The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-01-27
FIftv Per Cent. plshonest.

Magistrate Wentworth of the Harlem
police court, in New York, made very
striking statement in his court the other
day. He had two youths Of fifteen years
before him upon a charge of stealing ma
pie sugar from a grocery store. In speak
ing TO them, and over their heads to the
audience he said, among other things: II
believe fully 50 per cent. of the boys
brought up in this city are given TO ril-
fering of some kind or other. They are
being brought up in these courts every
day. There were twenty or more here in
front of me last week. Downstairs now
there is a boy who is going to be tried for
burglary in his own fathers house. He
wore a mask and used a blackjack on his
father when he was discovered. 1t is no
indication that a boy is honest because he
has a respectable father and mother. The
best dressed and best appearing boys are
just as bad as the rest. 1t shows that there
is something rotten in Denmark. Boys
nowadays hardly get their breakfast be-
fore they are out in the street"
1t is probable that the magistrates con-
slant official association with the criminal
classes has had the effect of making him
something of a pessimist. Seeing but lit
tie of the good, he may be inclined to mag
nifty the evil. Having large numbers of
bad boys brought before him, he is i'm
PEELED to the belief that at least half of
the boys in the city are bad. il is charita-
BILE to give the boys of New York the benz
eft of all of the doubt; and to think that
Magistrate Wentworth has overdrawn the
case.
Still it must be admitted that Magis-
trate Wentworth has good opportunities
for studying the criminology OF the great
city, and would probably not have ma le
such statement as the one quoted with
out good reason. Suppose he is just half
right; would the condition not be shock
ing? What more terrible arraignment of
city or a civilization under Christianity
could be made than to say that one youth
out of every four that 1t produces is a
thief? Yet who can say that Magistrate
Wentworth is not half right, or more than
half right, when he says that so per cent.
of the boys brought up in New York city
are given to pilfering OF some kind or
other? And how much better are the con-
ditlons in the other populous cities than in
New York?
The magistrate indicates one of the
great evils of the times. which is running
thousands of boys. Boys nowadays hard
ly get their breakfast before they are out
in the street." says he. And when they
set into the street there is no telling when
they will get back into the house again.
They stay out nights, meet in vacant lots
or other convenient places, and absorb oil
of the evil that can come of idleness and
bad companions. Their finer instincts are
smothered, conscience is stilled, vicious
habits and appetites are acquired, and the
boys frequently become loafers drunk
ards, thieves, burglars or murderers.
For good deal Of this parents are d.
rectly to blame. They send their children
into the streets as soon as they are able
to toddle. in order that the parents may
not be bothered with looking after them.
In other instances parents adopt the roll
icy that it is a good thing for children to
learn how to take care OF themselves at
an early age, and that there Is no school
so good as the streets for learning self
reliance. Again, parents are sometimes
altogether careless, and permit their off
spring TO exercise their own pleasure as
to their hours and associates. Can il be
wondered at that boys with such home
surroundings frequently are found in the
police courts charged with theft?