The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-03-25
DISCUSS BAD BOYS
And REFORMATION.
Members of Associated Chari-
ties Exchange Views on the
juvenile Offender.

The bad boy may be; cured, and his
ton, said DIR. Henry S. Baker last night
at a parlor meeting of the Associated
Charities at the home of Charles Schu-
neman 275 Summit avenue; but this
operation should not be performed
with a slipper or switch.
The bad boy is a sick boy He may
appear healthy as he chases bobsleds
during school hours and throws snow
balls at his little sister, but he's really
suffering from neuritis. When he eats
fruit that isn't his he is actuated by
an obscure malady of the spleen. It's
reflex irritation of the cerebellum
that induces bad boy to insert his
aunty's cat in a water pipe; and If his
cardiac rhythm were normal he would
never leave his own friends to become
a pirate.
The bad boy is usually misunder-
stood, said DR.. Baker; and DR.. Baker
as principal of the Humboldt high
school, understands bad boys. What
"the terror of the neighborhood" needs
is liver pills instead of lectures, soda
tives instead of trunk straps. Very
often the bad boy is afflicted with a
disease of the throat, nose, stomach
liver, kidneys, heart, brain or nerves
His nervous system not being devel-
oped, his brain is not developed; and
as the Confucian Analects would add
his brain not being developed, his
memory, his attention and his under
standing are not developed. This Is
generally the trouble with The Truant
Boy. He would run eagerly to school,
IT only he enjoyed the physical equi-
librium of the '1ittle sissy boy" next
door, who's never late to school. who's
always saying how fond he is OF
teacher" and who's afraid ITO go in
swimmin' becuz his nav, she SEE he's
dellycut''
That is, DR.. Baker admitted, with
smiles, that the bad boy might look
much healthier, and might often
be much healthier, than his more dis
Greet associates; but, as the doctor in
sisted, no boy should be punished for
natural meanness" until the condition
OF his physical health had been deter
mined.
Juvenile Courts.
Speaking of 'the juvenile court"
City Prosecutor Emil w. Helmes
said there was not any juve-
nile court = in ST. Paul Such
tribunals had been established in other
cities under. state laws that Mr..
Helmes explained. Some of the pro-
visions Of those laws had been incor-
porated into Minnesota legislation
other provisions had been adopted in
the local administration of the laws
without specific authority.
The prosecutor outlined his own
practice. He orders the arrest of chill
dren only as last resort. He tries to
rouse parents to a better sense of their
responsibilities, and he gives children
every opportunity to reform before
adopting harsh measures.
Mrs. c. G. Higbee informally de-
scribed the methods and objects of
Friendly Visiting, conducted under the
auspices of the Associated Charities.
The friendly visitor, she maintained,
endeavors to become personal friend
of the visited and to give them, as had
been said, part of her SOUL" Yet men
may also make friendly visits; in GER
tain cases they make better ones than
the women can make.
Separate Training Schools.
The desire of the Minnesota Fedora
ton of Women's Clubs to secure legis-
lation providing a separate state train
ing school for girls was mentioned by
arguments frequently published.
DR.. John Wright, rector of st. Paups
Episcopal church, congratulated the
city upon the possession Of a Juvenile
court so admirably conducted
In his summing up from the chair,
DR.. S. G. Smith, president of the Asso-
ciated Charities, characterized the
meeting as zone Of the best we've had
and one of the worst. The thoughts
expressed resembled the paint from a
key into which a certain house painter
had thrown a bit Of all the paint he
had left overt was paint, of course;
it was good paint, no doubt; but only
heaven could define its color! The
speakers, in other words, had wander
ed far afield; their statements lacked
symmetry. He said:
In the first place, want to correct a
misapprehension. st. Paul has no ju-
venile court. We may try our children
che sSou II f be red n we
child takes something that doesn't be-
long to him, it isn't the same as if you
or had taken it; it isn't a crime. it's an
indiscretion.
But when a st. Paul boy of fourteen
was sent to the st. Cloud reformatory the
other day for forgery, that was crime
not the forgery, but the sending of such
In regard to truant children and ade-
linquent" children, all that has been said
by DR.. Baker and others tonight is beau
tiful and true, but when you come to
clap your theory. down upon particular
child 1t fails to fit.
Doesn't Accept Disease Idea.
1 don't think disease and truancy are
cause and effect. I've known more than
one child that had an abnormal growth
in the nose; but they've been delightful
children except < that they breathed
through their noses. And I've knewn lit
tie Apollos who were little devils. Our
theory may be. all right, but we don't
know where to apply it,. We can't grade
children by their years; a persons age
isn't measured in years.
One useful reform would be to take
the industrial training out of the high
schools and put 1t in the grade schools,
where its benefits are most needed. If
you don't reform child before he gets
into the high school,, you don't reform
him at alias a rule.
1 believe in a truant school, but most
successful men, suppose, have run away
from school I know that I did ran
away and went down the river!