Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-05-17
PUTS LOVE IN LAW
FOR BOY CULPR|TS
Judge Ben Lindsey Pleads for
Lads While He Furnishes
Offenses.

NEW YORK. May live must
learn to put love in the law. We do
not judge men, but the things men
do"
He had been speaking of boys-just
boys. Speaking tenderly. understand
ingly, lovingly. For that is the way
of Judge Ben B. Lindsey. with most
folk, but mostly with boys. It was he
who created the children'sl court.
Il hate lie. but not a child" went
on Judge Lindsey. THAT is what
mean when say we must put love
in the law You must love the boy.
but hate the bad things that he does
The boy is of value. He must be
saved at any cost. It's the bad thing
that has to be killed II you have an
apple with one rotten spot. what do
you do? Throw the whole apple
away? Not bit Of It. You save it
and cut out the rotten spot, don't
you?
Cut out the Bad spot.
THAT is what tell my boys--just
cut it out | say I don't want to
hurt you; I love you. But you've got
to let go of this thing that's dragging
you down You have to-cut it out.
1t isn't doing you any good; it's doing
yu harm. and it's spreading. If you
let it go it will make you rotten all
over.
Come on, kid. fight square. You
can make more money. anyway. on
the level than you can as a crook.
Isn't it proved? How many crooks
do you know that are rich?"
Judge Lindsey paused He was
looking back through the years.
DO you know" he said, sthe first
three boys who came before me OFF,
cially that l tried for burglary? They
had robbed a barn. When l ques-
toned them / found 1t was the same
barn 1 had robbed when 1 was a kid.
1t made a better judge of me to
know it.
Don't Alarm the Kids
you mustn't brighten kids. A lot
of the bad things they do are just
because they are frightened Most
kids would not lie unless they were
afraid. Oh, that daredevil. misdl-
rected age of youth! How you have
to love 1t to understand it! And I'm
no sentimentalist. ] believe you have
| to be firm. The law must be obeyed.
But II you want to help you have to
| learn to put patience and sympathy,
wisely used, into the construction of
| the law.
mo product of the world is half
SO precious as our young humans.
We have TO learn to care for them.
They are of greater value than the
things they harm.
There is the story of the three
boys who came before me who had
stolen a shawl. What did you take
it for, kids?' asked. To get money
to go to the Punch and Judy show
they told me.
THAT was burglary. wasn't 1t?
Weren't the boys criminals? The law
told me it was my duty to put burg
lars in Jail, or in some reformatory,
with incorrigible boys. So the law
would have placed the value of that
shawl above that of ,nree human
souls. No. sir; that would have been
wrong. There would have been no
love in that law. 1t is not an insti-
tuition that can overcome evil. You
have to overcome evil with good.
Give All Chance.
Human beings are naturally good"
continued Judge Lindsey. thought
fully. IF they have half chance
they will stay good. That is why the
homes and the clubs and the people
who are giving the young chance
are doing the big work of the world,
and 1t is because the people who are
doing such work love kids that 1t
counts. One day Of love is worth
more to the heart of a child than
one year of empty creature comforts.
And so I pray that each may put
his shoulder to the wheel. Help us
save the one thing in the world most
worth saving. Help us to bring out
the image of God in the work that
the state has to do"