East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1911-04-06
81 do believe all children good

If they are only unuerstoOu'
This was the message brought to
this city last night by Judge Ben b.
Lindsey, the eminent Colorado 1uVe-
nile worker and which he impressed
upon the large number of people who
gathered in the Methodist church to
listen to his lecture. He recited in
cident after incident taken from his
own experience with so-called incor-
rigible children, and when he had
finished there were none who heard
him but believed as he believes, that
there Is no child so lost but that 1t
can be reclaimed by the application
OF the proper methods.
1t was this method that the speaker
dwelled upon at length, explaining 1t
thoroughly as applied by himself In
his ten years Of Juvenile work In the
city Of Denver He explained the OLD
manner OF dealing with children ac-
cused Of some petty crime and his
narration of cases under this method
which came under his own observation
was so horrible as to be almost beyond
belief by persons unacquainted with
the way justice IS sometimes meted
out.
Divine instruments.
Judge Lindsey advocated the use OF
divine instruments, the greatest or
which is sympathy, in the cure OF
moral disease in children just as sur
gical instruments are used to remedy
a physical disease" "And," he went
on to say. because these instruments
sometimes fail to secure the results
L., ,t.hN
be thrown aside. Surgical instru-
ments in the hands OF a butcher Will
kill quicker than cure and often in
the hands Of the most skilled pracu-
tioner sometimes fail because of hu-
man limitations. Divine instruments
like surgical instruments must be
, used by the expert to produce results.
The right kind of sympathy will pro-
duce results but the wrong kind is
worse than none at all Weak pity
and blind compassion only breed con-
tempt and ridicule.'
state To Blame.
In condemning the old system OF
dealing with incorrigible children, the
great Juvenile worker tok occasion
to denounce the state, declaring 1t is
as much responsible as any one Gle
ment for the depravity which exists
because IL seeks to secure obedience
to the law not by instilllng in the
child the desire to do right for rights
sake>but throuhg fear of the conse-
quences of doing wrong. THE law Of
the child Is the law of the human
heart" he said. 81 have been told
many times by policemen that GER
tain children had not the truth In
them. but | have always found that
II fear is lifted from the heart of the
child, the truth was always there. In
all of my ten years of Juvenile work,
l have never encountered single
child that would not tell the truth
under proper treatment The force
of fear Is q powerful one but Is far
from being as powerful as the force
of patience, the force of sympathy,
the force of understanding, Of kind
ness and friendship. Where the lat
ter forces fail once, the force Of fear
fails ten times. I do not intimate the
things / expect in the future from
the application OF these forces.
Two Functions of State.
1.-THE state has two functions to
perform in dealing with children he
went on" the function to restrain and
to redeem. 1t has been proved be-
yond a doubt that tht latter IL within
the power of the state and the time
is coming when 1t will be accepted as
duty" The judge recited many in
cidents of boys of the underworld
whose energies talents and genius
were marked and which needed but
to be directed into the right channels
to make their possessors useful cit
liens, For instance, he related how
one boy caught In scrape, revealed
wonderful Imagination in the lies
which he told in an effort to extricate
himself. This boy. he said, under
the right guidance, might have devel-
Sped into a second Victor Hugo OF
other story teller Of renown or at
worst would have made a most sue
cessful newspaper man.
Misfortuncs of MicIxy.
In his story of the misfortunes OF
Micky, Judge Lindsey recounted how
one boy, reputed by the police to bt
the toughest boy in Denver was saw.
ed by the efforts Of the Juvenile court
and how he brought In many Of hi,
companions to the court and eventual.