The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1907-10-02

the street boy and the way to his heart
the gamin Ii not abashed, though TO bt
sure his impertinence n then a marx
Of favor rather than derision. A littlt
story In point Is told by Mr. Charles
d. Hilles, superintendent Of the New
York Juvenile Asylum, who devotes al
his time and energy to saving street
boys from shipwreck upon the rocks
Of crime everywhere present In the slun
life Of the greater cities. Each boy
sent to the Children's Village Of thu
Asylum is taken before Mr.. HiIles II
be questioned M a means Of learning
his individual traits and as metbot
Of establishing anicable relations. Tbi'
particular boy has come into collisions
with tho law upon numerous occasions
but with the cleyerBess OF his kind hal
long eluded attempts to bring him be-
fore the Children's Court When asked
by Mr.. Hilles what oifense he was charg
ed with he replied;
II WAS playin' a game OF checkers
wild the cop, and IL was my turn II
move and | didn't move and 40 HI
jumped me, see!' His address he said
was 20 Lemon Street.
II not according to the ethics OF good
were at least friendly and only uncon
i sciously impndent from the specialists
point Of view. In fact, the boy special.
ist who sets himself the task OF dealing
| wich delinquent children Of the city's
manufacture muse yrealize first Of al
that the gamin Ii In all ways abnorma
having lived an abnormal life. and that
he Is to be judged and weighed by M
common standard.
Even with the most modern sort o.
plant for making good citizens, such al
that OF the Juvenile Asylum--with iti
widely spaced cottages built to aeon
modat no more than twenty boys each
It's hospital, farm. school, trade teach
ing shops, merit system Of marking
which incites to personal endeavor be-
cause 1t provides personal rewards, III
huge playgrounr and its many acres Of
woodland--the whole. to- be effective
must be yitalized by the personal
touch" by the knowledge OF the boy
specialist. According to Mr.. Hilles-
and experience win doubtless convince
each Of us OF the correctness OF hi
statement--no two boys are by any
chance exactly alike in mind or body
Opportunity is given the boy specialist
by the cottage type Of reformatory to
study each boy, SO that each may be
treated as an individual
I'VE regard each Of our charges as a
separate problem" says Mr.. Hilles
"and from the very first use every en-.
deayor to merit not the boys fear,
which might be easily achieved through
strictly enforced arbitrary rules and ac.
companying punishments meted out by
keepers, but his love and confidence
Something is almose invariably ac-
complished during the first interview
between the delinquent and the boy
specialist, though often not without diff
ficnlty. A boy recently admitted to the
Childrcn's Village had not only been
deprived of the guidance of both mother
and father in his fight with the world,
but had also suffered the loss OF one leg
In ride stealing episode upon a freight
train. He had lived by begging, and was
so successful because OF his ailliction
that he earned much moro than enough
for his needs. The surplus which he
had accumulated had drawn him into
evil surroundings. His home had been
a house of unsavory- reputation and
his comanions criminals OF both sexes.
Upon his arrival at the Children's Vii
lage he was called into the superin-
tendent's Office in no very amiable frame
of mind. To long list of persuasive
questions he answered only with surly
monosyllables until Mr.. Hilles had al
most dispared OF making a friend of
him.
Have you any pets!' was asked fl.
nally.
"Yes," the boy replied with his first
show OF interest, u had dog and a