New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-06-11
SUNDAY MAGAZINE FOR JUNE H. 1911
THE HOUSEWIFE AND THE LAW

wise OF the United States Consulate of the DIS
trict III which that municipality is situated
Now isn't Mrs. Quackenbos right IN IN
sistlng that all the worlds nelghbornoo.ths
Isn't 1t time we took the bandage OH tle
eyes OF international Justice, induced ner 70
lay down her sword, get her mind on tne
thief and the Jail, and become a kindly III
telligcnt mother!
] suppose it isn't quite fair in speaking ol
this new place which women are making III
themselves in law to ignore the tact thd' I'I
regular ranks Of law are pretty croWucu.
The graduates of law schools fairly bon &c, over
the top Of the community caldron. i,iey
are like too many carrots in row. Cl'1y
crowd and crush one another, ana ilooouy
grows very big. But the women VINO ''a ii,
plant themselves into new fields gro" IKE
everything, although most OF them 90 Stdl.
in the regular legal row. But docSn IL Sii1"
some horticultural skill to know that tfie
domestic field will grow law as well as 'iiuS''
or teaching or child culture!
THE other day burst in with TINS nous
wifc's idea of the law upon Miss Mace
line Doty. a member OF the New YORK OAR !,
who is specially interested in the problem OF
the Children's Court. She put down copy
of "The New Machiavclli' with some re-
uctance and said: =,
"You'rc right. We women do treat thI
law as an extension of housekeeping, knd
Of outlet for our domestic instincts. we've
gone tc work as though the cities were our
nOmns AM we were fixing th,hi up. IMP
sometimes does funny things to the law.
4 IN,
that shows the difference between a man
view and OURS
"Was thcr, any case We should have
treated dftcrcntly!' said the Iudge to a
woman lawyer whom he had invited to 81
with him that day.
"Not unless it was those twelve boys VINO
were brought in and Judged together she
Answered.
"What! Those who were arrested for
making row in the subway: Why, ! lct
them OFF easy enough, they VIZ fined only
a dollar apiece.
Easy cnough-on the parents. But how
could YOU tell that they were equally guilty
or that the onc-dolar fine would do anything
beyond satisfying the law | don't see no"
paving a dollar could improve their home
conditions What is going to become OF
those boys;
"The suggestion struck the Judge as IN
teresting,' Miss Doty went on, and ne
asked me to look those boys up. Three OF
the twelve proved to have bad records, were
deficient in their studies, unruly, and came
from bad homes. The other nine were Just
average boys with fair records, who had
been led into a piece OF exciting mischief.
No mother who was any kind of mother at
all would have treated those twelve boys
alike. They needed to be followed up, not
put off with pcrfunctory fine. And yet the
Law had been perfectly satisfied.
That method of the wise mother which
Miss Dotv advocates is the one Judge Lind
sey uses in Denver. That's why the men
out there don't seem able to understand him.
He wouldn't be holding his Office now if it
wasn't for the women who vote for him be-
cause he is caring for the children in their
way lust now Miss Doty is working out a
consistent scheme for the reorganization OF
all Childrcns Courts on the lines of house
hold Justice.
Would any wise mother think Of treating
her naughty child like a criminal;' She de
mandcd Indignantly. Did your mother
ever reprovc YOU before a whole roomful Of
people,
My mind went back to Il dim parlor with
the blinds drawn, and kind mother OK