The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1906-03-06
THE EVENING TIMES GRAND FORKS, N. b.

another. Seven years ago a Denver
boy of 8 was arrested for burglary.
There was not q. children's court in
the United States. or in the whole
world, for that matter. In almost all
the states children were : indicted,
tried convicted and imprisoned in the
same way and, in company with adult
terminals. The 9-year-old Denver boy
was convicted and sent to Jail for
term of years. The story of his
wrong-doing, as he told 1t years after
ward to Judge Lindsey, did not show
him in the light of a sinner above all
others. He wanted knife SO he
could make. kite; his father refused
to get him one and he broke into IL
barber shop and took razor. Plain
~ a resourceful boy, but with twisted
notions of property rights. Probably
level-headed Judge with lot of the
milk of human kindness in him would.
fave saved the boy at this stage and
started him on the right road. How
ever that may be, the boy went to
| jail. After he had become an accom-
rIshed thief, though still boy, Judge
Lindsey got from him this story of
his first trial and conviction:
Jaw, de guy wild de whiskers wot
sat up on de high bench looked over
at de "cop," and de "cop" he says,
dis is very bad kid; he broke into
Smiths barber shop and took a razor,
and he admits it, yer Honor Den de
guy on de high bench send me up
without givin' me a chanel to say a
void"
In Jail, the Denver boy learned a lot
of things, SO that when he was re-
leased he was ready for promotion
from the apprentice TO the MASTER
workman class. He was bright boy
and had merely improved the oppor-
tunities which the law, in its wisdom,
provided Soon he was arrested again
and sent to Jail, and this time, it may
be presumed, for sufficient cause. He
got out a few months ago, and while
trying to escape third arrest was
shot at by the Denver police. Then he
was brought into the juvenile court
and Judge Lindsey got next to him.
The judge concluded that he had not
rad square deal from organized So
ciety, and he started him on the up
grade. At last accounts the boy was
still going up. In Judge Llndsey's
opinion, the exercise few years ago
of little enlightened common sense
would have kept him from going very
far down.
There are now twenty-five states
which have some form of legislation
for juvenile delinquents, and in thirty
eight cities there are Juvenile courts.
Since the United States took the lead
in this matter, similar courts have
been established in Toronto, Canada,
and in Australia. In Dublin, Cork and
Belfast, while there are no juvenile
courts, good start has been made
by setting apart special days for the
hearing of children's cases. Efforts
now being made in England and Scot
land aim at the establishment of as
complete system as that in this
country.
ministered with rare intelligence and
sympathy by Judge Richard S. Tut
hill, says plainly that its basic prin-
ciple is that the child offender is not
& criminal, and cannot be treated as
a criminal. No matter what DISPOSE
ton is finally made of case, care is
taken at every stage of proceedings
to see that the child does not come
in contact with adult offenders. The
idea. Of punishment is eliminated. The
court tries to learn whether the facts
warrant the removal of the child from
its home; If they do, then the aim is
) to put the state in the place of the
parent and to do what can be done
for the welfare of the child The adj
vantage of this method over the one
that prevailed until few years ago
is obvious. The problem presented in
New York and Chicago is much more
difficult than that in city like Dem
yer, because of the great number of
children. brought into the juvenile
courts, but intelligent thought is given
to its solution and good results are
had.
Dr. Andrew D. White has been quot
ed this week as saying that he has no
sympathy with criminals, but that
statement, standing by itself, is too
crude for consideration. The question
suggested by the experience Of the
Denver youth is no more one of SYM
pathy for criminals than of protect
ing society against a wholly needless
development of criminals. In doing
everything possible to safeguard the
children, society is protecting itself.
If society neglects it's duty in this re-
spect, it suffers with the child when
the latter develops criminal tenden-
c:es, and while there may be foom for
a difference of opinion as to whether
sympathy should be given to the in
dividual offender, it is absolutely GER
tain that none should be wasted on
society when it has failed in its duty
to the child.