The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-03-24

n IRMINGHAM philanthropists, par N ticularly those who are actively at work in organizations which deal with delinquents, have been especially interested in Judge Feagin's probation plan for the little negro delinquent. Phil anthropists here have welcomed and heartily approved of his idea in sending the little negro recruits from the police court to farms, instead of to jail. Through the efforts of Judge Feagin and the work of an organization composed of the better class of negro women, an industrial school has been started and to this IS little negroes have already been sent.
 In & recent interview with MT. l.. H. Putnam of the juvenile court, attention was directed to an article in the last is sue of "The Charities and Commons" a weekly journal on philanthropy and so- cial advancement in regard to the work of the Colored Women's Probation asso- ciation of this city EIe said that with but few exceptions the article which is printed below gave an excellent idea of the work of this organization.
 Since the article was submitted to the publishers several months ago." said MT. Putnam, 'the state juvenile court law has been repealed on account of unconstitu- 'tionalities and provisions in it which con- ficted with the state prohibition law passed at the recent called session of the the article covers the endeavors of this society of the colored women of the city as they are now assisting the colored probation officer, L. D. James.
 During the year 1907 29S delinquent cases were dealt with among the negro children of the city, about 30 per cent less than during the previous year. Very few of these children came up in the court the second time and ex- cellent results accrued from those placed in the country on farms and with coun- court work has passed the experimental and theoretical stage and is now being dealt with in very practical way.
 "It has been found that it Is no longer considered the best practice to incarcerate waywardly inclined children in the com pany of older and hardened criminals, as found in our prisons and jails, but that it pays society, the state and the individual to give these delinquents an opportunitv to turn from the courses before them, and to accept other paths.
 ''The free, pure air of the open fields and the developing influences of nature seem to create a desire to rise above conditions and environments and to in- still strong. clean and healthy ambitions in the breasts of these unfortunate pro- ducts of the city's slums, streets and temptations of vice and crime. A great deal of credit is due these leaders among the colored women of the city in their efforts to improve the morals of the chil- dren of their race.''
 "The Charities and Commons article is as follows:
 Birmingham's Probation Plan for the
 Little Negro.
 4sot only in the south but in many other sections of the country, people are watching the work of Judge N. B. Feagin of the police court of Birmingham, Ala, in behalf of little negro delinquents. The novelty of his plan makes it peculiarly interesting.
 Until he took up the matter. the pick sninny caught stealing an orange was locked in with grown, hardened crimi- nals, as the only reform school admitted none but white youth. But Judge Fea- gin undertook, upon his own responsibil- lty to probate" the negro children, sending them out of town to farms where