Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-03-19
ADULTS ON PROBATION
Theme Discussed Before the
Monday Evening Club.
BISHOP SATTERLEE'S TALK
Addresses Also Delivered by Mr..
Homer Folks and Others.
THE PRISONERS AID SOCIETY
It's Work in Washington and Other
Cities-Movement for Juve-
nile Courts.
THE PRISONERS AID SOCIETY

nile Courts.
Proba ton, particularly for adult offenders
against the law, was the subject considered
last evening by the speakers at the annual
banquet of the Monday Evening Club held
in the Y. NJ. C. A. building. Prior to the
serving of the banquet the annual recep-
ton was held in the parlors.
Seated at the head table were the speak
ers and guests of the evening. Among these
were C. w. Skinner of the Industrial Home
School, president of the club; Mr.. Homer
Folks of New York, Bishop Henry Yates
Satterlee of this city, Mr.. John Glenn,
national president of the conference of
charities and corrections, and trustee of the
recently created Mrs. Sage fund; Charles P.
Neill, United States commissioner of labor:
George S. Wilson, secretary of the board Of
charities; Mr.. Thomas c. Noyes of The Star
and Mrs. Noyes, William H. DeLacy, judge
of the Juvenile Court; Charles H. Turner,
assistant United States attorney for the
District; Rev. Albert Evans, pastor Of the
Metropolitan Presbyterian Church, and
Charles H. Treat, treasurer of the United
States.
After the dinner hat been served Presi-
dent Skinner took charge. In opening he
B. F. Mcfarland who presided at another
function last evening. The program opened
with a solo, 'Tatters,' by Mrs. Thomas
c. Moves, who, in response to insistent ap-
plauSe, gave two other selections.
Bishop Satterlee's Address.
Bishop Satterlee was the first speaker in
troduced He spoke on the work of the
Prisoners Aid Society, of which Mr.. c. A.
Massie is the agent and worker. In his
opening remarks the bishop said:
ION account of another engagement I
was unable to enjoy the banquet proper
with you: but l have had banquet already
in hearing Mrs Noyes sing. All who hear
her feel better for days afterward."
Bishop Satterlee told of his interest in the
ISOLATED with Mrs. Foster, who is known as
the "Tombs angel On her first visit into
the slums, at the suggestion of Bishop Sat
terlee, she saw small child carrying
large pot of beer through an alley. She
sought out the child, returned with it to
the saloon and demanded to know who had
sold the liquor. That was the beginning of
her work
was formed in Washington and C. A. Mas
sic became the agent. He has become an
other "Tombs angel" said Bishop Satterlee
He has won the confidence Of the judges
and Of the lawyers; he has become friend
of the court. He attends the court every
day. stands by the judges bench, and is con-
suited by the Judge Sometimes the Judge
commits men to Mr. Massie's care and the
latter has shown much knowledge Of human
nature in dealing with the men.
If one could know the inside history Of
the persons he has helped 1t would read like
novel. In the seven years that the society
has been In existence 1t has helped about
$4,000 persons. In that time a total of
about $4,000 has been raised for the work
but 1t has been made to do the work of
$4,000. That has been accomplished by
using the money over and over again, as
loans are paid back by trusted prisoners
Over 80 per cent of the money given to
prisoners with which to pay fines or rail-
road fares home has been paid back. This
shows said the bishop, that the people
have a sense of responsibility, and it shows
the value of preventive work"
Probation for Adults.
The address of Mr.. Folks of New York
was more specifically on the subject of pro-
baton for adults. In opening he extended
the greetings of the Monday Club of New
York city.
The probation idea is not new, stated the
speaker In the form of suspended SEN
tence allowed by judges in courts 1t has
existed for many years. The system of
probation, as 1t is being developed, was
first worked out under the influence of
DR.. Samuel G. Howe of Massachusetts
over forty years ago. Thirty years later
Hastings H. Hart of Chicago, the secretary
of the Children's Society, took up legts-
lation In the interest of the children, and
the two most attractive features Of his
proposals were the idea of a separate court
for juvenile offenders and the idea of pro-
baton. Since that experiment there has
been deuge of similar systems through
out the country, and in it's midst has de-
veloped Judge Lindsays court and system
in Denver.
The development has been so rapid, the
speaker said that 1T was now time to look
into the elements and features of the pro-
baton system, so that it can be fully I'M
derstood and made practicable. Probation
is not a system of distributing relief. but a
system of dealing with offenders against
the law. The fact that the person has been
brought up in court, face to face with what
he has done and the feeling, under the
suspended sentence, that a punishment NAV
yet be inflicted for the thing already done,
no matter whether he is caught again or
not, are good features of the probation sys-
tenn; but the real work in the system stat
ed Mr.. Folks, is that of the personal friend
ship and heipfulnesS of the probation Off
Ger. Without a competent probation officer
the system is not worthy of the name.
Adopted in States.
Many of the states have adopted adult
probation by law, in a similar way that
Juvenile probation has been adopted, and
the adult probation system, stated the
speaker, compared with other plans of
dealing with adult offenders, is Just as i'm
portant as>the juvenile probation, compared
with the other forms of dealing with juyen-
lies. But in the adoption of system of
adult probation Mr. Folks cautioned
against several things. First he was op-
posed to wholesale placing of prisoners
ON probation; secondly he thought that
probation for periods of thirty days is
farce.
AS to the work of the probation officer,
Mr.. Folks pointed out that in getting into
the homes and home life of the people, as
he must do, the probation officer is going to
find out more about what is dragging down
the people of Washington than any other
person in the city. And he added that the
probation officer should be backed with a
board of citizens to carry out the work
which the light shed by the probation Off
Ger shows is needed. The demand that the
probation officer shall watch the individual
cases under his care was emphasized by the
speaker.