Omaha daily bee., 1906-11-12
THREE JUDGES ON JUVENILES
Sutton, E,tells and Kennedy Tell Of Court
Help to Brrine Youth.
INCREASING EVIL DEMANDS STRONG AID
Dean Beecher. Judge sutton Says, &C.
Fixture of Juvenile Court
which they say Has
Come TO stay.

Because many Of US feel the church OF
God should be brought nearer TO the
churchless and homeless Of our city have
invited three of the district judges to come
here tonight to tell Of some Of the things
which are Of public interest which they
have met in their work on the bench and
in their Official capacity, for few are aware
of the actual conditions as they exist in
the city of Omaha today" said Dean
Beecher at Trinity cathedral Sunday night
when he introduced Judge Sutton, Judge
Estelle and Judge Kennedy Of the district
court to speak before the large congrega-
ton.
Dean Beecher has come to be a fixture
in the juvenile court" said Judge Sutton.
The story of the Juvenile court is one OF
the most beautiful stories in the land
Seven years ago there was no Juvenile
court nor no juvenile laws, hut it was dis
covered that we were waiting too long and
letting boys and girls become criminals
before we undertook TO remedy the wrong.
Crime is increasing in Omaha in spite OF
the expense of a quarter OF a million
dollars, and so it has been decided to try
to take care of these youngsters before they
become criminals.
The first thing a Judge does in the
Juvenile court is to try to win the heart
Of the boy and to find the good side of him.
for there is always a good side. Between
800 and GOO boys have been before the
juvenile court, and Of these ten have been
sent TO the industrial school and 100 have
been sent TO the detention home. and others
have been provided for by other means.
The last legislature gave. the district
Judges charge of all wayward boys until
they are '1e years old. The. juvenile court
IS constantly reaching out to care for the
child. The juvenile court has come TO stay.
and 1t Is the duty of all to report all cases
to this court and to assist wherever posi-
Die. Between 800 and 100 children have
been moved from the sums of the city"
Courts Agency of Reform.
THE panacea for all ills is told TO YOU
each Sunday from this pulpit" said Judge
Estelle, but we are able to aid TO some
extent through the machinery of the courts.
The thing which makes a Juvenile court
necessary is the contempt which most peo-
pie have for the laws of the land, not only
those residing in the slums, but those who
reside on the hilltops as well. 1t is not
confined to those who come to court and
1t has reflex action on the child Law
means much more to the people Of other
nations than to the people of this great
country of ours.
That is the great danger which con-
fronts this country today. Would you have
heard Of great railroad corporate being
fined $4,000 ii it had conformed to the
laws? ] read in the papers of this city
yesterday of the chief executive of this
city advising some 300 or 400 people to dis
obey the law.
Suffer little children to come unto
Me, are the sweetest words to be found
in this book" added Judge Estelle, and
then he cited several instances before the
juvenile court where the boys had been
victims of contempt of law.
The American family is the unit of the
American nation and the home is the
foundation OF American. civilization" said
Judge Kennedy. THE object of the Juvenile
court is to supplant the work of the home
and to furnish corrective influences for
those who have no home worthy of that
name. The girls cases are even more Sc
rious than those OF the boys, and when
they can't be handled here they are sent to
Geneva.
''The court warns them against bad COM
pany and bad places, but it cannot pro-
vide a substitute. The court needs volun-
teers who would be friends to some of the
boys or to the chldren's parents, who
oftines need counsel"