The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1913-05-16
JUDGE DUNBAR'S ADDRESS

Judge William C. Dunbar pro-
bate judge of Ada county delivered
an address at the Methodist church
Tuesday evening on problems of mod
ern social life. The judges visit
here was under the auspices OF the
Methodist Brotherhood, and the gen
eral public was invited to attend, ex-
cepting persons under the age OF
sixteen.
Taking up the subject of immora-
lity on the basis of violations of the
natural laws by which the race keeps
the torch of life passing on through
the generations, the judge says that
a study of the matter as is today that
immortality among young people is
not confined to youth, but is prevail
ent among children long before
reaching the age of puberty. That 1t
is not confined to children of the cit
les and towns but is worse among
them than it is among country child
ren. That bad talk and obscenity runs
riot among country children perhaps
as much as among those of the towns
that in town they nave more oppor-
tunity to be together and more cas-
lily deceive their parents as to where
they are. That when children get
to going wrong they put up all kinds
of plausible stories as to where they
are going and what they are going to
do and one of the commonest of
these is to claim there is to be party
of their classmates at the home OF
one of them, under the management
of the parents of that pupil; another
is that there is to be q hay ride or a
picnic in the hills or the park or a
walk into the country to study plant
life or something of that kind under
the chaperonage of the teacher. The
unsuspecting parents accept such
statements without question when by
moments inquiry over the tele-
phone they could check up and verify
the statements, 1t also happens that
if there is the school party or the
trip, somebody's children do not at,
tend or leave the party under pre-
tense of going home, and to not &C
home, so that careful inquiry is nee
essary in order that the parent shall
know all about where the children
spend the time. The Judge said thai
if parents would check up carefully
on such matters as they do their bills
before paying them, that most of the
scandal arising among children
would be discovered before it deye.
lops, and the children and parents
saved the pain and grief entailed by
it. That children lie, have lied and
will lie; that most of them develop
into good men and women, not be-
cause they have lied but because they
quit, and parents might as we'll face
the task of getting them to quit al
early as they can. 49,. :..' ~
The curfew laws requiring children
| to be- at home at a certain hour in the
evening unless accompanied by ar
adult, the judge says is one.~of the
most important things for the com
munity to maintain and enforce. That
public sentiment should enable the Of
f1cers to enforce the law strictly, ant
that without it, If the people are in
different and leave its enforcement
to the officials it will not and can
not be done. He told of how the mat
ter can be most easily handled b!
having each officer or patrolmar
carry notebook and in cases where
he is in doubt as to whether to TAXI
charge of the person or persons, HI
takes the names and gives place ant
date and statement of any suspi
cious appearance, and reports promp
tly by phone or otherwise to the par
ents or guardian. In this way man!
cases of deception of parents ii
brought to light early in the develop
ments, and children who are startin,
wrong are set right and kept right.
A prevalent opinion among par
ents that no harm can come to theil
children except by being out at nigh
is set at naught by the cases coming
before probation officers shown;
that harm comes to them during an.
hour of the day, and frequentl!
while the children are supposed to b.
at Sunday school, while parents ar
at prayer meeting or at Sunda,
devotional service. That the school
are blamed for a great deal, but tina
the discipline of the schools and th'
vigilance of the teachers is far NOR
effective for prevention of trouble
than 10 tho dicniplino opd Uioilouoo n