The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-09-22
related. Many families have been In

related Many families have been in
vestigated, in which there have oc-
CURED hundreds of detectives VINO
have been absolutely dependent upon
municipal support ither as paupers
or criminals, and who have cost the
state millions Of dollars in Few gen.
eratiOns.
After doing what we can to I'M
prove hereditS, 1t next behooves us
70 pay attention to the newborn paoe'
MANY criminals and degenerates come
from illegitimate children, founanhss
and children Of bad parentage. These
bab,es should be housed and raised In
the PROPER institutions for babies and
you, e children and then transferred
tn an industrial school. Every one
Of these babies. whether OF known 0,
unknown parentage, should be adopted
nv the state and continue wards Oh
the state until they are self-sustaln-
ing and have developed charactei
enough to be at large. Even alter
they leave the State institutions teacA
should be kept OF them and when-
,y.r necessary assistance given then''
- tbi. MAN of municipal and state
.a,troI Of ALL children Of bad parent
,.rc was universal we would have
reuch smaller criminal and oeseh-
crate class to deal with.
Study Of Chil1ren.
Tho next problem which faces us is
the handling and care OF the critiitid
ava degenerate youth between inc
ages of six and eighteen. 1t Is Win
th.s. children that the Juvenile court
h,s chiefly to deal. THIS class lh-
cludes the young vagrant, the youns
n;ckpocket, thief and burglar, 'hs
Young moral degenerate and prost''u
and the bad boy and girl seheraHs:
The papers have been full recently y.
most horrible crimes against socle'S
committed right in our own
CITY OF Richmond. 1t Is not tnat THESE
cases are new to this community. al
thon,t 7 believe certain modern ideas
and extravagance, such as desire lot
the excitement OF cheap shows, loi
silk stockings and other flnery ana
FOR automobile joy-rides have In
creased this class. 1 have examiner
MANY OF these cases from mental
and physical standpoint Ihey rang
from simple willfulness to the most
horrible and publicly unmentlonanl pie
aapeneracy. One fact which has
struck me very forcibiy 10 tnls' that as
a rule the more atrocious the onense
the greater the mental and physical
stigma OF these children In other
words. the lower types show unmistak-
.hle evidence Of hereditary feeble
mindedness or disease. Where the
| family histories have been obtainaole
we have been able to confirm the fact
| that this stigma in the young showed
alcoholism, insanity, syphilis. ETC., In
| the parents.
Must be Graded.
! Modern methods Of mental and phE
steal examination enable US to tell
fairly accurately the degree OF this
! deseneracy and the degree OF the
moral responsibility Of the child. For
| instance, II a child three or four years
old was to take something that did not
belong to 1t. or commit some other
! unbecoring act. 1t would not be held
morally responsible and no one would
! think anything particularly OF IT. H.
! however. a child ten or twelve years
| Of age were to commit the same act
| we would feel that tho child was
| committing a crime.
Now. suppose the child Of ten or
twelve had only the mental and moral
development Of a child Of three or
fur, should We hold 1t any more re-