Los Angeles herald., 1905-07-01
CHILDREN THRONG
JUVENILE COURT
COMMENCEMENT DAY FOR $50
YOUNGSTERS
MAKE THEIR ANNUAL REPORT
One Hundred and FIFTY Probation
Children cslled Before Judge for
Examination az to Their
Conduct
Conduct

one hundred and fifty youngsters,
their tongues keeping merry time to
the clatter of their restless feet, held
annual commencement exercises in
Judge wilbur's department of the SUI
perior court yesterday afternoon.
The gathering was the annual round
up of probation children, and while II
meant only an interesting study of
child nature for the board Of women
examiners who assisted Judge Wilbur,
the happiness of the children was at
stake and the afternoon was a severe
strain upon them.
The court room had been prepared
for the afternoon and scores of mothers
and fathers were escorted to the gal
lery by deputy sheriffs, while the chill
dren were hustled to their reserved
seats on the main floor by Detention
officer Dodd, who Is called captain by
his young friends and who is the most
feared man in Los Angeles among the
bad Kids
Case after case came up before the
Judge, while the children looked on
with awe and compared the chances of
the culprit before the bar with their
own chances, and in this way formed
opinions as to the settlement of their
own cases.
Carries School Reports
Each youngster carried school re-
port and the decisions were often based
upon this record. If the boy had been
good he was given colored receipt for
his conduct, which he was allowed to
carry away with him as a token of his
release from probation and his freedom
to do as he pleased for the summer, as
long as he pleased to do right.
| The others were not given receipts
and will spend the summer at study in
the detention home, but because of the
leniency of the court and Judge Will
bur's thorough Understanding of the
peculiarly tempered mind Of the Ameri-
can boy only very few were denied
the freedom of vacation days.
| But how mistaken were the kindly
women who acted as examiners when
they supposed they were having a true
insight to the characters of the ire
| plcSSlDlc dDu lllCOIil6lDlo yOuiSSICAS
when the boys took the stand and in
their best grammar and with modest
demeanor proceeded to tell of their
own virtues.
Had the examiners spent five min
utes of their time in the corridor they
would have had a revelation, for boys
with dirty faces, boys with clean faces,
| hoys with black faces and boys with
brown faces, boys well dressed, boys
poorly dressed and just plain kids
were all looking over the situation and
dealing out unbiased opinions of one
another's chances.
Say, feller," grunted an ugly negro
boy, who wore a blue and white sweat
er, as he looked over the shoulder of a
smaller youth and Surveyed the tell
tale department list, you amt got no
CHANCE :
II may not have no chance on my re-
port" answered the youngster, "but I'll
talk my way through, and I amt got
no ugly face like yours"
Eyes, dat face O. yourn oughter help
some" answered the unprecedented
darky.
One Little "Terror"
| A sturdy little fellow, who bore the
odor of cigarettes, was discussing his
prospects when one of the board of ex-
aminers passed. The woman looked at
the lads face, which might have been
a reproduction of the Rembrandt
Cherub, and placing her hand on the
boys head, said:
"Well. my little man, hope you are
good little boy"
The good little boy turned his
angelic blue eyes toward the woman
and his pure little soul answered, "Yeth.
ma am, thry to be good"
The woman walked on and the sweet
voiced youngster remarked to his COM
rades in tone that could not be heard
many feet away: well, what in the
hi did you think of the nerve of that
old hen?"
The boy was turned free for the sum-
mer a few moments later and left the
room, followed by the smile of her
whom he had called "old hen" short
time before.