Building.
where his mother Is employed at char
work.
But, my little man, o should be In
school. You are missing your lessons.
You are losing the chance of becoming
an intelligent man. Your classmates will
leave you behind. Your mother must be
about through with her duties now.
Couldn't you see her at noontime?"
While this conversation was going on a
young soldier appeared. When he saw
the gentleman holding the boy his ire
Let this boy alone! Let him go!" he
said. I'm in the United States service.
n III have you arrested"
For what, sir?" asked the gentleman,
For intimidating people"
Then the young soldier left the scene.
and rushed up Park Row. BY this time
2 crowd had collected. oilers, shop
keepers and housewives listened with
open mouths to the questions and an
swers of the mar and boy. When the
United States soldier and a Sixth Ward
ended: the boy said he would go to
school at once.
Whats this crowd here for?" de-
manded the giant bluecoat of the white
haired truant-hunter.
ASK. It," was the quiet reply. Then
the officer stretched his arms. YEARLY,
and the otfcious little soldier in the
blue Jacket pulled his brass-mounted
can down over his ewes and went away
with the others.
This sort of thing is OF everyday &C.
OF Mr.. John s.. Ketcham. but OF his
twelve associates who compose the Tru-
ancy oBard OF the New York Public
The Truancy Department was organ
lied In 1870 to enforce the law OF COM
pulsory education. During the first five
years of its existence the number OF chill.
dren arrested for vagrancy averaged
l,22l. Last year only 496 were committed
or held for examination. The influence
OF this Truancy Department in restrain
Ing Juvenile crime cannot be overesti-
The. following summary OF the work
lone by the thirteen truant agents dur
ing the past year Is taken from the last
report of the Board of Education:
Total number Of visits made ................. 40, SIS
To shops and factories. .........."...... 2,t3l
Cases Investigated and closed. ...............lb rs ais
Here are some of the causes for ION
attendance at school:
children kept at home by poverty ............ co
Children kept at home by sickness. .......... ,ei5
children kept at home for domestic service. 4,756
children whose residence could not be found. l.7N
Children found Ic be truants and placed In
Neglected or friendless children. found to be
truants and committed to Institutions. ..... 60
Children taken from workshops. ............. 322
Children physically or mentally disqualified.
The methods pursued by the truant
agent are most admirable. Formerly
the truant was escorted to the school
lamb. Although lie might have been
doing nothing worse than sitting on a
log, looking at the ships in the bay, the
brought him to school was a disgrace
that he was net permitted to forget.
.c oils pointed the finger of
teachers In the poverty OF their methods
required to the fact in times OF trouble
me result was that the little fellow
from the community. The fat" OF the
Girl brought" back was rarely happy.
But all that is changed now.
AGENTS begin their work about ten
minut after school time. This gives
the tardy, pupils a chance to be in or
near the building and is about the time
the determined truan has arranged his
programme for his outing. Frequently
~" SN'S nv lIt DulllllE,
pftys a game or two with his friends
and drcps out after the last hell. or the
al aTbs RICH nag" has been hauled in.
gl5 a. NJ. ard l.l5 =. NJ. they may be
found in the vicillty of their respective
ward schools, The agent knows the
truant az a glance. No ,ime is wasted
q must give an account of himself.
This method saves a deal of time and
d~iscourages ialsehoods.
~ t.
course Is q bad one. that it doesn't paw,
that 1t is mis- business to go to school
and tnat II he doesn't attend to his bust.
ness The agent viii. attend to him, the
turn to his classroom.
When odd that Of his word OF honor
ne VIII re trusted to return to school
s,one the truant rarely fails to kesp
The children who do not respond to
MS system OF confidence are the pitiful
c,ass from whom wrongdoers are ma,
CHI idren. children of the street and chill.
den OF nobody. \ large percentage OF
tr~uahs-Playing is done by half orphans
father is employed in a public building
as an elevator man. One of Johnny.
and TAX. 1t TO his father, who leave!
home at 5 o'clock in the morning.
The boy does not always wake up In
uIne 10 perform ms tasks ana get II
school. where. perhaps, more is though
OF punctual attendance than the chilli
welfare, and rather than go late h,
spends the morning In the street.
Mile Alison Is the name of a It'll,
girl who is left to mind the house anC
o children while the mother Is ava,
washing to support them all. Tw,
brothers are getting too old for her I,
manage. When things go wrong, a
they do most OF the time. the boys pla,
truant.
k.ucy Black is an orphan; she make
htr home with an aunt. She has
mar~!cd sister and a baby niece. TIL
sister IL too poor to keep her, but Yer
glad to have her services as nurse
Lucy's love for the infant has give,
her a famous reputation in the neign
borhood as n "hooky-playcr."
Mary Cary also has a married sista
n an cunt with whom she makes he
home. She is rather good looking, bu
Is endov ed with more than a whole
some amount OF Independence. Throug
her brother-in-law she has made the az
quaintance OF some dangerous youn
men. Wednesday she goes to schoC
with an unusually nice couture. Al IN
noon recess, instead of going home, sh
takes lunch on the Bowery and goes I
the matinee.
These are by no means executions
cases. All that can be lone to discouraE
their trusncy is done, but II is YER
llteIa Tn Che x,n.L 80 -