Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-04-20
IN THE TOLLS OF THE LAW.
OR THE ROBBERS CAVE.
Story of the Childrens Court by the Society Editor

Who's afraid? why the only tire
NOR YOU have at all is when you stand
outside that door with the big sign on
the transom-Juvenile Court.
Court2 Why. the idea What that
nice Matron lady behind the railing
radiating Kindness and good win from
every pore, and the whole atmosphere
fairly vibrating the same things? You
begin to feel different already---and sit
on the benches and wait your turn
with strange courage. That inside Of
flee, too, where you're tried--nothing
TO II at all-but some big windows
through which you can see vistas OF
green grass, and trees, and hills, with
a reach of sky over them as blue as IL
robins egg-things that remind You
now good IT is to have your freedom,
to be able to run and tumble on that
grass, climb the trees and mount to
the tops of those hills to the highest
peak-and then on again, too, further
than that, If you like, as high even as
the robin blue skies--if youll only play
fair!
And then the platform that YOU
thought was going to be u sort of rack,
with bold-blooded executionor grind
ing crank and sticking knives In you,
Gee, and the judge, and the prOba-
ton officeri didn't those names Just
about scare you cold? And then. to
find out after all that he is nothing
but a big, farthery man, nicer. maybe,
and more tenderly and understanding
maybe, than your own father And the
pro-well, the other man, why he's
nothing but big brother, yeaIning
over you kids, and wanting TO make
men of you, the kind of men you really
want to be, when you're not fooling.
Neither of them could possibly hurt
you, you feel sure. If you'll play fair,
They think too much of you--those peo-
pie down there in that big-wlndow
room. not to hurt you, II you turn them
down. They have to hurt you you
know-if you don't play fair.
PLAYING FAIR.
But heaven help us! How are YOU
going to play fair If those big people
responsible for you don't play fair too ,
Those mothers and fathers of yours
sitting around the room. watching you
might be innocents-if they played fair
perhaps they'd never sat in a court
room watching you tried for Of
lenses their own, self generated atmos-
phere provided
II submit, your honor" said the big
brother, when the Patsy Boliver of the
submit, that these parents haven't
played fair with that lad. They've sur
rounded him with an environment OF
contention and strife and things much
worse-if anything can be worse than
perpetual quarreling. They haven't
given him a chance to know what self
respect and playing fair means
You hush!" snapped the mother.
I'm as good and as aristocratical as
you!"
These people have been in the courts
before" went on the big brother vail
antly standing for the little ones
rights. "They have a divorce pending.
or did have, they have been divorced
before and made up without being
married over again, I'm afraid; and
neither of them stay at home enough
TO take proper care OF their children"
I've had to go out to earn money"
snarled mother.
"All the money you earn can't mean
as much as your children" warned the
judge.
We're going to make fresh start"
they both said-and If you don't think
the court Is glad to hear things like
that. you ought to see him jump at
the chance to give them another try.
CALLoUs FATHER.
But, gracious goodness. that other one
the father that told the officers his
boy was IA years old-and would have
to shirk for himself because he-the
father--you see, had been thrown on his
own resources at that age, and had
come out all right, HE is old enough
to Lookout for himself and suffer for his
own misdeeds," said this father, land
turn him over to the court TO do any
thing they like with him. They can
send him to the reform school II they
like-it's none of my concern"
None of his concern-with the stigma
of reform school hanging over boy
for whose life at least he was 'respon-
sible," and whose whole future here
and who knows. but hereafter, Ringing
on this critical test. And all, II 1t please
you, because the court had ordered him
to help pay for wagon that the boy
had helped 10 destroy. A soul for the
half of q wagon.
Why look at this mother here that
comes in Just after with the kid that
had looked in to some boxes another
boy" had opened In barn. Do you
think these tender eyes filled with tears
would ever look on to see her boy
at any age--made to feel that he could