Waterbury evening Democrat., 1903-12-17
DUMPS AS BREEDERS OF CRIME

2 E ! 4 @ # z 4
 Clay holes used as dumping places, for garbage and rubbish and Junk shops are said to Be the cause of the downfall of many children of her dis. trict by Mrs Margaret M. Fitch, prln- cipal of the Prescott school, which Gustave Marx and Peter Niedenaeyer are said to have attended in their ear ly childhood. Incidentally, Mrs Fitch. said that as clearly as she could re member Peter Niedeneyer he was an exceptionally bright boy and. a good student while in school Mrs Flten did not remember Marx, but thought that both of the boys left school short ly after completing the fifth or sixth grades.
 .trIhe people in my school district are Industrious and honest declared Mrs Fitch. 4but 1t Is that industry and honesty which prevent them from fol lowing closely the habits of their chil- dren. This is especially true during the years when the children most need care.
 II think that the clay holes which are used for the dumping places for rubbish and garbage and the accord ingly handy junk shops are the real causes for the downfall Of many of the children The boys pick over the rubbish and take rags, bottles, old pieces of iron and everything else they can get. a penny for, and sell 1t to the small junk shops. Their parents give them little, and as soon as the cllil- dren get their pocket money from the Junk dealers they spend it, often for bad literature and often for liquor. 1t lis from cash thus obtained while out of sight of both the parents and the school teachers that the boys get their first bad start
 The houses here are small for the, most part. and are usually owned by their occupants. The mothers like to have the children out playing so they will nor be bothered with them, and the husband is busy at work and can i not watch them. Thus the little ones drift around the streets. @ Being industrious and honest them selves, the parents are the more quick ly deceived by the children when they have not been at school or have done things they should not.
 4As remember Peter Niedemeyer, he was an exceptionally bright boy dDCk a. &pVLl bblluCllL- Ar su9SE A4O kA0Apl that the dime novels he is said to have read were purchased with money which he secured from the junk deal CTS.
 Aside from thes trouble of the clay holes. the children Of this section often stop going to. school before they have reached the fifth or sixth grade. thus missing the best part of the training At the time when the boy Is reaching the point where he finds study q pleasure and has a desire to learn more of the world he leaves school.
 We have been much annoyed at times by petty thefts and while we keep everything locked up to prevent it's being stolen we do so more because we do notswant to put temptation in the children's way. Only recently a. mother found in her house a pocket book which her daughter had taken during the fall term. The parents, when they find such things always re- turn tben and punish the children x ' Mrs Fitch maintained that the pupils are usually more anlenable to discip- line than many of wealtfier districts, There are. !, 164 registered. The, prir- ,cipal has been in the one school since sit was started with only four rooms --- Chicago News.