Norwich bulletin., 1909-06-07

that there was perhaps considerable
truth in the wording Of the topic.
The opportunity for moral training by
the school was greater than in the
church. Length Of time with teachers,
example and authority all are strong
aids to moral training in school, but
| il has to combat much. Many chill
dren come from home without even
the common virtues, especially obedi-
ence and truthfulness, and the school
is doing a great work in intoxicating
| these.
The home is the God-given place
for moral training, nevertheless. and
this is where moral training should
begin in extreme youth. This is the
opportunity of the parents which the
teacher cannot have. The school is
called responsible for the child, but 1t
has the child in charge only one quar-
ter of his waking hours, the parent the
rest of the time. Let the parents win
the confidence of their children. Is
the home exercising the authority
which 1t should, correcting the chill
dren when needed? Are parents look
ing upon the teacher as cooperating
with them. or are they going around
with a chip on their shoulder for the
teacher? Let us realize that parents
and teacher are cooperating forces
for the same end. The teacher is do
ing her best; she may make q mis-
take. and that wiz be corrected IL
shown, but when parents and teachers
work together the best results in NOR
al training can be obtained.
Home Training Revealed in Courts.
Home Training as Revealed in the
Courts" was the topic treated by Judge
Lucius Brown OF the city court. He
spoke in part as follows:
Every result has a cause. The law
Of cause and effect prevails every
where. II there are a hundred juveniles
a year presented in our city court there
Is a cause for this condition of things.
The home life Is perhaps as clearly re-
f1ected in the courts as anywhere in
our American life, and is especially
seen in juvenile criminals The his
tory Of juvenile criminals forces upon
us the conclusion that such offenders
come from homes where there has been
entire absence Of a good training. That
some criminals are born not made Is
undoubtedly true, yet this exception
tends to prove the rule that the 1uve-
nile criminal comes almost always
from the neglected home. II we go
farther we also find that the child who
is before our courts rarely attends
church or the Sunday school or goes
to the confessional but is constantly a
breaker and desecrator of the Sabbath.
I do not mean to put into that claes
that boy who through mischief Is pre-
scented to the court for some trivial
offense. We DO not class him with
Juvenile offenders. The court records
who are frequently truantg from
school; they are boys who are con-
stantly on the streets until a late hour,
coming in contact with allurir~ vice;
they are the boys that frequent the
theaters and remain until IL or IL
O'Clock; they attend the moving pic
lures which show The Great Train
Robbery where thousands of dollars
are secured in an hour. and a BOLD
Bank Robbery" where a few well
dressed men crack the safe and carry
off a bushel of money. escapir~ in an
automobile; they smoke the cigarette.
buying, begging or stealing them: they
use intoxicating liquors; they frequent
ly have clubs OF their own and meet in
secret places, in the darkness OF the
night; they are those who have con-
tracted the habit OF swearing; some
times they come from a family OF five
or six living In one room with only
one bed, and possibly sofa on which
to sleep Invariably it is true that in
these cases home training Is sadly
defective, entirely neglected and fire.
quently immoral.
Could you expect anything good to
come out of such homes? Many is the
time that courts feel that parents and
not the child should be punished, for
they are often the real offenders.
We are told by those who have made
this subject study that thu number
Of juvenile offenders is increasing es-
pecialy in the large cities. Prevention
not cure is what is needed. There are
so many pitfalls in the path of your
child. of my child and OF ever child,
/ want to remind even you who are
here today of the Importance of look
ing out for this very home training Of
your child. Home then should be cheer
full. pleasant and attractive. You
should be the companion of our child;
you should be his trusted counsellor;
you should be to him more than all the
rest of the world; you must allow no
one to take your place in the cIild's
confidence: no one must supplanI his
affection for you. Enter into his sports.
make his joys your joy; make yourself
1is confidant; live so that he has a
right to think you are an honest man;
don't do anything yourself you wouldn't
be willing for him to do. Do not for
get that there is perhaps nothing more
important for the welfare of the child
than good companions. Give your chill
dren good books and only clean news
papers. Many OF the daily prints with
their thrilling and blood curdling re-
citals Of murders, etc, cannot be but
harmful to the youthful mind. Con-
stantly impress upon the child both by
precept and example that the use Of
intexioants must be avoided This Sc