The Grit-advocate., 1903-01-09
SCHOOLS AND COURTS MUST COMBINE
TO SAVE CHILDREN AND LESSEN CRIME

Following is the full text OF the ad-
Aress Of Hon. b. b. Lindsey, Judge OF
The County Court Of Arapahoe county.
before the recent meeting of the Colo
rado State Teachers Association at
Colorado Springs The wonderful
work done by Judge Lindsey in the
management and reclamation OF truant
and vicious children in Denver. where
his truancy court has become recog-
pized as one OF the most valuable instt-
buttons OF the city. give his statements
and recommendations more than ordl-
Aary Significance:
1t has been well said by an able au-
thority on criminology that neglected
for neglected childhood means neglect
I'd character and at an age when char
acter is still plastic" and Jacob Riis,
for whose practical experience and
knowledge l have profound respect,
after years of contact and investigation
of sociological problems in the great
cities OF this nation, declared the
problem of the children is the problem
Of the state. In proportion as We neg
lect or pass them by the blame for
bad government comes to rest upon
u.s." One year before the juvenile court
law went into effect in Chicago 1900
children under sixteen years OF age
were arrested or dealt with in the Grim
inal courts of that city, and last spring
when | visited the city bridewell OF
Cook county found in one cell house
nearly 500 prisoners, over half OF whom
were under twenty years of age. And
this proportion is generally sustained
throughout the year, when, | am told.
seven to ten thousand prisoners pass
its gates. The prison commission OF
England recently reported: Figures
have shown, and the committee are of
the opinion, that the age between six
teen and twenty-one is essentially the
criminal age. and that from criminals
of this age the professional criminal
of later years is generated. 1t is
known also to students OF human ma
ture that this age is particularly
plastic age, and that the habit which
may lead to crime or virtue cannot be
said to be fully formed before the age
of twenty-one"
What l have now said will be suff1-
cient to refresh us with the tremendous
." Poi SnANS Vi ehAo "a S0A>hA "a sAAS SH~~-
dren and the no less responsibility that
rests upon the schools in its solution.
As long as there are children and ire
sponsible or careless parents. bad
and Indifferent teachers
or officials, there is going to be more
or less juvenile depravity always with
us, and of course no complete elimina-
ton thereof as long as there is crime.
poverty and misery on earth, but 1t can
be greatly remedied, guarded against
and to some extent entirely eradicated
with careful, earnest, ceaseless effort.
Law of This State.
Now let us see how the law of this
state already regards this question. 1t
will remind us that not only should
the moral, social and remedial aspects
of the question be regarded from the
educational standpoint, but the stat
ute of the state likewise declares So
The compulsory educational law.
passed Originally in 1889 and amended,
or re-enacted as amended in 1899, not
only provides that children under four
teen in school districts Of the first and
second class. who do not attend school
at least twenty weeks each school
year, ten of which shall be consecutive
shall be proceeded against for habit
ual truancy, but also that any such
child guilty of disorderly, vicious or
immoral conduct, or otherwise incorri-
gible, shall be prosecuted, not as a
criminal, but as juvenile disorderly
person. Giving the benefit Of the
doubt to an uncertainty in this law,
we extend the age as to "disorderly
conduct" to sixteen years, the limit Of
admission to the State Industrial
School. 1t thus appears that the law
of the state wisely and humanely to
certain extent already-but all too lin
ited-recognizes an erring child as be-
ing entitled not to be classed, when
violating the law. with an adult in the
commission Of exactly the same act.
The different methods may be illus
trated by case in the County Court.
charged with disorderly conduct. At
this time. a year ago, he was terror
to the police, and had actually become
as adept as an adult. He has cost
the state about $500 in attempted re-
formation. He has cost his victims
great deal more. At the age of ten
he wanted some wax candles to light a
cave. He entered grocery store in
the twilight and helped himself. He
was not charged with disorderly con-
duct. He was arrested and tried in
the Criminal Court for burglary and
sentenced to jail. The next time he
went in store was not for candles. but
ito tap the till" will not follow his
four or five years criminal career.
Suffice 1t to say that by different meth
DDS in the juvenile court under the ed
ucation law. even after this danger
GUS bungling Of the state with so del
icate machine. he is. after over a
years trial, honest, promising and re-
spected. There is an astonishingly
great number of similar cases in my
own experience with the same history
First. habitual truancy, then loaf
ing, idleness, crime, especially in bad
neighborhoods or irresponsible fami-
lies (both are more often combined)
eriminality follows truancy as sure as
night follows day. If the state per-
mits truancy, or neglect of education.