The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1899-08-11
SAVE OR PUNISH

Returning again to the subject of
juvenile offenders. to which reference
was made yesterday not only is 1t nee
essary that we should strive to reform
| them after they have fallen into hands
of the law. but we should do all that we
can to prevent them falling into its
grasp
We must not by any means think that
the mere education of the schools is go
ing to prevent the young from going
upon the wrong path. 1t used to be the
idea that the common school was going
to upift the world so much that 1t
would do away with crime. Expert
ence has not proved this to be true. The
/ tails on the mainland and in Europe
are filled with those who have passed
through the common school. The mere
ability to read and write, and the Guilt
walton of the intellect does not neces-
sarly prevent child falling into evil
ways and eventually into crime.
II any one will consider a moment the
conditions under which the poorer
classes of children live, it is by no
means surprising that they fall astray
either into crime or immortality. The
houses are small. There is only one
common playground allowed here, viz:
! the street. In this, the children natur-
ally collect they hear and see things in
! the lower quarters of the town, which
| they should not hear and see. Even
where the parents desire to take pains
! ,1,f 10 N
| and pitfalls which stand open on all
sides for them to fall into, and there
are plenty of parents who do not care
to take any trouble over their children.
| A cuff and an i'll word if they are trou
blesome is all the parental care which
| they have.
The question of how to get at this
class of the community is not an easy
one to solve. We have great problem
before us. 1t is a problem which every
Christian nation is trying to solve, and
has failed to solve completely as yet
Our chances of solving the problem are
better than those of nations where the
hoodlum element has grown out of
hand. Ii we devote our attention to the
matter now, we will, in all probability
be able to check, if not to entirely pre-
vent such an element growing up in our
midst.
Work of this kind depends upon per-
sonal effort. In this direction some
thing has been attempted but it needs
to be earnestly carried on. Hiram Bing-
ham the younger, did exceptionally fine
work in the Palama district for a time,
but he left it for another sphere. 9th
ers have striven to follow in his foot
steps, but their method of work does not
always find favor with the strict obser.
Vers of the amenities of life In work.
, ing among such classes of people it is
necessary to attract. You must get
your young people interested and the
ordinary methods of the Sunday school
which some depend upon do not reach
what is sought after.
In many cities philanthropic people
are establishing playrooms as a means
Of influence among the children. In oul
city we 40 not need the playroom, but
we do need the public playground. A
moral tone can be established among
the young by judicious mingling in theil
sports, which no amount of precept did.
actically given either in the common
school or the Sunday school, can equal
Children appreciate much more fully 9
statement this is what we do" thar
the precept this is what you ought tC
do"
: The establishment of public play.
ground in Palama is not going to eff
feet a sudden regeneration, but if such
place is properly supervised and man.
aged on broad lines, it will help very
much towards forming a public opinion
among children themselves, which viii
help materially the regeneration of the
mass. There is no reason why healthy
ideas should not dominate the mass OF
children as much as evil ideas, but un.
less some means are adopted to fight
the evil by the good which in most cases
is inherent in children, the evil will pre-.
dominate and the hoodlum class, OF
which we are now seeing sad examples
in our courts, will increase instead OF
decrease. This is no idle warning thai
is given There is a real evil which car
be checked now, by kindness and goot
management. Later it will have to be
checked by the Jail and the gallows
and whose will then be the blame?