The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-01-17
CURFEW.
Opinions For and
Against Such a Law.
INTERVIEWS WITH
Maj. Raymond, Chief of Pc
lice brennan and Others.

Major Edward T. Raymond, clerk of
the central district court, is not a sym
pathizer with a possible movement for
the enactment Of law or ordinance
to rejuvenate the old time curfew bell.
Maj. Raymond is positive in his belief
and has no hesitation in expressing his
mind on the subject.
In conversation with The Spy man
yesterday afternoon, Major Raymond
said: No, I can't say that 1 am in ia
yor of ringing a curfew bell in our
city. The custom may have done very
well for a small village or hamlet in
the olden days wh=n ali good men
were supposed TO be in bed at candle
light or before, but Worcester is a
large city and the adoption Of such a
custom seems TO me like going back.
Children at the present time go out
in the evening more Than they did even
a few years ago, and the idea Of every
child who has been out to an enter
tainment or party later than o'clock
being held up by an officer and sent
home or possibly detained at the police
office, TO me is absurd.
Another thing, especially in sum
mer, is that children IL al walks Of
life are allowed out of doors to con-
siderable extent, as late as 10 o'clock
or half past even, and the enactment
of an ordinance or law that would per-
NIT an officer or other guardian of the
peace 10 order them into their respect
i've domiciles after q certain hour, say
9 o'clock, would, in my mind, cause
such wall Of popular Indignation
from the citizens Of this city as to cause
IFS ronR31 within n short
The police at the present time have
ample authority for investigating the
business of any person of no matter
what age who is seen on the streets
late at night, and l consider this au-
thority ample for the case in hand,
without the necessity OF q custom that
shall oblige all persons TO have their
children in the house at a stated hour
Legislation that tends to the re-
striction OF American citizens at the
present time, should be handled very
carefully, and the establishment of a
custom of this nature would. l think
prove more injurious than beneficial.
The tendency among a majority of
men, and women for that matter. aside
from children, is to do things that they
consider an infringement on their
rights. even though il be contrary TO
custom laid down. and with the young
er generation the inclination to stay
out of doors after the stated time
would, l fear, be 100 strong. I think
Worcester too large and progressive a
city for such a custom"
Chief Of Police James NJ. brennan,
on the other hand. says: Il am in ia
yor of the custom and would like to
see some sort Of law or ordinance en-
acted by means of which children will
be kept off the streets after a seasonal
Bile hour, unless in care of their par
ents or attendants. At the present
time there are a great many mere chill
dren on the street late at night, in spite
OF the fact that the officers do all that
they can to drive them home
1t is no place for children s to 10
years old, on the street at midnight.
and for one would ike TO see some
such law in force in Worcester"
Capt. d. A. Matthews of the Waldo
street station house said: II have not
given the matter much thought. and
know but little about the curfew law,
but there are some parts OF it that 1
think would be a good thing in this
city; that is, so far as they relate to
keeping children off the streets.
Il presume however, that some chill
dren find fully as much enjoyment on
the street as at home, as every one
WHO mas any acquaintance with some
OF the homes of this city will admit In
such cases it would be well. perhaps.
to apply little ctIrfew discipline to
the parents.
Among the officers in the depart
ment the same opinion prevails, that
certain parents of children should be
made TO look after them and keep
them off the street late at night, al
though whether the curfew law would
have this effect or not, is hard to
tell