The herald., 1896-01-05
we are on the point of needing another
deluge and a new start.n

| we are on the point of needing another
deluge and new start"
| Warden Hale of San Quentin: A very
| large percentage of our criminals come
| from the poorer classes. The mothers as
| well as the fathers are Obliged to 90 out to
labor, leaving the little ones at home in
| the care of older brothers and sisters or al
| lowing them to run wild in the streets,
! where they soon become the associates of
| the depraved and criminal elements, and
only too quickly learn to steal, and from
small stealings at first, they soon take arti-
cles of greater value until at last they be-
come common thieves and vagabonds.
again repeat. teach these little ones some
industry. giving them good moral training
as we'll, instlll in their minds self-reliance,
and teach them habits of cleanliness and
politeness; and this is where the great
work of the free kindergarten comes in, 1t
takes the little waits right into its fold,
right INTO Its arms, so to spsak, teaching
them to be industrious while they are yet
babes, to be honest and obedient
In one of the reports of the free kinder
garten work of San francisco, | find the
following: The little children at their daily
tasks are taught systematic activity, perse-
verance and industry; these traits become,
as it were. part of their very life, so as to
be essentially automatic in action, and for
this reason voluntary. Good conduct is
natural industrious tendencies are indis-
worker. The development of the intellect
in making quantitative and mathematical
combinations is surprising. The children
are trained to exercise their faculties in re-
cognizing form and number as we'll as in
designing combinations with them. IT
seems to be the universal verdict that
crime had its most effectual remedy in
judicious work among neglected children,
from three to six years of age-just such
work as is done by the real kindergarten.
Work with children always pays handsome
dividends. Through the children the
home is reached most successfully. The
gnarled and crooked oak is not easily adj
justed to the outline of beauty and uni
formity. but the tender twig bends easily
and gracefully to the gentle, formative
hand. Let us rescue the children!
1.-The fact of the matter is that illiteracy
IS not the primal cause of pauperism and
crime. In proof of this assertion we have
but to examine the prison records of Cali
fornia, which are verified by a remarkable
set of statistics published in the journal of
Industrial Education in regard to several
thousand convlcts in two of the largest
penltentiares of the East. The great
flaming fact is not that they cannot read
and write; not that they had not been to
Sundsy school; not that they were intem-
perate: but the most common fact is that
these convicts know no trade-most of
them being entirely ignorant of all trade
knowledge. Few, if any, of our largest
cities have ever expended dollar in
teaching our boys practical indus
tries. / am more and more con-
vinced that the foundation for indus
trial training should be laid in early child
hood. The community and every patri-
otto citizen must heed the warning and
train their children-especally the ne
elected children-for honorable cilizen-
ship. Hence | am firm believer in in
dustrial education. If we would lessen
crime, we had better educate ,the young
for work and let them grow up to be good
for something else than to fill our jais and
prisons. tits better to rescue "A child from
a criminal career than to attempt the pre-
vention or punishment of adult criminals"
1t has been well said that crime can only
be hindered by letting no children grow up
to be criminals. One single generation of
children saved from becoming criminals |
would change the condition of society.
Prevention of crime is the duty of society. |
1t is as much duty to prevent crime as to
punish it. AS a question of political econ
omy our children should be trained to ways |
Of industry. The question of early indi-
vidual training of the children is, in my
opinion, the greatest of all questions. If |
the people of our land will stop and con-
slider for one moment this one great and |
important question of how to prevent
crime. they will say it is time to see to it |
that the children are educated il industrial |
pursuits; and when this is accomplished |
we will see less pauperism, less crime and i
many less young men in our penal institu-
tiOns