New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1909-01-10

-. -. a.. AZ na. been a prostitute r. certainly
"a not q reforming influence on her Every one VINO
sees her come in there knows she mas oeen or Is
prostitute And another thing, by coming there
.,,yrv women seeking to reform come in contact
,rith the other women probationers, older ana
harder women than themselves, who might ieao
them back into the lives which IL is nopeo thcS
had left. AS for the men probation oncers oelhs
reou,red to be there don't see any necessity Tor
IL at ALL It seems to me that there ought to De a
rufcjent force of police officers to preserve ORDER
hut outside Of that / don't see why the men
should go there
The magistrate emphatically condemned the ex-
cuse of male officers that they attend the sym
postum that they might receive complaints III
non-support cases from respectable married women
Aaked what effect probation had on prostitutes.
Magistrate Corrigan said:
mo chance In the world to reform them. thihh
almost every reformed prostitute must cost the city
about $1,000 and 1 doubt very much IL there are
any reformed at ALL
You think the number of probation Objects eouu
be cut DOWN."
Gould be reduced with the advantage of saw
ing their salaries for the city,, replied the mass
trate.
CALLS WoMEN'S WORK USELESS.
A grateful bit OF testimony in criticism of women
officers was given by Sergeant Van heuren' VINO
enjoys the title of chairman of the board or propa
ton and Is entitled to sit at the head OF the
osvmposiunn'' table Unfortunately. women
officers were called to tell about the activities OF
their male confreres.
You regard the placing Of prostitutes on prooa-
ton as usclessY
Absolutely a farce the way Il Is conducted at
present. replied Sergeant Van Keuren Inc WIZ
ness ampIihed that the women officers rarely II
ever made the legally required monthly reports OF
their cases the magistrates they often Were IN
able recognize the persons In their charge SO
that a double probation was imposed on the same
FREQ incompetent
unfaithful their duty
A significant feature OF the testimony OF practi-
caIly all the male probation officers was their acute
eense of the benefcence Of the Friday night soree'
and their hardly unconcealed regret at the sugses
ton that it might be abolished. They seemed 10
regard this exhibition as a of grace or, per
haps one of the few ccrsolations permitted TO a
hard knuckled who Is laboriously occupied
for six months in the year.
One officer seemed regard his attendance at the
symposium as right rather than a privilege
He said he believed that he had power" over the
women brought In for exhibition although they had
been regularly placed IN charge OF officers OF their
own sex He had actual duty in the premises,
and no women had ever been put in his moral
keeping, yet he felt that he had power over the
guests of the Symposium.
1t seemed evident that a longer toothed rake than
that employed By the Page commission IN us neces
sary dscursiye inquiry into the minor courts
would have dragged greater quantity or 1ertiIz-
ing material to surface of the probation swamp
The witnesses were agistrates and officers natu-
rally inclined to throw rosy glamour on the sys-
tenn Javert, but not his victim. was called 10 tne
stand Javert rected i5yls like that OF the youth
whom he rescued from the workhouse. tattereu
tramp and read him moral lessons, ana a1ter"aIo
saw hin, on a subway train In evening dress coat
and opera hat He WIS splendidly alfred Re
demption was spelled in his clothes II the young
man had not finished his probation and hao not
worn such moral garments 1t Is possible tnat
would have seized him by the collar and hustled
b,r +o the yorkhouse without other formality than
searching his pockets.