The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-05-17
PLAN OF EDUCATION
FOR BACKWARD BOYS
Conference Is Held In St. Louis
Upon Delinquents
BILLS ARE IN CONGRESS
President DarnalI of the Conference
Makes An Appeal for Aid In
Having the Right Kind
of Laws Passed

st. Louis, May 16.-President o. E. Oar
nall was the speaker at tonights session
of the final conference the education
of backward, truant. delinquent and de-
pendent children, which began here today.
Mr.. Darnall, who was superintendent of
the National Training School for Boys
in Washingt2p. made an appeal for coun-
trywide agitation in favor of number
of bills now pending in Congress.
He urged that the conservation of chill
dren should be taken up by the govern
ment. 1---
Other speakers during the day were e.
E. Gardner, superintendent of the Sock
anoset School for Boys of Howard, r. l.;
C. E. Falkner of Minneapolis, and Secre-
tary Hathaway of Marietta. o.
President Darnall said In part:
with the coming of Cain into the home
of Adam and Eve a peculiar response
bility concerning mankind was trans
ferred from God to man. With the evo-
luton of the agencies of mankind it has
been found necessary that this response
bility be shared by the home (parents).
society and governmental authority At
perhaps. has so much stress been placed
upon the child, its rights and duties, as
at the present time, and in no country IN
the world have such advance steps been
taken in the conservation of childhood as
in our own.
1.-The initiative in governmental child
conserving work has usually been taken
by local governments, the great interest
taken in this work by county and state
governments being a logical sequence.
LAS an individual is not only a citizen
of the local community in which he-clafms
his residence but citizen of his county
and state, he is also a citizen of the
United States, and the federal government
must be and is interested in those things
which make for better citizenship While
our local county and state governments
have done most admirable work in all
lines looking to a better, stronger and
saner citizenship growing out of properly
protected and directed childhood, we
should not underestimate what the federal
government has done, is doing and we
believe will do for this great class of our
little citizens. There are some things
which perhaps the federal government
cannot do because of constitutional limi-
tations. but there are in addition to what
she has done many things which might
be done.
Congress wants to do the right
thing. Perhaps what is needed tn en- is
agitation-agitation along the line of
needed legislation which will result in a
better citizenship by studying the child,
its interests and its relation to the
home, society and the government.
1.-THE owen public health bill, the
Beveridge child labor law, the Par
sons children's bureau bill, the Davis
and Dolliver vocational education bill,
the Parker and Sterling national parole
and probation bills, and other measures
now pending In Congress are all worthy
Of serious consideration on the part of
those Of us interested in preventive and
corrective work. and at the same time
they show the great interest which is
being taken in these live questions by
our national lawmakers and others of
national reputation"
do not tell child how bad you
think him." said E. E. Gardner, super
1ntendent of the Sockanosset School for
Boys of Howard, r. l., in an address on
INDUSTRIAL training IN STATE SCHOOLS.
"Rather show him how useful he can
become. Lead him to think that good
Is expected from everyone and that he
amounts to something" This was the
keynote Of this session.
The speaker defined a state industrial
school as an institution provided and
supported by the state for the care and
instruction of delinquent children sent
ther by the authorities for cause. and
whose object it is to fit them as useful
law-abiding citizens, independent of the
condition that was their undoing.
In an address on the Dependent Boy
rs. the Delinquent State" Hon. c
+. Faulkner of Minneapolis arraignee
fhe states of the union for their failure
to make proper provision for the pro-
lection of dependent children. He con.
trasted the manner in which dependent
children are treated with the treatment
accorded delinquent children and con
cluded that "it cannot be truly said thai
the juvenile court secures to dependent
children the Just equivalents for ad
yantages lost by the transfer Of thetl
causes from the. probate or guardian
courts. The largest docket of the juve
nile courts is the cases of delinquen
children and adults who contribute u
their delinquency. and the atmospher'
As unavoidably that of the crimina