Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1909-05-20
CHILD SOUL IT'S STUDY
Juvenile PsyCh0pathiC Institute
Organized In Chicago.
DELINQUENTS THE SUBJECTS.

Purpose Is to Check Youthful Crini-
nsIity Due to Heredity and Environ
ment-Mental Condition of Children
Will Be Investigated, as Well as
Their Ancestry
The study of the souls OF children
that is one of the purposes of tho
Juvenile PsychOpathic institute, organ
lied in Chicago by philanthropic citi-
zens and prominent settlement work
ers. Its final objects are to obtain for
Juvenile offenders proper treatment, ac.
cording to their mentality and sur
roundings, and to achieve u diminution
Of Juvenile criminality by eradicatlnS
the contributing causes in individual
cases.
The organization has employed COM
petent medical talent. and each child
brought into the juvenile court will be
examined physically and mentally and
his home surroundings and even his
ancestry inquired into with view to
determining the cause Of delinquency.
Among those prominent in the under
taking are Miss Jane Adams. Miss
Julia c. Lathrop. Mrs. William +.
Dummcr 107 Lincoln Parl, boulevard,
and Allen 7. Burns.
The institute, founded because its
originators believe that crime among
children is due largely to mental cor-
ditions resulting from environment and
heredity, was incorporated the other
day by Miss Adams. Mrs Dummer
and Mr.. Burns. Through the efforts OF
Mrs. Dummer, Miss Lathrop and q
number of Others sufficient funds have
been procured to carry on the research
work for at least five years.
Miss Adams said recently that she
believed much valuable information
concerning Juvenile criminology and
criminals would be obtained and that
the results probably would lead to inn
portant changes in the methods of han
ding youthful offenders.
DR.. William Healy. who is a special
list on nervous diseases. has been en-,
gagged TO make the psychopathic invesI
tigation. He will have at least one
assistant, who will make special inves-
legations of the social and family con-
ditiOns Of the children under observa-
tion. The salaries of Or. Healy and
his assistant have been guaranteed for
five years.
The work will be in charge of a
board Of directors, composed of Miss
Lathrop and Mr.. Burns. representing
the school of clvics and phianthropys
DR.. Frank Churchill and Mrs. George
Dean Of the Children's Hospital socle-,
ty and Miss Adams ana Mrs Dunn
mer Of the Juvenile court committee.
THE organization of tie psycho-
pathic institute is the result of the
work Of the Juvenile Court society
and ChiidrcA's Hospital society,"" said
Miss Adams There are many chill
dren brought before the juvenile court
who are no doubt subnormal The
fhildrcn's Hospital society has been
holding cliHics In the court. examining
children for physical defects. Now
we propose 10 20 s'ill further and
study the youthful criminals from
mental and pSychopathic standpoiuts
We Intend to examine into the,
child's mental condition. investigate
his environment and the record of his
family, thus seeking the causes which
brought about his criminal actions,
There is no doubt that great deal of
youthful criminality is caused By
nervous diseases, subnormality and
mental alteration. brought about
through heredity or home environ
ment
Through our research work. which
will extend over II period Of at least
five years, We hope TO get at the root,
of the exact causes that make chill
dren go wrong Sufficient funds to
carry on this work thoroughly already
have been obtained
Our methcd of operation? When
youthful criminal is brought before
the juvenile court he will be examined,
by DR.. IIealy. The doctors assistant
will follow up this examination by
finding out under what conditions this
child lives and learn if possible the,
complete mental and physical history
of his ancestors.
I'VE then will be in a position to
know exactly the status of the child's
case and how to deal with it. In
many cases medical science no doubt
will be able to correct or overcome at
least part of the mental weakness or
subnormality which has led the child
into criminal paths. The research
work also may result in some impor-
tant changes in the methods of deal
ing with juvenile offenders. - Chicago
Record Herald