The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1908-07-12
Denvers Famous kid"
Judge Finds the Home
Most to Blame for Youth
full Delinquency-Poverty
the Chief Cause of Crime.
Few Juvenile Criminals
of Foreign Parentage.
BY Judge Ben. 3. Lindsey.

GeW England, asking the IOllOWInS
questions:
the public school sysetm responsible
for Juvenile cFimeS2
TO what extent are those crimes
due TO lack of cooperation between
the home and the school?
To what extent is the increase OF
juvenile crime due to the secUlariza-
ton of schools?
How far does immigration contrib
ute this unfortunate condition?
I cannot say that the public school
system is in any particular response
BILE for juvenile crime. The public
school system represents education,
and education has done more to re-
duce crime than almost any other
cause. OF course l recognize that
there are some shortcomings in the
public school system. For instance,
IN my judgment, If we had more of
that kind of training which would
equip children sor industrial efficiency
through the more direct teaching of
trades or the furnishing OF some kind
of a commercial training, 1t woui'
make of the children surer bread
winners. and everything that increases
the opportunities to earn livelihood,
TO that extent reduces the temptations
to crime. / am convinced that pow
erty is the chief cause of crime in
this country-that is the crime that
is generally punished by the courts,
for the people who get into the courts
are usually the poor aad ignorant.
1t is only occasionally that the crimes
of the intelligent, cunning, and
wealthy are punished.
To hold the public school repson-
sfble for what il fails to do ami
might do to equip morally the future
citizen, would shoulder upon il the
responsibility for any crime resulting
from that failure. We can only urge
upon the scnoOl the great Importance
of neglecting no opportunity to make
as perfect a citizen as it is possible
for IT to make, within the reasonable
scope of its purposes and functions
As to the second question. | would
say always that the home is infinitely
more responsible for juvenile crime
than the school. II must come first
in responsibility. An ideal condition
In my Judgment, would make the home
almost entirely responsible for the
moral character of the child; but
since we are face 70 <ace with the
fact that so many children are home
less, without parents at all, or what
is equally bad, without parents who
endeavor 10 live up to them, it fol
lows that the school must be respon-
sible more-orles for the character OF
the child. But where the parent has
utterly failed it is frequently difficult
for any school to make up the de-
ficiency.
think that any failure OF the home
or the parent in this respect is a lack
OF cooperation with the school As
TO the more direct cooperation, such
as the interest of the parents in the
school, and the work oS the child
while in school there is undoubtedly
much child crime due to the lack of
IL. Habitual truancy is one of the
chief causes of crime in childhood,
and this condition is frequently due
TO a lack of effort on the part of the
home and cooperation with the school
In fact failure at home to stimulate
the child in its school duties and in
respect for the school and the author
ity in the school. is responsible often
for children who are backward in
school, and I find that most school
children who drift into crime are
backward. which might of course have
been avoided had the home done -
part throughout the school period of
the child
blame than the school. There Is a
upon the part of thous-
ands of parents in every city to shirk
duties because of the idea they seem
20 have that IL should be all perform
ed by the school. Such parents are
certainly dangerous citizens
As to the third question. it is not
free from difficulty. / think that the
education of child in a school.
though seculSrized, must neverthe-
less involve a certain amount OF
moral training, for l feel certain that
the great majority of American public
school children are honest, law-abiding
and developing in heart as well as
In head. Much of this, of course,
may come from the home. the Sun
day school. and the church, as it
ought to, but l believe also that il is
in large measure supplemented in
the school, whether secularized or not.
] have never taken any statistics on
the subject, but have frequently
sought to observe. with view of
forming some opinion. and I believe
just as large a proportion of BOYS
from parochial schools get into the
kind OF Juvenile troubles which we
call crime as those from the public
schools.
/ am strongly inclined. however, to |
believe that more religious training. |
more real education of the human |
heart, is needed in all of our schools. |
have come to the conclusion that |
hero i something radically wrong in |
our application or teahing Of ethics in /
The schools, parochial or public.
Answering the fourth question: I /
an. not OF those who lay much stress (
ipou immigration as a cause of crime 1