Evening star., 1911-05-27
Machine Works Smoothly.

| Proceedings run along will. little for
mality. The accused persons are not ar
raigned as In our police courts. There is
no loud calling of names. The prison
ers are brought quietly into the room in
a certain prearranged order and the
| judge and the elderly clerk sitting below
| him have before them the full record of
each case In advance AS rule the po-
| liceman who made the arrest gives his
| testimony first, standing in veritable
witness box with pillars at the front cor
ners and solid back and curved top to
serve as a sounding board toward the
judge. He and all other witnesses speak
the form of the oath themselves. instead
of listening to its glib recital by a clerk
Of the court. For the convenience Of
| the text of the oath is printed on the
cover Of the small Bible which the wit
ness holds while saying the words.
suppose that in the case of the illiterate
the court attendant who stands close at
| hand prompts the unreading stranger.
| The prisoners stand in the very center
of the room in a raised dock rallied on
three sides AS they sometimes come on
In pairs-and I have no doubt in larger
| squads-the dock Is long and narrow and
will accommodate four or five at once.
| There is bench seat at the back Of this
little pen. but 1t is not used unless. it is
to be assumed. the accused person is
weak or i'll.
The few drunk and disorderly" cases
with which the proceedings opened on the
morning of my visit brought to view
about the same hopeless array Of hui
manfty I have been seeing in the streets
and slums Of London these past few
weeks. undersized men wearing the in
evitable neckcloth in lieu of a collar and
gripping the equally inevitable shapeless
cap; slatternly women with their Sc
verely plain flat-rimmed straw hats and
their inconceivably ill hanging skirts;
ragged boys with wizened old faces, the
real problem OF London today. The boys
were watched closely by a missionary -
who sat in court throughout the proca
ings and gave testimony whenever need
ed as to the character of the accused
The two Juveniles 1 saw in the box were
sent to institutions where. 1t is to be
hoped, they will be wrought into better
men than their fathers must have been
l asked the missionary later whether he
could 90 much with the boys who passed
through his hands in court.
Cannot Reform Some.
1T is such a question: he answered.
Sometimes they turn out first rate, and
> again We can make no impression on
them. 1t all depends upon how hardened
they are when we get them"
For the small children who break the
rules and laws there are special sessions
of the police courts. at intervals of sew
eral days The system is still decidedly
quent and are held in the same rooms as
the regular court proceedings. so that the
children are still familiarized with the
traditional mechanism. and lack the benefit
of early hearing before judges specially
chosen for their understanding of the
needs of this most important class of
offenders. Still. this present mode is a
great advance. to be appreciated when
one remembers that it was only a few
decades ago that a child of eight wears
was hanged in London for stealing.
Meanwhile. the older unfortunates have
been passing through the dock. some to
go back to the cells to proceed thence to
one of the city jails for five days. or
seven days. or three days: others to
step actively around the other way to
freedom upon hearing the magistrate
say, In his quiet manner: II think I'll
discharge you. with warning" It is
noticeable that these folks invariably say.
THANK you"' when the final word is
said This may be mere Indulgence in
the most pronounced of all British habits,
or it may be an expression Of real graft