The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-06-18


ald not tough the parent. and the of
fendlng child was sent TO reform
Scnool or house of correction. Later
state laws hold the parent responsible
TOT the nonattendance of the child. Be
lieVlng that society is merely an exten-
SION OF the FAMILY. and exists for the
mutual good of all people concerned. the
State has come ia many instances to
stand In the place of the parent in mat
ters where protection and provision for
mental and physical wants is needed
Until few years ago when a child
refused to study or lacked interest in
his work he was generally classed as
stupid. or lazy, or disobedient. Gener-
ally he was punished Thousands Of
children have been cruelty misiudged in
TINS way. Modern methods of inquiry
into cases of this kind include physi-
clans to aid the teacher, and in almost
every instance ii has been found that
the child was suffering from some phys.
lcal defect. such as bad eyes. throat
trouble, bad teeth and lung. spinal or
vided for regular corps OF medical
attendants to visit her schools and keep
supervision over the health of the chill
dren. New York City now employs a
staff of $50 physicians for the public
schools. In one year these found over
10 per cent of the children suffering
from unsuspectcd diseases to such an
treatment. Chicago maintains a regu-
lar hospital school for such cases. Thus
tardlly Is the nation beginning to give
its children fair play,
! Children who are defective physically
I or are mentally very duh are unable
TO cope with the normal child in daily
study. Seeing this. progressive cities
are providing separate schools for them
where the work is made simple and
soothing for overstrained nerves. where
| special classes are arranged for the
| slow minded, and where exercises under
trained experts are doing wonders to-
ward correcting physical inhrmities and
| dcformltles.
For nearly sixty centuries the people
of the world have looked upon Grim
| inal z one who should be punished, tor.
tured. and shut away from the sight OF
bis fellow man. In the newer light of
today a criminal is regarded as 2 dis
| eascd person, and in most cases it is
known that his disease is cursble If
taken in hand early enough The science
of penalogy is developing this fact,
and modern penal institutions are teach
| ing the men and women within their
walls dozens of trades and callings by
which they can make a living when they
are free again. But better than this is
the work of the schools of today. They
| are offering the proverbial ounce Of pre-
! vention that Will obviate the need of
the pound Of cure. They are educating
the child whether he wants it or NOT,
| offering good elementary training. and
! often a useful trade that VIII turn bis
thoughts toward things other than
| crime.
Truant officers seek out the boy who
is trying TO play the old game Of
hockey, and if he persists in PLAYING II,
take him more firmly in hand and place
him in truant school where he is taught
the virtues of obedience. cleanliness,
and systematic work that his pitlful
home-life never knew. The States each
have institutions where industrial train.
ing is given those who have proved in
corrigibe at home, or who have no
home and no parents. The neglected
child S instructive war against law and
order is now early nipped in the bud by
The necessary paternallsm that has crcpt
into education.
These preventive steps are taken be-
| cause statistics of criminals show that
/ three. fourths started out on their career
| by playing truant at school. The move
ment is vet in its incipieDcy, so far as
! the whole nation rs concerned but the
results are already most satisfactory.
! Thousands Of liberty. seeking youngsters
are rounded up each year by entorpris-
ing truant officers and placed in school.
! In cases Of continued truancy the Of
fender is sent 10 the parental or truant
schools, not as punishment, but 10
! supply the teachsg that home-life
| should have given. Life in cottages
with refined men aud women is given
to each group of boys or girls, gardens
and farms are placed III their charge,
that they may learn 10 work and have
ont door life. and an honor system is
offered each child that rarely fails TO
appeal 10 his better self. When the
eight months or the year is over. a
little citizen goes ont TO take his place
among the school children again with a
real interest in life and an understand.
ing of its meaning. Each has ground
work of good principles that he had not
known before.
Most Juvenile crimes are committed in
the cities in summer Reason shows that
this is becauscc the devil as Of old
must find work for '1le hands. There
is nowhere 10 play there is nothing To
do, and vouug America - active. Some
thoughtful people in Boston in 1883. and
in New York in 1895, thought out q so
lution of the problem. They asked the
loan Of school buildings aud aid from
th. cities, and opened vacation schools
for children who cared to come. Cared
to come! They were eager for it, They