The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-12-11

A curfew ordinance is under discussion
in Albany, the object being mainly to keep
young girls off the streets after o'clock
in winter and in summer. The Minis
terial Association of Albany has proposed
the ordinance. and it is hoped by the sup
porters of the movement that the sigma
lures of at least fifteen thousand persons
can be obtained to petitions in favor of 1t.
There is a reasonable doubt whether
curfew laws and prohibitive ordinances
of like character will ever have much
effect on the American people. The cur
few law has been tried in several COM
munities, and seems not to have been
very successful. The fact is that the mat
ter of training children and keeping them
off the streets is one which rests with
the parents of each individual child. and
public movements can do very little TO
undo the results of private negligence CT
unwisdom.
The country, as whole. has outgrown
the old-fashionei idea that there is some
peculiar virtue in staying indoors. There
was time when many good people
thought that it was breaking the Sab
bath, as they would have expressed it. to
go out of doors except to so to church.
Nowadays this idea is almost forgotten
tradition, and the most orthodox people
do not hesitate to take long walks In
Sunday, or sit in their gardens IL they
have any. This is certainly n movement
in the right direction. Under the condi-
tions of modern civilization nobody is
likely to get too much fresh air.
1t is the same with the old-time ira
diticn that children must be kept at home
in the evening. In most large cities no
one thinks of compelling children 10 re-
main indoors in hot weather during the
evening, which is the only cool and COM
Portable time for them to play outside
the house. To be sure. most people re-
strict their youngsters to the sidewalk
or street in the immediate vicinity of the
house, but those who allow their boys
and girls to wander abroad at will, at
all hours of the evening, are likely to pay
small attention to the curfew laws.
The real trouble lies in the TACT that the
children whom these good people desire
| to restrain from falling into vicious ways
nave SO little tHat Is pletSaut VI uouueNhe
in their lives that they easily fall into
the trap of almost any sort of schemer.
When girl of sixteen has nothing more
attractive in her home than drunken or
bad-tempered father and broken spirited
or tyrannical mother. when staying at
home means for her round of distasteful
domestic duties carried on in the midst OF
endless quarrels. it is not much to be
wondered at that she seeks pleasure out
side Girls of sixteen are seldom saints.
and some of the good people who are agi-
tating the question of the curfew law
would not stay in such homes as those OF
the tenement districts an hour IL they
could help it. 1t is easy to say that the
young people should try to do their duty
and make their homes attractive, and
many Of them endeavor to do So but II the
careless ones are to be won from evil ex-
elements it must be done not by the
threat of the law, but by providing safe.
wholesome and attractive amusements for
them. If half the tine and money were
spent on such things that is spent on mis-
sion work Of less directly effective kind
the police stations and prisons might not
be so full of youthful offenders.