The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-09-17
A SENSIBLE APPEAL.
A Parental Education Sadly Needed
in These Times.
To the Editor Of The State journal.

IL AAOSO 44A4SSs
To the Editor of The State Journal.
L have been much impressed with the
growing recklessness of youthful Grim
inals and their apparent increase. After
several years experience in Juvenile re-
formatories I became deeply convinced
of this fact: That more active meas
ureS should be taken for the prevention
of crime. When the moral senSibilitieS
once become blunted and all feeling of
self respect is gone, there is sure to
follow this reckless Indifference and
disregard for law. We have to con-
slider how our criminals are dealt with.
They are punished and compelled to
obedience for a short time, and then
turned adrift to poison the morals of
society and propagate a race of crimi-
nails.
Punishment alone for the violation of
law will never destroy crime. A child
who is constantly whipped is both sur
prised and disappointed if he fails to
get his customary punishment; his ideal
is founded upon a low basis and he is
no longer a hero. Punishment admin
istered by one who does not appeal to
the moral and reasoning powers of the
offender becomes degrading.
No one who fails to possess high
degree of self control and morality is
fit to deal with criminals.
Men and women employed for this
work should have a special fitness for
it: yet how many there are in our vari-
Gus penal institutions who are there
simply for the salary or through some
good political turn done in the past.
It is not enough that they should pos
SeSS natural adability for this work;
the power to cultivate and aid the de-
veIOpment of stunted morals, to stimu-
late self control and self respect, but
they should be trained by one VINO IS
experienced and makes special study
of psychology, natural science, the SCI
ence of child study, physical culture
and history of pedagogy, also FrOebeIS
philosophy and methods, for he has
given as no other teacher since the
time of Christ the sublime beauty OF
the philosophy of life. Our nope Tor
the prevention of crime lies in the kin
dergarten. These criminals of today
were once folded away in the life OF a
little child; then was the time to save
them.
everything else to be well mothered-
Let it become a part of our schooI
and university training to secure a pa
rental education. Let applicants Tor
marriage license, like our teachers, pro
duce their certificates of qualification;
we owe this much to our future c1t1-
zens Until some active measures De
taken along this line we can never nope
to blot out crime. The golden thought
of George R Peck's address before the
university students of Virginia was
this: .. 49,
sonal and our national ambitions should
he turned in another direction; when
less of our young American energy
should be given to the forming OF syn
dictates and more to the building of
character
Thousands of mothers are daily Pc
rllsing the criminal accounts and sensa-
tionaI literature of our famlly papers
hooks and MAGAZINES and unwittingly
recreating depravity and stamping
crime upon the character of children
yet unborn.
An education that will unfold the
moral powers in harmony with the IN
teIlectuaI and physical will create de-
mand for a higher grade Of literature
and a better citizenship Tor the present
and future In ignorance is laid the
foundation for the development of all
error MRS. 0. D.
Very low rates will be made by the