East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1913-05-10

Edmonton. Alta, May 9.-(SpeciaD
Lack of home training, longing
for pretty gowns and baubles and the
Unsuitable desire for pleasure and ex-
citement are the chief factors con-
tributing to the delinquency of young
girls coming to the attention of the
provincial department of neglected
children" said Miss Annie Jackson,
a member of the police department
of Edmonton, who has the distinc-
ton of being the first probation Of
ficer appointed in the dominion of
Canada "They are generally friv-
olous and flighty," she added, "and
usually they can be saved"
Miss Jackson, who wears a regula-
ton police badge, numbered 81, is
sued by Chief of Police Carpenter
when the woman officer took the
oath of office, occupies homelke
quarters on the top floor of the Cred
1t Fencier building, in the heart of
the business district where she car
ries on her work in quiet way. Ihe
office is more like comfortably tur-
nished sitting room in well ordered
household than anything else and 1t
is there that Miss Jackson takes the
delinouents in hand. She has only
10 do with girls under II years OF
age, but she is big sister to others
as we'll.
Though have been in office since
last October. when the department
was organized" the probation Off
Ger said with a smile. Il have not
found it necessary to make a single
arrest. However. if I saw girl out
very late at night or acting in a gid
dy. suspicious sort of way 1 would
not hesitate a moment to take her
in hand and place her in the shelter.
The nearest l have come to making
an arrest was in the case of young
girl who had run away from home
in which she had been placed and
was about to leave town with a man
twice her age. I heard about the
proposed elopement and went to the
train and brought her back to the
shelter. There was nothing spectac-
ular about it,
Miss Jackson has taken scores of
young girls, principally newcomers,
out of restaurants, fruit stores and
shooting galleries and from other
places. where" she said. "the moral
atmosphere was more or less contain
mated; but my real work is giving
the youngsters a steadying hand and
Finding employment and good homes
Tor them to make them independent
of the assistance they may have been
accepting from other sources"
Most of the girls go into good homes
selected by Miss Jackson and the de-
partment where they are taught to be
homemakers. Usually they are not
proficient in any branch of business.
in fact, they are generally unskilled
and could not earn a livelihood in
either a shop or an office. AS Miss
Jackson explains: when they are
in homes selected by US, we know
they are not in cheap boarding hous-
-es and in danger of making dan
gerOus acquaintances
However not all the girls who are
brought into contact with Miss Jack
son are delinquents. Many go to her
for advice and assistance. They
know she understands their peculiar
View points and will give them good
counsel In numerous instances they
want some one to sympathize and
encourage them in continuing the
good fight and that is where Miss
jackson is at her best.
Miss Jackson cited a typical case
of two girls working in a shooting
gallery. They were pretty and well
developed youngsters. "They were
not bad at heart" the probation Of
ficer explained, but they were friv-
.olous and thir associations had made
them brazen. We took them in
charge and found positions for them
They are making good and come tc
see me regularly.
another case brought to our at
tention was that of a young gir,