The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-08-17
Dime Novel Heroes.

N The two r ichmond boys. whose favor
lte reading was dime novels, with their.
stories OF bandits and halrbreadth es-3
scapes from capture and their general
Identification OF a life Of crime. and who
succeeded insE conducting q hold-up In
true dime novel style in I King William
county, are Il said to be very repentant;
since they were placed In jail. The fault
lies with the books as well as wi TIL the
boys, and II lwopld DO 4 N atty K these
boys should be1Y sent to prison for this
otfense against the laws. Z Doubt Tess the
fright which the lads haYo received VIII
deter them from any moro esca pa dos Of
this kind. They can hardly. be classed as
criminals, nor should they be treats d as
criminals. A good old fashioned thrash
Ing administered by q stern parent or
at the hands sof an officer would DO ne
best punishment for them. 59I n id 8
Ss There is hardlyaa community where
the minds OF growing boys arc not pois-s
oned by reudIng this perniclous literature
and parents should 5as soon allow, such
reading matter In the N hands Of their
boys as allow poison to lie q around I loose 'se
In their kitchens The case Of the boys
in New York who under the unhealthy
mental influence Of such reading wrecked
q railroad train and are now serving ll1e
terms IN prison because of the lives lost
In that wreck, is8still fresh IL the pub,
lilo mind. There was recently q case In,
our own city where boy started upon
career OF crime solely through the read
ing OF dino novels; ii55s ~ III Il Ill q VII
These books Will be sold and there .is
no way to prevent their sale, but parents
should be cautioned to watch over their
ehildrens reading as carefully as they
would over their diet. q Growing
mind has once been poisoned It VIII TAKE
years to restore tito health Y cor ditlo on
Fred erlcksbnrg Journal. 3,
Just as It was foreshadoWA'ed spy INC
headlines in tho Index-AppeAl the two
Richmond boys now under arrest for
highway robbery we're omniV US read
ers Of sensational literature, such as dime
novels yellow Journals, and the Ike.
They confesa that they got their Glnsplrn-
ton to seek a HE OF crime and adven-
ture from those sources. and the fnto
which has oyertaken them " the logical
outcome OF that vicious indulgenc me
case should be accepted y5all parents rs
warning to guard Their ehllgren care
such readlng mntter. Sensational novels.
colored supplements and yellow journals
not only create dspraylty Of taste, but
destroy morals and inspire criminal In
clinntions In tho minds of children, and
parents who serve them with such mental
pabulum, or who do not protect them
against It, have no one but themselves
to blameif they become criminals when
they grow up, ending their careers N
the pcnitcntlary Or on the gnlloWs. It is
astonishing that parents do not perceive
the danger to their chi dren, and even
more SO that they provide them With
these Observation-Disclosures Of ruin, and en-
courage them In the practice. In doing
SO they not only set thelrS children In the
broad road Of sin and death /, but they are
sowing for themselves q crop OF grief
and shame which they VIII ba sure to
reap In their old age--Ie teFsburg index
ADpenI s .El ar t4WtN 35 W. tfi5g5t