The San Francisco call., 1903-12-07

UlIetASus lSdTnlnS the cause Ol SuCH dO-
sence, or if truancy (Which, by the way,
is not classed as crime) has been per-
petrated. Now. many a lad neither
vicious nor incQrrigible has played
hockey" and so has his father before
him. But it is not that lad that the
law is made to reach. It's the fellow
that has defled authority at school.
either because his interest in school has
not been reused or because he is idle
and rebellious and prefers to loaf
around the streets, parks or wharvcs
with his gang. OF this class there are
two species-one whose parents coop
crate. to the best of their ability. with
the attendance officer and the teacher,
and the second species. whose parents
are totally Indifferent in the matter
This is the class from which the thugs
and highwaymen are recruited. And it
is therefore this class with which we
are most concerned, and with which
the compulsory education law must
be made to reach.
VALUE OF THE HOME.
During a recent address to the Cali
fornia Club Miss Stebbins, the proba-
tion officer of the Juvenile Court, made
the interesting statement that in the
225 cases of boys and the twenty-five
girls that have come under her super
vision since May, the largest number
have come from homes of drunkard
parents. one or both; the Second larg-
est, where the parents had been sep
arated. and the breadwinning and the
homemaking devolved upon one parent,
and the third class, where a step-par-
ent, usually a stepmother, had been
introduced into the household. Here is
a negative tribute to the economic val
ue of a home-a home in its true sense.
with it's order. comfort and protecting
love-as the most potent factor in the
development of character. But what is
to be done for the children who showed
a lack of discrimination in their selec-
tion of parents? Are we justified to see
them wander at will into the byways
of idleness, ignorance and crime SIM
ply because their natural protectors
have failed to fulfill their obligations?
Clearly we as a progressive and intelli-
gent people must put forth our best ef-
forts for these unhappy children, first,
for the humanitarian reason of saving
these fellow beings from ruin, and sec
ond for the selfish reason of saving
ourselves from them. Now, the new
law makes provision for these wards of
the people by enabling us TO establish
parental schools such as are in sue
cessful operation in many Eastern
cities. These schools are of two types.
one the Parental Day Schools where
occasional tTuants\and mild" incorrig-
lbles whose home Influences are healthy
may attend The hours are longer than
those of the regular school, and the
hands are given much to do. Manual
training and military drill are inter-
spersed with elementary school work,
and numerous cases are recorded where
exemplary boys have emerged from the
active course given in this ungraded
school. But, TO be sure, success de-
pends largely upon the personal eff
cheney of the teacher. Then, for the
class whose homes are parodies on the
name, and where discord and vicious
conditions exist, there is the Parental
Boarding School, where the children
are housed and maintained. in addition
to the training given in the Parental
Day School" Juvenile criminals are
not received in either of these schools,
but are sent to the Reform Schools
such as this State maintains at Whit
tier and lone Boston, Chicago. New
York, Albany Brooklyn and many 9TH
er Eastern cities maintain both types
Of parental schools, while a few have
as vet adopted the first class only.
AS for San Francisco, there is no ap-
parent . reason why Superintendent
Iangdon's recommendation to the
Board of Education, dated July Is,
OF he hocin-
ming of next term. And it is to this
end that the clubwomen are bestirring
themselves to assist in the work. which |
assistance the School Board has gra-
ciously consented to accept.
BEGIN DRUDGING EARLY.
AS to the appointment of the new