The evening world. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1887-1931, 1912-12-09

home for BsssiA She was out svsry
night to . dance. to the moving pictures
Or somewhere else. She liked . good
time, she learned drinking went with .
good time. and soon Bessis learned that
1t wasn't necessary TO go to the once
at all to make tl2 . week and more.
And Bessie, too. came to the Night
Court.
DO you see the answerf II wasn't
social conditions that caused these girls
to fall. their conditions were not slm-
liar. Here Is the reason. n was the
easiest way. With Bessie II was the
easiest way to have q so-called good
time-with Mary the easiest way to ss-
cape drudgsry.
"a discovery Of the easiest way drives
conscience before It.
But I don't say II wasn't sasrs for
Mary to fail than Bessie. Mary's was
the greatest temptation. Conditions
like those surrounding Mary tend 10
injure girls, they help to weaken their
will power. and their conscience cannot
mako the good lights that Besses con-
science probably made. But these con-
ditions only tend to make trouble-you
cannot say they DO without ubslling
thousands Of good women who labor all
the hours they do not sleep and who
battle with their oonsoisness oon-
| stantiy."
Then what IL the Gauss Of dslin-
Qusncy In gifsf' the Magistrate was
! asked.
I'm one word-their parents. Failure
on the part Of fathers and mothers to
exercise the proper scrutiny on their
companions. to know whore they are
working and what they are doing with
their leisure hours, 10 by FAR the great.
est cause. During the danger age they
should not be forgotten Tor q moment.
The danger age for New York 10 be-
tween sixteen and eighteen. There
isn't girl in New York at sixteen who
doesn't know more than her mother.
Mother L. % oid-fogyish.' you will hear
them say. That 10 because the mother
objects to the girl going TO Q dance
/ hall and remaining until / O'Clock In
tho morning. or because mother insists
on knowing something Of her daugh-
tiers companions,
oIRLs MORE OF A MENACE TO
THEIR OWN eek.
II parents would hssp . closer eye
on their girls and the companions OF
!hsir girls during the danger period
they would save many OF them. They
should watch the girls their girls 1850
ciats with particularly. The danger
doesn't lie half % much with the boys
the girls 60 with a. with the other girls.
A good girl will not let Q boy or man
get beyond the hrst advance, she u on
her guard. but she doesn't watch the
other girl so closely. And there In the
danger. Tho other girl tells the story
OF how easy n Is to have plenty of
good clothes and money without work.
and the evil Is done in many cases.
| Judge Herbert paused q momeat.
New York 10 not an immoral city"
he said
| Remember. he IL the Judge of the
woman's Night Court, the tribunal
before which hundreds of fallen
women pass annually.
1T 10 not nearly SO bad az many
foreign cities. and whom you consider
| Its location, Its size and the cosmopol-
itan character Of It's people, II Is won-
derful what a percentage OF Its women
are good. how free its streets are from
| vice.
| what DO you DO with these nrst
offenders. these girls who have only
started to stray from the right path"
Judge Herbert was asked.
| 1T depends on the circumstances IN
each case. II the girl shows signs OF
repentance, II she seemingly wants to
be good and has home to 20 to. she
| gets q Warning warning that scares
her-and IL sent back to her family
That's whore the parole system proves
It's value. But n she hasn't home. n
| the case threatens to become a serious
one she In sent to an institution"
And how many sent to Institutions
REFORM
ITO be conservative, I would say 80
per cent. probably It Is a greater per-
centace. But what has that to DO with
Il? II II was only 10 per cent, II one
girl year could be saved. the insti-
| tuition has not been in vain
Judge Herbert sighed.
IT'S a hard night" he said. but we
must go on fghting-every girl we can
save. whether she is from the tenement
or otherwise, Is worth while. We are
! ng'hting human nature. We have each
| girls conscience for an ally. II her
parents will watch over her and help
our battle will be an easier one"