Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1909-12-13
CORRECTING The
CITY DELINQUENT
Miss Ramser Discusses Phases
of Work She Has Met
With.
CHILDREN NOT TO BLAME
Investigation in 90 Per Cent of
Cases Fixes Responsibility
Upon Parents.

Cases Fixes Responsibility
Upon Parents.
Miss Dina Ramser addressed the
mems meeting at the Y. NJ. c. A. yes
| terday afternoon on The Delinquent
! Children of Our City" and in it she
/ told of her experiences while con-
nected with charity and corrective
work here. In all of the time that
| she has spent in the work, she has
| found that the cases of delinquency
are as a rule the fault of the parents.
| She believes that the parents should
| be called delinquents and the chill
/ dran dependents. and the case should
| be treated in this way in the courts.
Il venture TO say that at least 90
| per cent of the delinquent cases are
caused by the neglect and ignorance
of the parents" Miss Ramser said
81 have been asked to deliver an in
formal address on this subject and to
tell of my experience in the work
and use as illustrations cases which
have come under my notice. And
so I viii use just three illustrations.
A few years ago a little boy was
brought to the police station about
O'Clock in the morning. He was
found at one of the depots sleeping,
IN the morning when 1 reached the
station there was the child. He was
about 10 years Of age and SO dirty
that it was hardly possible to tell
whether he was a negro or white
child We scrubbed him up and he
was then rather good looking. On
looking into the case we found that
ne had a habit of leaving home every
few days and at one time slept in the
theater one night and in a box car
on another occasion.
Folks Careless.
His folks were careless, he sell
dom attended school and was an ha-
bitual truant About / O'Clock of the
same day his father called for him
at the station and took him away.
About ) o'clock we received a tele-
phone call asking if Sammy was at
the station We then learned that
he had run away from his father. He
was gone two days and after he was
found and sent TO school again he re-
NAMED quiet for a few months. Then
he started to play truant again. He
was gone from home three nights
and was finally located living with
a negro family The states attorney
and myself then took steps TO have
him sent to the ST. Charles school.
His father came to the Jail and want
ed TO take him home again. He hired
q lawyer and won his case. In few
months we had the same trouble and
this time we succeeded in lodging
the boy at the home.
The school at St. Charles is with
out doubt of great benefit to any boy
who is being brought up in unhealthy
surroundings. There he will receive
an education in manual art and also
mental training. The superintendent
has the welfare of the boys ever be-
fore him. At present we have a sue
cessful tailor in our city who received
his training there and he speaks
highly of the institution.
Mother, Not Child, Needed Training.
There was once a case brought
before Judge Mack of the juvenile
court of Chicago. A boy was brought
in by the parents. The mother stated
that she could not control the child
and wanted him sent to a training
school. After studying the case the
Judge said: Madam. you are the one
who needs the training, not your
boy. He sent her back home with
the child and appointed a probation
officer to watch the case. The boy
was kept at home.
"a great number of the cases of
delinquency are started through tru-
ancy. A few boys stole a bicycle a
short time ago and were arrested.
They were given hearing and
bound over to the grand jury for
trial. One of the boys, whose name
was Louie, mis- teacher told me, was
incorrigible. He himself said that he
skipped school to go 'chucking.' This |
is another thing which leads to crime. |
The boys go around the streets and /
pick up rags and little things to sell. |
and make little money. They then |
have a desire to get rich quick and |!
they pick up things of value which /
do not belong to them. This crowd |
of boys picked up a bicycle which /
was practically worthless, but they
are now held on a charge of larceny. !
The short experience which they
have had in Jail has made them all
peLteI, DuC Iuey VIII undoubtedly
need a further training. In the case
Of Harry. his home environment was
very poor His mother was gone
and there was a stepmother in the
home She took no interest in the
child and the father allowed him to
go his way. The result is that he has
landed in Jail and has been bound
over to the grand jury. After these
boys had been in Jail few days one
Of them said: Gee. 1t would be good
20 be outdoors again.
Shnnty; Cheap Literature.
Another boy who has been
brought to my notice was a truant
llso. He lived in shanty with sew
sral other boys. They read cheap
literature and did other harmful