The Virginia enterprise., 1910-11-25

>sSA yOOuy ueIeaOOutS is too busy
to notice such things. These boys
were not criminals but were simply
misled by an evil companion. What
they needed on their return was
some fatherly advice from wise
Judge of the juvenile court, and
their parents needed this admoni-
ton even more than the boys. A
sklltul probation officer, who IS al
ways the big brother of the whole
community in which he works,
would have no doubt "got wise" to
the situation before the boys lett.
home and would have been able to
prevent the. theft and runaway. An
ounce of prevention in such cases
IS worth pound of punishment.
Peter Polowski is one of family
OF nine children living in mining
location on the western end of the
Nesabl range. The house is a tar
paper covered shack of four rooms
and hole under it answering for a
cellar. In these cramped quarters
TWENTH-EIGHT persons live, eat and
sleep, after fashion very common
on the range, in two shifts. The
family proper consists Of five girls,
four boys, the father and mother,
an aged grandfather and sixteen
men boarders. Words are made
quate to picture the squalor, and
unsanitary conditions of these sur
roundlngs, unadapted, as they arc
to growing up family Of children.
The men boarders are altogether
too familiar with these young girls,
who are daily growing more bold
and inmodcst. However, it is not
OF the family but Of Peter boy of
ten, that | started to write this note.
He is boy naturally of good parts;
quick to see things, Imaginative,
good natured, but easily led astray
A year or so ago Peter developed
the bad habit of bringing home
things that did not belong to him,
for which articles he found ready
sale at a small cash price to the
bOarderS and even to his father.
These articles consisted Of razors,
revolvers, watches, knives, ETC.,
which he stole from stores too care
less]y tended. The boarders and
father by furnishing market for
this plunder of course encouraged
the lad in his thicveries. After a
time his misdemeanors became
known at the school he attended.
and when the teacher demonstrated
with him on his conduct, and de-
manded that he return the articles
yet in his possession, he drew a
knife on his teacher, intliCting a
slight wound on her arm, which
might have been more serious but
for her strength and agility. This
case is pending yet in that neigh
borhOOd, but what a blessing it
would be if on the range there were
proper facilities to treat such cases
early enough to save them to good
citizenship. TO show how | believe
this case should be treated let me
relate the treatment of an almost
identical case some years ago in
one OF our cities where there is an
efficient juvenile court, detention
home and parental school, and tact.
full, trained probation officers. The
boy was arrested by the officer and
taken to the detention home pend
ing his trial. Before the trial came
off the Judge by personal examina.
ton in the neighborhood found out
all he could about the boys family
his habits, his companions, his
home environment. The matrOn at
the home, Il sympathetic, motherly
woman, gained the confidence of
the boy and he told her many
things about himself. At the trial
which was held in the office of the
home, no one was present but the
Judge, the boy, his parents, the
witnesses, the matron, and the pro.
baton officer. Since he had been
in the court twice before, and since
there was little prospect of his re-
formation if left in his bad home
environment, surrounded by evil
compa anions, the judge sentenced
him to the parental school for an
indefinite term, or until he was
cured. In this school he learned to
work, he learned the meaning Of
MINE and THINE. He learned to be
clean in his bodily habits, he learn
ed good table manners, he learned
to look men in the face and hold up
his head like the honest boy he had
grown to be. He was trained as a
blacksmith, at which trade he was
allowed to work at shop in the
city and save his earnings. After
leaving the school as cured, he took
course in electrical engineering
and worked his way up, until now
he is head electrician in the trac-
ton department. of d street railway
system in a large western city,
honored and respected by all who
know him. The state spent some
money on this boy, but today he is
an ASSET to the state, because h. is
productive worker
would like to see the state of
Minnesota establish detention
home and parental school on the