The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1905-03-13
Police Court Judge i'm Discuss.
ing Juvenile Offenders at
Park Congregational Church
Declares Criminals Are Not
Born but Are Manufactured
Careless Parents Are Scored
for Allowing Their Little Ones
to Fall Into Evil Ways

Criminals, unlike poets, are not
born: they are manufactured on the
streets, though unwittingly appren-
ticed to the business by their par
ents.'
This central thought, expressed in
the above forcible language by Judge
John w. Finehout of the municipal
court, was the keynote of a strong
address upon the subject of Youthful
Delinquencies," delivered by him last
evening before a large audience at the
Park Congregational church, Holly
and Mackubin streets.
Continuing the judge said:
1.-THE crimes of man have their ofi-
gin commonly in vagrancy of child
hood. The overindulgence by too fond
parents and the lack of soIicitude by
careless parents are the two great
causes of youthful delinquency. The
cost of saving a child is only per cent
of the cost of arresting and furnishing
a criminal.
"a prominent Chicago minister in
a recent sermon struck the keynote of
the trouble when he stated: The city
and saloons may do their worst with
flash literature displayed in news win
dows, but if the parents are faithful
these evils will not harm. The church
and Sunday school may do their best,
but if child is not loved and also
disciplined at home 1t is almost a
hopeless case
Parents Are Responsible
"The parents who, either in the con-
fidence begotten of love or through
willful neglect, allow their children to
wander where they please, associate
their time as they please, are directly
responsible for the evil which almost
invariably follows.
Character is of slow growth. What
we are tomorrow is natural produc-
ton of evolution. 1t is the sum of
what came into our lives today, added
to that which influenced us yesterday
and the day before that.
There is no caste in delinquency.
Overindulgence on the part of wealthy
parents may produce q character in
the child in many cases infinitely
worse than that which any evil or pow
erty stricken home will develop in the
child of the underworld. And when
the parents come into the court to try
if possible to get their children out of
trouble into which their delinquency
has landed them, rich and poor meet
on an equal footing.
They realize the awful sorrow that
has come into their lives They realize
that unless immediate steps are taken
the sorrow of today is as nothing COM
pared with what the future may have
in store for them, and usually they
lind it impossible to solve the puzZling
problem alone. They dislike to have
their children taken away from them,
but as rule they will do almost
anything which promises to check the
stream at the fountains head and to
control the forces of evil which seem
to menace the lives of their children.
The story is always the same-evil
companions, parents criminally in
dulgent or criminally negligent and
therefore criminally responsible for
the child's fall"
About Probation Law
In speaking directly of the Mime
sofa probation law, Judge Ffnehout
gave hearty Endorsement of the results
which had been secured. He intro
duced comparative figures to show the
work which had been done since the
law became effective, Nov /, 1899, here
in st. Paul. The figures have not
been published before and are there
fore interesting:
Number of cases from Nov. 1, 1899,
Number placed On nroba ZION aas
Gommitted to state training school,. IT'S
released fs from probation or favorably
NhoPOoOU VI 1913
Remaining on probation Jan /, 1906. 81
Of this number only per cent were
brought in for second offense and per
cent for third offenses
During 1900 there were on probation
20; committed to training school, AZ.
During 1904 there We're on probation
2S6; committed to training school, 25.
In explaining these figures he said
Explains the Figures
''This is a decrease in the number
sent to the training school in four years
of 60 per cent to 68% per cent This
represents saving to the state from
this county alone Of $4,000 due to the