New-York tribune., 1910-09-04

glass down and I suppose I started in to
| smash things a bit.
| "I see remarked the court. THE first
| time it was pigs head that caused the
| trouble; this time it is pigs feet. But 1 am
! going to give you one more chance. VIII
send you to the workhouse for a month IN
order that you may get sobered UP, and
Atben put you on probation for five months
| The man was nasty about going 10 the
workhouse. and the probation officer in
whose charge he was had TO be very stern
with him. But on the first occasion when
the probationer came to report after his
| release the officer shook him warmly by
the hand, talked about other matters than
| those connected with the mans disgrace
and made every effort to show himself
friendly. This attitude was appreciated by
the man and helped him to recover his self
respect The officer visited the mans home
later and found that the wife was doing all
! In her power TO make things pleasant for
the husband. Peace has been restored.
| 1t should be said that upon the second
arrest of this man he put in charge of
! a different probation officer than the one
who had supervision over him after the
first arrest. The first officer made no at
tempt TO visit the home or 10 win the man $
confidence or that of his wife. The second
officer had truer conception of the duties
of his office, and he succeeded in uniting
| family that otherwise might have been
broken up
Magistrate CorTigan states that % per
cent of all cases he puts on probation are
| those of men charged with non-support or
with intoxication and disturbing their fam
| lilies. 1t is said that Magistrate Butts uses
probation only for non-support cases. Since
cases of this sort are henceforth to be
tried in the new Court of Domestic Re
Iations, it appears probable that rnts court
will Go the bulk of probation work in the
city
| Probation in New York is applicable both
| to adults and to children and is exercised
| at the discretion of the Judge or magis-
! trate who is presiding.
| Miss Maud Miner. who is secretary of
the New York Probation Association.
speaking out of her vivid experience. de-
clares, THE real work of the probation
officer should be to bring helpful iuflu-
ences to bear and to do personal work With
| probationers and constructive work with
| the families
| Assemblyman Alfred z. Smith who was
| a member of the Page commission. as a
| result of whose investigations the new in
ferior courts aw. sometimes called the
|
hearing all the evidence that was given
| before the commission he has no hesita-
| ton in saying that probation work can he
| about the ''softest snap in New York City
| unless the right sort of men are selected
as probation officers.
Take non-support case" said Mr..
| Smith. where man is supposed to he
paving his weekly stipend to his wife. You
| might think the wife would report him to
the probation officer If he doesn't pay up
regularly. But II the officer doesn't visit
the home occasionally the husband can in
timidate her and prevent her from report
ing Evidence presented to the commits
sion shows that this has been done. Under
the ola system. when practically the only
time probation officer saw his probationers
was when they came weekly to report. he
could dispose of his thirty-flve cases in
an hour and half, which was pretty easy
work
Il believe that under the new system
there will be more visiting done by the pro-