Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-09-28
JOB FOR CLEVELAND PRAISED BY TAFT
Set to Task of Reorganizing Work Of Catholic Body Pro-
Government Business. motion of Charity .
TO HEAD SPECIAL BUREAU MEMBERS AT WHITE HOUSE
New York Expert Conference Mcmahon Comes
ministration Selected to an End
SCHEME WILL AFFECT CLERKS SENDS CABLEGRAM TO POPE
Work of Catholic Body in Pro-
motion of Charity.
MEMBERS AT WHITE HOUSE
Conference at Mcmahon Hall Comes
to an End.
SENDS CABLEGRAM TO POPE
His Benediction on Endeavors of thu
Organization Sought-Addresses
on Criminology.

nat Is conceded TO be the most
successful convention OF it's kind ever
nero under the auspices of the catho-
lic church in America came to an end
thls afternoon when President Taft
commended the efforts OF the 800 dele
gates TO the first annual conference OF
tathoiic charities and wished them sue
cess In their nationwide movement
Ihese representatives from all mart.
OF the United States. who are pledsed
10 spread the work of mercy. assem-
Dieo In the east room OF the White
House at 2:3O o'clock and listened with
interest to the laudatory remarks of
the chief executive. Each delegate
was presented to Mr.. Taft by Mgr
Shahan, rector of the Catholic ITnfyer-
sity.
Ihe closing meeting at Mcmahon Hall
this morning resulted in the formation or
plans TO establish societies for RELIEF of
the poor in various cities, protection OF
young girls and prevention of crime
among the working classes
Forces Awakened.
Those forces Of the church for the ann
preston of social evils and the upltft OF
the poverty-stricken, which, IT is con-
tended, have lain dormant in MANY con-
gested centers OF population, have been
awakened by the convention Just closed.
and the delegates leave Washington with
the avowed purpose OF giving a new I'm
petus to the crusade of benevolence.
Just before adjournment at 1910 o'cyork
the Following cablegram was sent to Pope
Plus X:
''The national conference OF Catholic
charities. In humble obedience to the su-
preme pontiff, bsgs his benediction on its
endeavors in the work of charity"
Mgr. MacMahon of New York had pre-
Vlously conveyed to the assemblage the
message OF approval trausmitted by the
Pope through him.
Judge Girten's Address.
The chief interest of today's sessions
centered in the address of Judge Michael
F. Girten Of the municipal court of Chi
cagO. His frank statements inspired dis
cussfon and won applause. He said, in
part:
You cannot make men good by law.
You cannot make human beings perfect
by any medical. calisthenic or athletic
system. The greatest of all influences is
prevention. 1t is the old story Of q stitch
prevents some one from going astray
saves that person. saves the court and So
ciety much trouble. In our large cities
we Catholics must do more. Understand
l am not pessimist. l don't believe the
world is going to the bow-wows; on the
other hand 1 think the world and the
people in II might be a great deal worse.
Yet If each of us will do our part and
get up and look around, and check evil
forces in true Christian spirit, we will
be power for the community as q
whole.
Il do not believe in abolishing the
nickel moving picture show, the roller
skating rink, the dance hall or even the
saloon. These places will do little harm
II they are properly supervised. Do you
know there are girls who have lost their
honor because they were not paid enough
salary by the merchant prince in whose
employ they were? And what shall 1t
profit commonwealth IL its merchant
prince gives parks and magnificent build
ings If only one soul has been damned
because of insufficient wages?
Main Question Presented.
But to get to the crux of the ques-
tion, l have seen many, many boys and
girls thirteen and fourteen, yes, seven
teen, years old. appear in court for this
or that wrongdoing, not really criminal
in spirit, who needed nothing in the world
TO make good members of society out
or them except one good. solid, old-fasl-
foned thrashing. You give a boy or girl
good whipping and you have hurt no
one but that boy or girl and if il hasn't
done any good, which 1t does in nineteen
out of twenty cases. nobody is harmed.
On the other hand, because we don't be-
leve In brutality, We let our youngsters
sass the teacher. sass the neighbors and
their parents, and then when one of them
eighteen or nineteen years old goes to
the penitentlary for burglary, robbery or
some other thing, we wonder why. The
boy is ruined, his father. mother, brother.
sister and relatives to the third degree are
disgraced and years must roll by before
they regain the lost prestige. Which say
you is the greater brutality? | say our
fool system OF sparing the rod and spoil
ing the child.
There are four causes of deIinuuency.
namely: Home conditions, environment.
insufficient income and drunkenness IL
is our sacred duty to evolve remedial in
fiuences, and we should aid either lew
Gentle. Hottentot or anybody else whose
work in charity is good"
De Courcey on Criminoloey.
Judge Charles De Courcey OF Boston.
chairman of the meeting, followed this
address with a brief speech in which he
took issue with the theories Of Lombroso
and other ''pseudo-scientists who teach
faddish doctrines of crime and crimi-
nology.''
Crime is the normal function OF the
abnormal man." said he. 'and our duty in
this direction is to educate the ignorant
and weak to shun sin and do good,
These freakish influences of scholars who
say man commits crime because of pre-
destination, met by the socialistic doc
trines, open up a danger tremendously
grave In this country, and all the more SO
because they are not appreciated
Our whole prison system is radically
wrong. In how many cases does a
convict leave a penal institution bet
ter man or woman? Any reformatory,
Jail or penitentiary that does not turn
out inmates better men than when they
entered them has no excuse for eN-
istence. Instructive libraries should be
installed in penal institutions to instill
nobler ideals in unfortunate prisoners.
and chaplains should aid by meeting
keep them from visiting old haunts.'
Effects of Fines.
Judge De Lacy, the next speaker. said
the system of filming petty lawbreakers
was an anachronism. when a poor
man is fined his family suffers In con-
sequence. In many instances when a man
Is sent to the workhouse his family stops
eating
Earlier in the day, at a meeting of the
woman delegates, Judge De Lacy said
The chief reason for the downfall of girls
N Washington Is automobile Joy rides"
md wine suppers. At that session the
women perfected an organization for the