Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1902-10-01
MAKING CRIMINALS
THE JUVENILE COURT BEARS W.T.
NESS TO RUM'S AWFUL WORK.

AOuth1uA PRISONERS ZOO OFTEN Driven
to Crime by the Drunkenness of
Their Parents - Cases Cited From,
Docket of n Chicago Judge.
Judge Tuthill's juvenile court is one
of Chicago's most typical and useful
institutions. On Monday and Friday
Of each week a motley crowd of men,
women and children-Poles, Bohemi-
ans, Germans, Irish, negroes, Ameri-
cans and what not--throng the court
room, summoned before his honor in
the interest Of the youthful fotsam
and jetsam Of the city. This court diff.
fers from all others in that it was ere
ated for the express purpose of being
useful to orphaned and delinquent chill
dren. and right royalty is it fulfilling
it's mission. Many boy gets his first
taste of order, justice and kindness
when he doffs his ragged cap, smooths
down his unkempt hair and faces Judge
and jury.
The ceaseless procession Of sad eyed,
pinched faced. forlorn little ones that
files through the juvenile court has of
late aroused great deal Of popular
sympathy, Judge Tuthill himself taking
the lead in trying to solve the problem,
"What can lie done for these children p
AS partial answer to this question a
home for delinquent boys has now been
assured, the wealthy Commercial club
of Chicago being among those actively
interested in the matter. But not only
has this now famous Juvenile court
served to voice the bitter cry Of de-
spoiled childhood but it also affords an
answer to the vital questions: "What
is the primary cause Of these domestic
tragedies? What violent tempest has
rent and scattered these households.
the poor fragments Of which we here
behold" The cause, says a writer in
the Union Signal, must be commensu
rate with the awful effect.
All who know the facts agree that
the serpent that has driven these
people out Of their domestic paradise
(such as it was) is the demon of strong
drink. OF eight cases recently tried in
succession involving the fate of mum.
Der Of children six were directly traced
to drunkenness. Said a Polish boy, aged
eleven: II stole money and set house
on fire. My father? He is saloon
keeper" Another lad, several years
older, with coat buttoned to the throat
and collar up, said: MY mother is
sick. We have no home. My father
was once a saloon keeper" CThe face
Of the boys father, when he appeared.
was peculiarly expressive of violence
Of temper and morbid despair. He haC
deserted his wife, The testimony in
the third case brought out the sad fact
that both parents were hopeless sots,
usually too stupidity drunk to have no.
ticed that their children were begging
on the streets. They had lost nine OF
their children, and no wonder. In the
fourth case the father, who had lost
his wife, instead Of caring for his
motherless children spent his leisure
time in the saloon, so that when the
probation officer called at the wretched
tenement she found the two little girls
infested with vermin and nearly starv.
ing. They often lived on dry crust.
But enough. 1t is only too evident
that as alcohol destroys the tissues OF
the body SO also it dissolves the most
sacred ties Of the family, robbing the
inmates Of self respect, honor, love an(
decency.
This is about the course things usual
~ take: The father comes home drunk
and penniless and If he does not fine
things to his liking proceeds to demol
ish what few articles of furniture an(
convenience are left in the dingy
rooms. It may and doubtless Otter
does happen that the wife Is not {
good housekeeper, but what can sht
do with nothing in the house nc
dishes, no wholesome food, no fuel, nc
credit at the store? The next stel
downward is that she, too, doesn't care
She becomes desperate and perhaps
even Indifferent to the fate of her chill
dren. In this mood she sends a chile
for a can Of beer, hoping to drown bel
troubles. It is not long before she
gropes her way to the "ladies' en-
trance" Of the saloon, and then fare
we'll to marital vows and honor and
tenderness. The once fair bride sinks
to the level Of the moral outcast. The
divorce court soon has a fresh appli
cant, unless even this tribute to an or
dered life is omitted before final sep
aration. And the children? God pity
them! The downcast look and the
quivering lips tell palmer than words
Of the sad havoc made of their tende,
hearts.
BY all means build homes for the
homeless, but better still send mission
aries into the slums bearing in their
hands the gospel of economy, cleanli
ness, temperance and salvation.