davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-02-23
THE MENTAL MISFiTS.

There is another glazing sin of the com-
munty against our neighbor's child when
demands attention. This is its failure to
recognize and to provide proper treatment
Tor children who are mentally irrespors-
bic and who are yet neither imbeclie nor
insane. Many OF these mentally defective
and exceptional children naturally come
into the Children's Court.
The mental deficiencies of such children
lead them irresstibly to commit acts
against the law. They are the victims oil
environmental or congenital causes winch
predispose them To crime. In It's present
method of treating children of this type
or rather in its neglect OF them-the sta'e
is sowing continuous crop Tor us
prisons and almshouses
So lax is the present system OF eXami-
ma ton for mental and physical detective
ness i'm our public schools that the au-
thorities themselves admit they have no
proper basis for conclusions
We are hearing more to-day about the
brotherhood of man than ever before.
That question about my brothers keeper
was asked some thousands OF years ago.
We are lust beginning to learn something
OF it's significance
Another small but significant indication
that we are at last setting some store oy
the idea of human brotherhood is TIC
way i'm which the Big Brother ana bis
Sister movements are appealing 10 ever
widening circles of men and women OF
good will.
In all this work OF the Big Brothers
personal relationship has been the kins-
pin. Its whole success has been due
the personal equation as expressed "
tween the man and the BOY.
How successful this has been is attesteo
by the fact that the original Big Brother
organization Of New York County ias'
year looked after 2.ss3 boys, with the re-
suit that less than per cent Of them
again got back into the Children's Court
There are other Big Brother organi1a-
tons: I'm New York, the Jewish Bis
Brothers and the Brooklyn Juvenile Pro
baton Association, that are doing JUST a'
effective work. This movement ha'
spread, until it Is now being followed u
one way or anotfp IN more than forS
cities in this country.
But some one will say. What about the
girls? Well, the girls are being lookeu
after too. for within the last two years
a similar work, which Is known as the
Big Sisters, has been established throus"
the personal efforts and untiring Devotion
Of Mrs. William X. Vanderbilt.
The chief tenet in the faith OF the Biz
Brothers and Big Sisters Is that the con
dtion of the tenement child Is not OF h's
own making. Whether he Is to become
friend and helper or An enemy OF tht
state rests largely with his ncighbor
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-02-23
TO RiSht. Greek. Negro. Rou17en ION,
HunGSrzo17; IT105Ie RoN, R>77e /zco0,
RoH Scotch, RuySl75z. IRISH. JA/13ia.

on the corner he takes me around to
break into two Hat houses.
The Court-Did you follow him in?
The Defendant-iic takes me In with
him and he tells me to see if the lady is
upstairs. and If she amt he comes up
with "A big bunch Of leys and makes me
help carry all the stuff and he gives me
II quarter and sends me To the theatre.
The Court-How long has this been go
Ing on?
The Defcndant-Since two months ago.
He rings the bell and he comes up and
he sends me out.
The Court-How old is he?
The Defendant-He Is about twenty
four The other two are twenty-six and
twenty-three.
The court-Do they live together?
The Dcfendant-They got furnished
room over in i0gth street. | live in 10th.
They get me away from home: last Tues
day they get me away, they get me away
all the time Thy come up To my house
and they kid me and tell me how good
am and knock 1t In my head This other
one said he would Kill me If | told on
him lie is the one that goes by the
name OF kid Chester" He's got chloro-
form In his pocket. lie told me he would
take me over TO Brooklyn and chloroform
the people over there and take their
money off them. He said he got the
chloroform from a doctor.
The pickpocket is not born but is made
after months of most painstaking tutor
ing and testing Frequently he Is the ex-
emplary pupil to his school teacher. who
il I'm ignorance Of another kind Of train
ing Of mind and hand that he Is receiv
ing after school hours. quick mind and
nlmble fingers are the first essentials for
successful pickpocket. Personality Is
important too, and II he is led into this
business by trainers older than himself
the lad who can make n plausible. tear
full plea If caught is always to be pre-
ferred to one whose tongue and whose
tear ducts work less readily.
The Chldren's Court and the society
have made what progress they could in
driving out trainers like kid Chester"
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-02-23

IAN erpert's uiep OF the child problem
~, biz cities is given in q book on Ernest
n. Coulter. entitled "The Children IN the
Shudoc," Just published by Mcbride, Mast
& Co. The author wos for many gears
clerk of the Children's Court in NeD
York. aud, sdvs Jacob A. R9ts IN an IN
reduction TO the book, started the ,cide-
s1,ead and useful Big Brother move
Inenf. Here are some extracts from MT
Couitor's tcork j
1T is the sins of the city against the
children that stand out most
J. startlingly in the Children's Courts.
The community robs the child in the con-
gested districts of everything a growing
human being needs for health OF Inino
and body and then IL would punish nm
when his efforts to win these chances for
himself bring him sharply against the
law of grown-up world.
Were there anything like rational DIS
tribution Of population, were the dwellers
IN the tenements not deprived OF light
and SPACE. were the tenement children
not desperately put 10 it for anything
like normal play, there would be small
work indeed for Children's Courts. for
charitable. reformatory or penal insttu-
lions. Until the millennium there will be
some crime. but that fact does not ex-
cuse the community from its responsible
ity for three-fourths of the present Grim
mails.
II is i'm INDUCING the God-given play
instinct under proper supervision that the
child best develops his physical. mental
and moral side When we force him TO
dodge about the garbage cans for his
game Of tag. push him into black III
smelling stalrways for his hide-and-seek'
how can the community complain when
he does not develop into a good citizen?
Arraigned for the heinous crime of play
ing ball in the street half-clad lad was
asked recently:
What are the streets for?
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-02-23
A7e>cYu .EAooZ CA1N>e>s; Top Ro~'. Ze/E
Sut he1lozz /t0/1so. Po/1CR. Cro0t1o17
NuJtr1on. German. SuL2o~z0/2. F3'o/7t
SIevtc!,s DewtSh e7n0 Sp0n'Sh.

can be urged for the parents in material
ly fortunate homes.
A mother Of this type, when told by the
court that her boy had been absent from
school for one solid year and asked to ex-
plain, expressed mild surprise and replied,
with shrug of her shoulders:
Does he want to be "A lawyer? Does he
want to be a doctor?' Stlll another moth
er, when Informed that her hopeful had
been a truant for seven months, offered
the excuse:
Maybe he wasn't feeling good"
A great, hulkng, six-foot Austrian APP
piled to the Childrens Court for a war
rant for his son. lie declared that the
boy would not go to school. smoked ciga-
rettes and added, with outraged feeling:
"He makes bad talk at me-
To the courts question as to the boy S
age, the father replied gravely that he
was all OF eight.
do you mean to tell me that a giant
Ike you can't handle an elght-year-od
boy?" demanded the court.
The father calmly shook his head
Don't you ever punish him."
threatened TO jump off roof and kill him.
self" was the reply.
In such fear, too, OF his tiny son was
this six-footer that he would not under
take to bring him to court. but wanted
an officer to go after him with warrant.
The giant seemed to have lost several
inches I'm stature when the court finished
with him.
Unbelievable as ii may seem. there have
been mothers who admitted TO the court
that they did not know how many chill
dren they had. One mother when asked
as to the size of her family answered:
me no know. | stop count when ] got
'leven." Then, with sniff she asked:
What de diff"
The cost to New York County alone for
the maintenance of children committed to
its various public Institutions II consider
nh'v mo~e than 90 ooo u voar. Ten
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-02-23

dren at given age are In direct rela-
ton to the number living in room. The
fewer in q room the taller and healthier
they are
Again, the hard usage 10 which they
have been subjected sometimes blunts the
moral sensiblities Of the parent. The
struggle for bread has been 80 fierce that
they often value their offspring solely for
the child's moneymahing ability. If the
state insists on making Giuseppi go to
school and will not allow him to work
until no is fourteen, then they argue that
the state should take care Of him until
that time. Until recently it has been a
common practice for such parents to try
to rid themselves of their children by
sending them to the "weissenhaus' or
the college" Any institution, charitable
or reformatory, was known to a certain
class ss college"
On the side Of dollars and cents, II II
estimated that, although $500 is the mini
MUM amount upon which man can sup
port himself, q wife and three children
under working age in Manhattan and The
Bronx, a recent investigation has shown
tHat t1c average wage VI oou,Szl WOTkeiS
in these two boroughs is only s54a. The
average wages OF 10l 1856 heads of families
in Brooklyn was 1913.
What a furnishing. a rebuilding and
activity there would be in the tenement
districts II a plan recently brought for
ward by the Rev. Father James Curry
were placed upon the statute books-that
every owner should be forced to place OH
his tenement house small sign giving
his name In plain letters! This was pro-
posed to the Congestion Commission and
Immediately some leading citizens were
frightened to the verge OF prostration.
No man wanted to see his rickety. black.
airless. cold water death trap stand out
as q monument to his greed.
Much OF the parental helplessness found
in the allen colonies and the congested
districts is due to ignorance, TO want and
tie a''or'rrt 'll' Mono Of these EXCUSES
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-02-23

The Writer, Who Is Credited with Having Started the
Bio Brother Movement, Gives Facts About the
Lives Of the "Chldren in the Shadow and
Tells How Mercilessly the Schools Of the
Streets Drive Into Crime.

1--WE tried so hard to keep this kid
straight" he said. I've tried to watch
him every minute I was not away at
work, for I know what once bein' dip
means. I've kept straight for the las,
few years-as stra.<It as / could I ave
been doing the closest thing | could get
to honest work-runnn' a gambling house.
But | wanted this boy to amount to some.
thing. He's never known my business.
he's never known I've been sent up Bur
the crooks must have got him when
wasn't at home. When was it?' he do.
manded fierceiy.
But the boy hung his head and WAS
silent
Il used to give him a little spendin'
money now and then" the man went on,
so there wouldn't be no need for him to
90 and steal it, ] guess he was gettin'
good deal more on the outside. lie used
To come home once in a while with a
black eye and a lot of bruises. When |
asked him he always said he had a fight
with a bigger boy and got the worst OF
IL. II was the crooks beat him to make
him steal or give up the money he 'ad
lifted"
He clenched his fist again. Il know III
never amount to nothln' but did look
TOR things from that boy. And now.
judge. he's gone. This settles IT, he'll
never amount to nothin neither
He stood in utter detection. a big lolllng
broken figure. But suddenly he rouse /.
ne hammered tho rail with his sledge Of
a fist. "Oh. | wish ! could get OF en-
he sobbed. II wish | could get en-"
one of the most prominent men in the
Bar Association. while visiting the Chill.
drens Court. said 10 pickpocket spc-
cialist from Central Office: - don't SEQ
how il is possible for "A man Of aiertness
and Intelligence TO be roO1ed Of his watch
or jewery in broad daylight without the
thief being detected
That is hard to understand replied
the detective.
\ few minutes later tho lawyer Was
amazed To see his diamond scarlp':
adjoining the lapel OF the detectives coat
When did YOU DO IL" he dcmanoed,
stunned.
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-02-23
A NOVICE.

Immediately after you SPOKE. / have
been watching me boy pickpockcts 50
'ong that know a little about their bus-
ness And yet" the detective addeG.
they would regard me as an awkward
novice
Say. mister" spoke up an undersized
thirteen-year-old culprit that this detcc.
tive had just brought in. dat fatty" (thc
riaincIothes NAM was dead siow. II
wuz as tall as he wuz ID "a had it and
been lookin' over the crowds in Grard
street by row.
The insdious thing about the pickpoche,
germ is that IT seizes upon the child's
imasination-h.s natural impulse for adj
venture. And this brings lis to the point
where so many OF the offences that az
pear before the Cfildrcn's Court hav,
brought us. 10 the thought of preventive
measures rather than those that are
curative
He gives mo quarter and sends me-
TO the theatre" says William Thompson
of the thief who taught him-why can't
the community take hint from kid
Chester" and send the boy 10 the theatre
itself? We have begun we'll i'm play
grounds. In dancing al the public schools
We ought to go much further There
should be many more recreation places
OF the sort already started. And why
should We not add moving pictures to our
opportunities for moulding the citizens %
come-a good, clean. straight, MOVING
picture place under proper municipal
supervision and not controlled by a pri-
vate combination. whose sole thought IS
profit. where the boy could be taught his
tory and travel without knowing il. where
he could get the sense of adventure anu
where there was nothing To betray hs
ready Imagination into crime before n
knew the meaning OF II?
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-02-23

thousand children are proposed to the
Chldren's Bureau OF that one county
each year for commitment. ana between
- and - per cent of these cases arise.
according TO the head OF that bureau,
from family desertion
There are more than two million chill
dren In this country whose future eff
cheney is being imperilled by the labor
that Is forced from them before they are
old enough to toll. The exploitation Of
child labor in sweatshop, tenement. fac
tory and mine is national crime.
In our great cities thousands of chill
drcn are being transformed into old men
and women before they are out of their
teens by the strain Of piece work done In
the homes. The industry in which the
children of the tsnements are chiefly ex-
plotted is that ~ finishing ready made
garments New York IL the great gar
ment making centre OF the world. But
there are many other ines In which the
ployed.
ON complaint of Police Ofhccr Charles
u. Lander, William Thompson. with two
others. was charged with picking pockets
and pleaded guilty.
The Court want YOU to make the
statement that you made to the officer.
The Defendant-I give the statement
that I was with them. There Is another
one in II. lie follows me to school and
all over and takes me out with him.
Now ! was In the house reading book
and he rings the bell and he comes up
for me. He Is a thief. He says to me.
"roTre down. and rs soon ne he secs me
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-02-23

the wet clothes "Ye gets lots of room
dis way. Gee. l takes a bath pretty near
every month now"
Less than 100000 persons own all the
real estate OF New York City. There are
eight owners alone whose holdings aG-
gregatc in value about $50 oo0.oo), the
total area Of these holdings being &iS
acres. The mortality ana crime rates In
any district vary directly with the density
of the population, just as 1t has been
proved that the size and weight Of chill
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-02-23
Ernest K. Coulter, in the Course Of Many Years tx
perience as Clerk Of the Childrens Court in This
City, Attained Such Point Of View as Leads
Him to Prepare Brief in the Case Of the
Little Ones Against New York.

out a wooden partition that divided the
tub. A lot Of dirty clothes were In soak
aye see, when yer wants to take
bath ye pulls de board out and then ye
steps inter dc tub just like dis" and she
nimbly climbed in and pranced about on
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-02-23

o,d cleverer men of his sort. But it is
diaicult to trap these fellows. for they
never take actual part in larceny from
the person." but are always across the
street or at a nearby corner when IL &C.
curs And the boys rarely divu'ge the
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-02-23
UNDlsTUReED BY DEATH.

IT, year after year, In one little dlstrlct
ten thousand men were killed in battle
and twenty thousand more were cruelty
wounded the world would arise and stop
il. But because these ten thousand men,
women and children go out quietly In
their little black holes and there are no
dramatic features the community sits SUI
pinely by.
The crowding Of Manhattan Island Is
two-thirds greater than that In any
European city, and this condition is
rapidly being carried into The Bronx.
A ragged little girl, with bare feet and
tousled red hair, opened the door, peered
out into the darkness and called, shriliy:
What yer want?'
We could see her plainly enough, for at
the back Of the room which served the
double duty 81 sleeping place and kitchen
there was window which actually let in
daylight.
The officer explained that we wanted to
see the apartment. The little girl was
glad of the opportunity to show all Of the
improvements" Evidently they had
lived In a much worse place before.
IT'S a grand house We live In now"
she said, proudly. We asked to see the
bathroom.
There amt no bathroom, but there's
the bath" and she pointed at the
kitchen tub.
But that's a washtub," we replied.
''Yes, and it's a bathtub, too" she an
swered, plainly showing her injured feel
- r. .nnrntch q chnir and pnllcN
New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-02-23
PHILOSOPHY OF THE GAMlN.

The children of the streets too, de-
velop a wonderful philosophy, resource
fulness and readiness of speech. We no.
ticed q bare-legged. grimy-faced young
ster IN ragged jumpers on the busy cor
ner. with a great bundle OF newspapers
under his arm. The officer was willing
,o overlook the hour, but demanded of
the industrious newsy:
Where's your badge"
Quick as flash the younester, VINO
was about as big as peanut, looked up
irto the big officers face and replied, In
the blandest manner:
Say, mister left me badge home on
de piano"
once | told this story before a number
of students Of sociology" One turned
TO a companion and solemnly but audloiy
whispered: "Why, they don't have pianos
i'm such homes do they?' 1t was just
such q class as this that would turn TO
mage 72s in the Manual of Philanthropy"
TO discover how to distribute a bod or
coal.
In the district below 18th street on
Manhattan Island, into whose narrow
area are crowded practically a million
persons, all tHe uttIc HihhS-uchcNO Poi No
put together aggregate less than seventy
acres Here lives a population equal to
those Of Buffalo and Pittsburgh combined,
with only one-eighteenth the area and
one-twentieth the park space Of those two
cities In all OF New York City there are
now about thirty Fairgrounds or one
play spot for every 10000 children. One
day we shall recognize that Fairgrounds
are quite as important as schools for our
children.
The Keota news., 1913-06-20
NOTICE FOR PUBLICATION
Department Of the Interior
U. 8. Land Office at Denver. Colo.
AAY %. l0lS.

Notice 10 hereby given that Albert A. Ohm
stead, one Of tho hefrs Of Sarah Jane oln,stead.
1901. made Homestead Entry. No. pes for the
NWlI 10! Kl.2 NV ~ and Lots and p Section
is M Range 81 9Th
year Proof to establish claim to the laud
above described. before the Register or Receiv-
Or Of the U. y. Land Office. Al Denver Colora-
do, on the 2sth day Of July. 1918.
Claimant names a. witnesses: VIM. ". Lor-
rimer. Of Denver, Colo; Harrison r. thinner
man. Of Sligo. Colo; Ed Olander. Of Sligo.
Colo George Schmidt, Of Denver. Colo
IL G. ID. FORD. Register.
The Keota news., 1913-06-20
NOTICE FOR PUBLICATION
Department of the Interior
U, 3. Land Office at Denver, Colorado
A-v n lAiS

OF sota. Colo, who. on November Is. 1902 made
Homestead Entry. No. olla1:. for " IL.
Section I, Township North. Range e0 wess,
eth Principal Meridian, has dled notice Of In
tention to mako Final Three Year Proof. 70 es-
tablish claim TO she land above described. b.
fore Ir. 3. Griffin. U; 3; Comnissioner. at As-
osa Colo. on tho 18th day OF July. 1919.
Claimant names a. witpssses: Hiram ID.
vawtsr. OF Keota. Colo: Joe Holmes. OF
Keota, Colo Lester 8. Poush, of Keota, Colo.
Il c. ID. FORD. Rsststss.
The Keota news., 1913-06-20
NOTICE FOR PUBLICATION
Department Of the Interior
U. S. Land Once 1t Denver. Colo.
Nav 20. 1913

o.. s. Land OSkSC0 ~ OtdV0. Ooso
May 20. 1913
Notice Is hereby given thAt Clifford l. Jobbins. Of
Ksota Colo. who. on July IL. 1908. made Hons-
stead Entry. No. $500. fos NE -. Section 70:
Township n RAnse 60 w.. 9Th p Meridian. and
on March 8. 1910. made additional II. E. No
Ol26ls for SW - Sc ~. Section ~. Township 8
NJ Range go w. 9Th p. Meridian. has Aled notice
OF lntention to make final three year proof to g.
tabsh claim to the land above described before Ira
s. Griffin. U. S. CoDmlssloansr. At ksota. Colo. On
the 22nd day Of July. 1918.
Ctaimant names Witnesses: Herbert D. Dtns.
moor Of Buck aham Colo: Charles o. Doddes. Of
Keota Colo: Virginia Bueher. Of ksota. CoIo
Fred Trumbo. Of keota Colo.
II CD. FORD. RssIssu.
The Keota news., 1913-06-20
Notice for Publication
Serial No. O9766
Department Of the Interior

Apr. &c. 1913
Notice b hereby given that Herman s. O'Neil. Of
Buckingham Colo. who on July l0O9. made home
stead Entry No. O9766. for E IL Sc ~ Sec. ! 3.
EL2 NE lA Eta Sc - SW - NE "a NV -
Meridian has nied notice Of intentioo to make nal
three year proof. to establish claim TO- the land
above described, before Ir1 S. Griffin U. S. Com
June 1913.
Clamant Games ~ Witnesses: John Prathe. of
Buekinsham Colo. CeorseRathbun o. Bvckiashnm
Colo: Taylor Loean Of Buekinsham. Colo; Charles
c. b. FORD. Rees.es
The Keota news., 1913-06-20
Notice For Publication
Serial No. OSlO6
Department Of the Interior

y. ,. LAno OttCe ~ UeuVer, NOSO11U0
Aprl 26 1913
Notice & hereby given that Frederic E. Busby Of
Denver. Colo. WHO on April >2s. 1908. 9sds
Desert Land Entry No. 2577. for Sc - Sec, l3.
and NE IA. Sectioa "a. Township n. Range 60
West 9 Nsstdiaa. has Ajsd estses Of lntentioa 10
make 6nal p9oc<. to establish claim to The land
Abovs deseIibed, be1ose Resister OF Receiver. ut
Denver. Colo. on Aug. 7. 1918.
CAhnant names as Witnesses: James D. Banks Of
616 Symes Bldg. Denver. Colo; Max Waessel Of
First Natl Bank. DenveT. Colo: Leonard A. Jack
soe Of Ksota. Colo: William K. Bowle4 Of keota.
Colo.
The Keota news., 1913-06-20
NOTICE FOR PUBLICATION
Department Of the Interior
o. s. Land Once at Denver. Colo.

Notice Is hereby given that Walter Oyerkamp.
Homestead Entry, No. oi0o1s. Tor " ll Ne ~,
and N II NV II. section !, Township 3 n,
Range 90 W. 8 p. Meridian. has fled notice OF
intention to make hnal three year proof TO g.
tablish claim TO tho land above described. b.
fore Ira 9. Grimm, q. 9. Commissions. At
Ksots. Colo. on the 18th day OF July. 1918.
Claimant names a. witnesses: John Sides, Of
Keota, Colo; Oliver N. Ernst, Of Keota, Colo. I;
Mamie Ernst, Of Keota. Colo; Hughey Irwin,
II c. d. FORD. Register.