Semi-weekly herald., 1912-12-16
STRAY TOPICS FORM
LITTLE OLD NEW YORK

statesman, Gen. Sickles, and threat
ened to darken the closing years ot
his eventful life, seems to be givint
general satisfaction. The history OF
Gen. Sickle's life reads like u romano,
and even at this late period in hi.
life, when financial difficulties com
PEELED him to sacrifice the art treas
urers and momentos of long ane
brilliant career at public auction tc
satisfy his creditors, the element OF
romance asserted itself most power.
fully. The generals second wife
from whom he had separated years
ago, came to his rescue and, by salts
I Tying his creditors, prevented the
scattering of his treasurers. Once
before she had come to the generals
assistance in the hope to bring about
a reconciliation, but Gen. Sickles re.
manned obdurate. 1t is extremely
gratifying to the numerous friends
Of the general that Mrs Sickle's time
ly and generous Interference in this
latest crisis has at last softened the
heart of the old warrior and brought
about reconciliation between him
and his wife.
Scandalmongers, muckrakers and
all those numerous neurotics afflicted
with morbid craving for the sensa-
tional undoubtedly enjoy the wordy
quarrel between Dr. Parkhurst and
Mayor Gaynor. which is at present
paraded in the daily papers. Nor
NAL minded and respectable citizens,
however, are more or less disgusted
with this quarrel which reflects credit
neither upon DR. Parkhurst nor Mayor
Gaynor and is bound to lower both
in the estimation of the better class
of citizens. Many people are wonder
ing whether the ubiquitous and versa
tile "reformei' ever heard the old
saying about the proper conduct of
persons living in glass houses.
There are about 100000 children
enrolled in the public schools of great
er New York and about 100000 in
che private and patochial schools. To
see to it that ali these children prop
erly attend school as the law pro-
Nides, "a tfuant officers are employ
ed by the city it is matter of record
that every day about ten per cent
Of the children of school age, or 100,-
900 are absent from school. Eimi-
pating illness Esd asner legitimate
causes to account for this large num-
ber of absentees it is estimated that
more than 10000 children daily are
truants, Fully one-third of them are
frequent, if not habitual offenders
and incorrigible. That the present
humber of truant officers is entirely
inadequate is quite evident, but all
efforts in the past TO induce the board
of education to increase the number
Of truant officers have failed. The
board never had any money to spare
for additional truant officers. The
result of this condition is that thou
sands of boys and girls, evading their
school duties, spend their time with
associates of vicious and criminal
character and are gradually dragged
down until they become outcasts or
criminals. Crime among children is
increasing at an alarming rate and
all the poorer sections of the city are
infested with constantly growing
gangs of boys, well organized for
deeds of mischief, violence or crime.
Automobiles still hold the record
for slaughtering pedestrians in the
streets of New York During the
month Of November fifty-six persons
were killed by vehicles in the streets
of the city, and III injured OF this
number automobiles killed q and seri-
ously injured ninety-five persons.
Wagons killed 81 and seriously iniur-
ed II persons and trolley cars killed
IA and injured 65. These figures in
dicate big increase over the month
of November last year
Investigations conducted by Assist
ant District Attorney Moss disclosed
the fact that each year about 10000
burgularies are comitted in the city
of New York, not counting grand lar
cencies and othe crimes. 1t is said
to be fact that the overwhelming
majority of these burglaries is com
mitted by boys utterly unrestrained
by the blue-coated police and untouch-
ed by the detective department. These
boys, taking lessons from the notori-
aus crooks and other criminals with
which they associate, become soon
proficient and hardened and develop
into professional criminals who are a
constant danger to the life and prop
erty Of the citizens.
The innovation was first tried at
the recent banquet of the Tennessee
society of New York Before the ban
quet the president Of the society Bar
ron G. Collier and Marshall l.. Harvey
the chairman of the dinner committee
held conference and discusses the
arrangements for the dinner. They