The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-03-12

ties, are unworthy of the help they seek. Some are of an undu1y Iiti- gious character. some are dishonest or have shown dishonorable conduct in connection with their cases, and some are found to be quite able to engage an attorney in the ordinary way.
 But fully third are entirely wor- thy and the other third questionably so. It is, of course, the function of legal aid society to do it's utmost for the worthy. And as already pointed out, this aid effectively given at a critical turn in the affairs of a IowIy citizen. helps to give him that respect and confidence in our institutions which produces law abiding members of the community. Recourse to, acts of violence inspired by methods of personal revenge can thus be lessened and the efficiency of legal procedure demonstrated. sS
 The timely help given a fourteen year old boy in the following case may easily have affected his whole future point of view toward the law 44O GES41AC SO C1AS 1CSSA <a4A SOCAO[y flee with his mother and told how $5.5o had been deducted from his pay because a, certain tool had disappear ed from his employers factory. He declared that he had not stolen it but had seen a workman wrap it up and take it from the room. An inquiry directed to the employers elicited the surley response that the boy would be paid his $6.5o if he returned the tool, but that if he should fail to do this, they would proceed against him cr1minally. The superintendent of the factory said the boy was a bad boy anyway-he had once climbed in Q trolley car window, he had taken an umbrella belonging to man who took his by mistake, and he whistIed and sang. This list of heinous crimes, somehow, failed to impress the legal aid society attorney as bearing on the case.
 After a telephone discussion in which the attorney pointed out that no proof of the charge against the boy had been adduced, the employers end- ed abruptly by saying-"send up the boy-we will pay him his money, but we'll have him arrested at the same time.'' The boy, when told of this, instantly and with convincing frank ness. said he wasn't afraid to go, for he had done nothing. The attorney advised him that if this was true he had nothing to fear. The next morn ing the factory superintendent tele- phoned the attorney, thanked him for his perseverance and said that the boy had been paid and that further investigation had removed suspicion to another. But for the strong backing he received this boy might have had an experience of 8 most embittering sort.
 The applicants whose worthiness is questionable-those who bring trou- ble upon themselves by their irres- ponsfb1e conduct-present the great est difficulties and at the same time the greatest opportunities for social service. For they are often guilty of the most ineCcusible negligence and culpable improvidence. A com munity service as arduous as it is worth while may be rendered in the efforts to teach these people to de- ve1op habits of thrift, to reckon the consequences of given conduct, and to become self reliant. It is not enough simply to help them out of a tight place, giving them freely of our knowledge. our experience and our skill, doing all the thinking and car rying all the responsibility while their orfi %ho @f senting a problem which we have to solve.
 This leads to what might be called. mental pauperfzation,' just as in discriminate a1msgiving leads to phys ica1 pauperization. The applicants emerge with the idea that no matter what trouble their foolishness or carelessness leads them into, we are there to help them out. By such 9