Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-08-10

II n an old-fashioned brick residence, set
high on a terrace, over on West F
street. Judge William II. DeLacy and
~ his small. efficient, Woodworking staff
OF Juvenile Court officers have been
waging a years battle against squalor,
misery and crime. With their hearts in
their work and their shoulders to the wheel,
this little force OF good citizens has COM
batted valiantly against evils, plugged away
ceaselessly for the uplift and given gener-
ously of their vitality in the cause of chill
dren against poverty and criminal tendency
Little does the general public know of
the great work undertaken and accomplish
ed at this year-old institution. Without fuss
or Juror the Juvenile Court officers have
carried the banner OF good citizenship into
thousands OF Washington's most sQualid
homes and the result Of the years cam
paign Is a bright page in the history Of the
District. Children brought to the door of
the penitentiary through the influence of
home conditions; children in training to be-
come thieves, murderers or inmates of In
sane asylums; children advancing in years
with little or no knowledge save of evil and
the prospect of becoming derelicts Of So
ciety-hundreds and hundreds of them,
have been reached by the helping hand of
the Juvenile Court lifted to their feet and
guided along the straight and narrow way
until they have become sure-footed enough
to tread the path alone.
Find the cause and remedy it-this is the
slogan of the court. Punishment, to avenge
society for the infraction OF its code, plays
no part IN Juvenile Court methods. 1t is
an institution for correction, not punish
Inent and in every Juvenile case where
punishment for an offense is melted the Of
fender 1t Is done with a view toward pre-
venting a recurrence of the rnlsdemeanor
and not merely to answer the stern de-
,-tfx oft
the real guilt rests upon the neglectful
father or mother or guardian, In such
cases punishment If any, is dealt the adult
and the child is protected from future EVIL
influence from the same source.
Force Too Small.
Washington was slow in answering the
great need for such an institution as the
Juvenile Court. Denver had led the move
ment, and other large cities had followed
suit and built their juvenile courts up to
the highest grade of efficiency before the
worthy solons and representatives at the
Capitol saw fit to endow Washington with
a similar institution. Meager enough was
the appropriation to establish and main
tain the new court, and the deficiency of
funds. making II impossible to support
force large enough to handle the work
thoroughly, has been the one great handi-
cap under which Judge DeLacy has la
bored.
The court held its initial session July 2,
1896 Judge DeLacy was on the bench.
Clerk Joseph Harper sat at little table
In front of the court, with huge new
record book open before him. Chief Proba-
ton Officer Zed d. COpp and Probation
officer Mrs. Gertrude B. Darwin sat to one
side. Guarding the doorway to the court
and witness room, Deputy Marshal j. ].
Hoey held forth In his new position.
Scurrying back and forth between court
and witness rooms, rounding up prisoners
and witnesses and answering questions,
William \. Hickey pursued the manifold
duties of his office as bailif, assistant
clerk. messenger, court officer and proba-