The Washington times., 1911-11-23
PHYSICAL DEFECTS
POTENT FACTOR IN
JUVENILE CRIME
Superintendent Davidson and
Judge Mack Discuss Child
Conservation.

Physical defects, such as defective
eyesight- or hearing and adenoid
erowths, especially the. latter. consti-
tute the t'dargest factor in making
Juvenile delinquents and ultimate crimi-
mails, according to statements made by
Judge Julian w. Mack and DR.. William
M. Davidson at the thirteenth annual
meeting of the Associated Charities Of
the District at Rauschers last night,
the general subject being -"Tbs Con-
servation of the CT lid, ~
Both speakers agreed that adenoids
are most dangerous deformity or de-
feet In child, and that they often
point the way to the penitentiary. They
both urged more rigid medical inspec-
tion Of school children, particularly
along the line of preventing the udenold
erowths from assuming a serious condie
tion.
DR.. DAVIDSON, Superintendent of
Schools. declared that the physical
education of the child is Just as import
ant as tho mental training, as without
the former the latter Is often impossi-
children should also be given attention,
he added. as the good citizen will ma
ture from the healthy and upright child
a.. Physical Education.
Physical education is one Of the
great scholastic problems of the day"
raid DR.. Davidson Our schools in the
District of Columbia have recognized
the importance of the healthy child,
and already certain methods have been
adopted to train the body as we'll as the
mind. We have schools for abnormal
children, but often the pupil can be
saved from irreparable injury by the
early discovery Of some tendency that
can be remedied.
zone of my most urgent recon-
mendaticns will be that adequate pro-
vision be made FOR the children physi-
Cally unfit to begin studies, this to in
Clude a most careful examination of the
prospective pupils by competent physi-
Judge Mack. who is president of the
Corrections, former Judge of the Chi
cago. Juvenile Court. ard at present a
member of the Court of Commerce
bench, spoke on the Conservation of
the child from the viewpoint Of preven-
ton Of Juvenile delinquency"
The penitentiary ard adenoids are
connected by almost a direct road de-
venile offender has some physical or
mental deficiency and usually the men,
tai defect, can be traced to physical
weakness.
The speaker assterted that the iu-
venile court Is one of the greatest le-
gal discoveries Of the age. Its value in
conserving the child being emphasized
most conspiciously although the insti-
tuition is only a dezen years old. He
said new note In jurisprudence was
struck VIXEN the Juvenile court theory
vas advanced. .,''
Rev. Mr.. Smith Presides.
The Rev. Roland Cotton Smith. rector
of st. Johns Episcopal Church. presided
at the meeting. and introduced the two
speakers. The Rev. William ]. kerby
delivered Invocation; and the benedic-
ton was pronounced by the Rev. Abram
Simon.
Onicers elected for the ensuing year
We're: Corcoran Thorn. president: the
Rev. r 9. Smith, Mgr. william r.
Russell, the Rev. ]. II. Brandford, and
I. L. Blout, vice presidents. and John
JOY Edison. The board of management
elected are: William H. Baldwin. Col.
Archibald Hopkins, DIR. George NJ. Ko-
ber. Miss Florence P. Spofford and Ad-
miral Seaton Schroeder.
The annual reports submitted showed
that individual contributions for the
year amounted to a,o15, there being
1,436 contributors. During the year !, l,I54
families were given relief