The evening world., 1911-03-22

~ b"V DVSASA
te-Aay. ana We are not solving IL
WIN anything like adequacy. Our
bsss ana brightest boys are turning
Into criminals, instead Of esniusss.
oeasiy through d own social ig-
nofNnos and cafslsssness."
That 10 the opinion OF a man who
certainly knows a great deal about
children. He Is Mornay Williams. chair
man Of the New YORK State Child La
Dor Committee. for years President OF
h New York Juvenile Asylum. ana
an earnest worker IN many other phil
anthropic organizations having to DO
with boys and girls. The other night
Mr.. Williams talked to tho New Social
IDEAL Forum sbou. Better Children
ana yesterday asked him for more
particulars on the subject.
First OF all, we heve got 90 make
up our minds 20 the fact that children
are not born bad" he announced en-
phaticaiiy. W. nave got to get rid Of
the old Puritan idea OF natural de-
pravity. o: course, there are a very
few seeming exceptions. as IN the case
Of Jesse Pomeroy. the Massachusetts
bog criminal. convicted OF such hend-
len efuelties. But Isolated cases like
his soiy prove the rule. Most boys ana
girh are born with at least equal
chseoes OF developing into good men
and women. or the reverse"
Causes Of Delinquency.
~xNSn how DO you account for tire
iAsVe amount OF Juvenile delinquency,
particularly in the big cities?" I asked.
There are three main causes. though
sssA overlaps tho >thers." said Mr..
Williams. I've nrst and mos, impor.
taUA I have called motherlessness~
- fAs The greater part Of he
shA1Asen ailinS the Juvenile courts
80 tAsss VAC have not had their
eAAs GAarV Of aNesntion from their
nsAAssA
~TA~y ass not ueesOaYtly orphans. In
~ 1assAa ssass Of the word. They
nv wen have both parents living.
BuA 49, have been deprived OF moth
~ty
"rSena0s ~ tAthsr u . drunkard or
shiftissA IN that CASE, the mother has
to become the brsaA.winnsr OF the fam
~ end whether she goes out TO work
a. serub-woman or factory .hand. she
10 0~svertheless. away from her little
onss foe most Of their waking hours.
'cyHsn, along with the lack OF moth
ss1v attention comes tire evil Of the
crowded two or three-room home. II IS
not aowdsd By the family alone either,
bot BY the inevitable cheap iodger.
Offsn tiis m a works At night ana mas
70 sleep In the daytime. Such a home
Offers no place for children 20 play,
especially for boys. OF course they are
Nrcsd into the streets.
Fascination Of the Street.
THAT Is the third c~ontributory cause
70 child delinquency. the Ne IN the
streets. Unless one has had the eX-
perieoos, or possesses a vivid magma
ton. II ~ hard 20 realize the fascin-
at!on the city street possesses for any
child who has spent much time in T..
soqne OF the worlds most famous books
have been written on the theme OF ths
great street and It's influence on the
humanity passing through T.. The
average child has n much more power
ful Imagination than the average NAV,
an Imagination more resembling that
o: tho writer. though OF course less
controlled and more chaotic, To the
child the street is a wouder-place. a
continually renewed e~nchantment. lie
Joins de gang as a knight of old might
.oln a crusade.
1.-The pity OF II IL that the gang
leaders are. inevitably. ths wissst,
brightest, strongest little person
~alitiss, the boys who. IN other sur-
voundings, would lead their Glasses
and captain the football eleven.
IT 10 their environment. and only
thei. environment. which turns them
into embryo criminals. The children
Of the slums who are living at al
after the age OF five are literally TIE
survival OF the fttest.
Only the Strong Escape Death.
IN the struggle they have been com
PEELED to wag physically against th'
conditions surrounding thonl, only the
strong. indeed only the unusually strong
escape death.
"The boy TO be found on the
streets OF the east side up 10 tho
aGs Of fourteen Ia, on the average.
quicker n brighter in body ana
mind than you little brother or
mins. II he can only be surrounded
by the right instead OF the wrong
influences At this formation period
he will develop into the most desir-
able OF citizens. On the other hand,
II he 10 left to 60 his own gait to
the age Of adolescence. he Is almost
sure 20 turn into Q confirmed GRIM
inai."
But are not me various charltabl
organizations reaching these Children