The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-04-14
JUVENILE JUDGE
TALKS TO TEACHERS
Salt Lake Institute Hears About
Boys From Judge
E. G. GOwans.
WILLIS BROWNS VIEWS
DIFFER FROM SUCCESSOR
The Best Juvenile Court. Ht
Says, Is the One That Has
Charge Of Fewest Boys.

Judge E. G.. Gowans, newly appointed
to the Juvenile court, yesterday adj
dressed the Salt Lake County Teachers
institute, which met in Judge Ritchie s
courtroom IN the city and county build
ing. The Judge emphasized strongly
The value of prevention rather than cure
IN the matter of juvenile immortality,
and said there should be 4 righthand
relationship between churches, schools
and courts, as all were working for
the bettcrmcnt of the youth Of the
land
The Judge doubted the statement
that juvenile crime is on tho increase,
and thought the fact that there were
more statistics today than formerly
was responsible for this idea.
"The causes Of degeneracy. he said,
are not SO much retrogression as the
taking of wrong direction. | be-
ieye 30 per cent of all Juvenile crime
is the result of bad education. 1t is
up to the teachers in the schools to do
their duty in improving the condition
Of affairs.
~ have great deal of sympathy
with the truant. He is but displaying
his racial instincts All men were for
and the child reaches these stages III
his development He is bound TO mani
fest his Inherent desire for freedom
and it is difficult to keep him confined
on hard seat all day when his soul
longs for activity IT is this matter
of inactivity which leads to the for
nation Of gangs such as the Juvenile,
court has been called upon to deal with.
1t is the duty of the teachers to direct
doet irh y fbo,,
find in every healthy boy, toward good
ends. Prevention IS the best kind of
medicine. The man who prevents an
epidemic rs 4 far greater man than he
wbu cures the sick IN one. This holds
: m "duc"iiou. In the matter Of the
prc'eQ:ivI OF ,,qqeni.e crime the teacher
can J,h ich.
','Seiiat is demanded is broader
philosophy of education. taking into ac-
count grades Of morality, Teachers
should be trained to get at the boy IN
dlvidually, to study individual cases.
There mast be indlvidualization 20
achieve success.
The Judge told the teachers that he
was proud of being a teacher himself.
and felt there was no greater work.
He asked their cooperation IN his work.
Retiring Judge Speaks.
Judge Willis Brown, the retiring
Judge, spoke at some length. He said
the boys already had passed upon the
new Judge and pronounced him all
right He wanted to impress upon the
teachers that a boy will do the most
disagreeable things and yet play fair,
In many cases when boys do not play
fair it is because they do not know
the rules of the game. He disagreed
with Judge Gownns, saying that there
should be no connection between the
teachers and the Juvenile court. When
parents and teachers were educated
there would be no connection. He said.
1.-The kids are all right. 1t is the par
ents who need teaching. " He deprc,,
Gated the practice of some teachers and
parents in threatening boys with the
Juvenile court, and he would not have
such teachers in the public schools. The
court was the last resort. One-tenth Of
his time had been spent in the Juve-
nile court and the other nine-tenths in
fighting 1T and keeping boys out of II.
The teacher who threatens the child
with the Juvenile court he called the
He alluded to the disease OF delin
ouency, and said the teacher was prob
ably in a better position to first detect
it than any other person. he or she
should be in position TO know when
child first becomes inoculated with the
disease,
He advocated the appointment of
delinquent commission, in charge Of
man who understood boys. and there
would be fewer cases in the Juvenile
courts. Tho really successful court of
this nature is the one that has the
fewest cases.
The announcement was made that the
date of the holding of the summer Uni
vcrsity school would be from June 10
to July 10, instead OF as announced in
the press.
The eighth grade examinations will
he held on Nav 2S aud 90. and the sew
enth grade examinations on the Mon
day preceding