The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1904-01-20
FAVORS CURFEW.
Lover of Children Makes few
Pointed Remarks.
He Thinks that origin of Word has
Nothing to do with the case--Adyan-
tagts of the law Pointed out-irgu-
ments used Against it not Valid.

10 tue b1Itof q tue II" AfO-'h
And are we free, and is this a
white mans government, and yet can
one white man by his "ipse dixlt'
defeat what is an almost unanimous
desire of the good people of Morgan
town? Then--just thiuk of it. The
entire body of City Fathers startled
and moved and tabled by the magic
wand gently waved while the scho-
lastic opponent whispers Dark
Ages." And NOW "citizen" steps
into the area Of debate, and declares
that while tue word "curfew" origin
sted in those olden days, it was net
born o: government by brute force,
but was the result of wise law
passed to protect property from con-
agration, and history shows that it
not only served its purpose but was
great preventive of brawls and
brutal force. A beneficent law in
every respect, from it's birth.
But this discussion on the origin
of tne word seems to be idle play.
Our people are practical, gifted With
com mon sense, and their interest is
not so much in what the word once
meant but that does it stand fot
today. What is the carfew as APP
piled to children? 1t is not some
thing new in law and its meaning is
not hard to find. In scores OF mu-
inequalities throughout our land it
is now in force. AS far as the writer
knows from personal knowledge 1t is
no where spoken against by those
who know, but is commended with
out stint.
Its beneficent aim is 20 prevent
boys, so tempted, from becoming
common street lsaters and girls from
becoming street walkers. 1t requires
that at nine o'clock in summer and
eight o'clock in winter bell or
whistle shall give signal that boys
aud girls must, if they are lettering
on the streets go home, under pen
atty OF fine 1t in no way interferes
with those who have a right to be on
the streets in performance of duty,
or at the request OF parents. Its
whole object and purpose lie to pre-
vent boys from becoming common
loaiers."
There is need of such law in Nor
gantown. No city in the state has
been so BUNDLED during the past
year by band Of boys, street loaiers
and thieves. Pass along our streets
any evening and investigate and you
will see crowd after crowd of half
grown hos gathered on the corners,
smoking, drinking in OF the moral
impurity of loaierism and street de
Element. They are training for law
lessness, smoking, swearing, drink
ing and sowing the seeds OF crime
and shame. Is it not so2
The objector to the curfew- ordi-
nance says, Let parents look after
their children" The fact that hun
dreds of cities are talking eurfew
shows that they do not, so we face a
fact and not theory. Many parents
cannot control their children, many
do not care to keep them from these
things from failure to apprehend
the danger.
Men ought TO control themselves
but they do not and SO we pass Laws
to control them. Indeed the only
criticism made to this ordinance was
that it ought not to be confined to
the children, there are too many men
who are in need Of some such law,
but of this we are sure, let this eur.
few become law and be rightly adj
ministered and in a few years another
generation will justify the wisdom
OF the law.
In the moral growth of the chill
dren the parents, society, and the
state are deeply interested. They
must work together to save the
children. Moral suasion often utterly
fails and law must step in, not 20
deprive any one of liberty but to
preserve liberty. Has the curfew
law been a SUGGEST Is it true that
where adopted it has been allowed
to lapse? A gentleman who lived in
a city ruled by curfew said it had
lapsed in his city, not because it was
a mistaken law but because its effect
had been so wholesome and good
that the evil Of children loafing on
the streets had been cured. That
certainly is blessed way to have
law lapse. can myself cite city
in this state where the law has
partly lapsed, through the careless
ness of sworn officials but it has
only shared the fate of many good
and wise laws, but the law under
efficient administration has made a
most decided and noticeable change
for the better. l do not know of a
single place in which the law has
been repealed.
Now there are certain classes in
every community who oppose any
thing which seems to be tor civic
cleanness and moral growth, their
business is to encourage and feed on
the lawless and immoral, we cannot
expect the law will please them, it
will rob them of their victims.
But there is another class in every
community With whom we must
also reckon, men who are opposed to
all sumptusry laws, who somehow
dream that even in organized society
with its great variety of standards
of manners and morals we ought to
aim at liberty without law. A great
writer once said that the greatest
injuries to the cause of humanity
have been perpetrated b. good men
! with virtuous motives.
/ We cannot call in question the
motive of the gentleman who opposed
the curfew before the council but we
can refute his argument and show
that his judgment is at fault IN this
matter, the origin of word ought
not to condemn it, curtew today is a
good word and always was.
The arguments advanced so far by
the opposition to curfew would
equally apply to many Of the best
laws we have concerning human
conduct. Let us try to save the
children. Let us have the curfew
The churches true to their mission
are being heard from. Let the good
work continue.
A LOVER OF CHILDREN.