The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1914-07-14

been dealing with things instead Of
with people"
In this trial of Mickey the Judge
for the first time the mean
ing of the word "Cheeger.~ The
"cheeger." as explained in the yer
nacular OF Mickey, was de guy what
watches Tor de cop n SWITCHES his |
coming to de gang" To 'snitch' is
TO peach or 10 squeal. and there is
an immutable law among the kids that
he who SWITCHED inevitably got his |
face smashed.
II believe every little child when
understood is good said the Judge.
What the policeman called rebellion
was simply loyalty to his comrades
That loyalty might be better directed
IN a 7. NJ. {. A, or in a boy scout
gang, or in the Sunday school or
church, and l found you coeld not
properly try this case by merely Sit
ting behind the bench; couldn't rec
tify it any more than the hospital
can protect the whole community bv
treating n fever patient brought
there.
Battle in City Fountain.
wen, took pains to investigate
all that section of the city wherein
was situated the box-cars. 1t was
down by the railroad rack There was
a swimming hole not -ar away. A
great many of the boys had been
brought up and sentenced for week
DAY ana Sunday immortality. One
morning later while looking out of
my office window upon the square be-
low l noticed a beautiful fountain,
plenty OF water seemingly going to
waste all around it, immense pools Of
IL, and as decorations here and there
were lmpS of brass and iron. These
were absolutely naked, not even a
coat of paint on them, and yet they
were not arrested. 1t cost the city
1 XIX OO0 Annually 70 lann xh;c ro01 -
proper condition. So, | gave the boys
the privilege to battle in the city
fountain.
"When the policeman first saw the
Boys there they were surprised and
brought them into court for immor-
alty, but sent them back to the pool
again. The community Of course was
terribly shocked, but that was what
was needed. Some communities need
a jolt! But by and by there were
swimming pools in town for the
youngsters, and they neglected the
filthy railroad district where there
We're ordinances against raising hogs
but none against raising boys.
It was this same Mickey, or some
other of the Judges good kid friends
who once upon a time built him an
the soapbox with which it was built
but, friends, it was not the only rail
road which was ever stolen. This kid
was put in Jail, the first instance ever
known to history where any one who
stole a railroad was put in Jail.
tried a man one time for stealing {
railroad, but he later came nearel
getting into the United States Senats
than in Jail.
Protect the Child.
Every year in America here ar
5000 boys under II years of age am
10000 girls under IS put into GU
jails. We are not proud of our Goa
strikes in Colorado where 5000 chill
dren ave been made orphans by ex
plosions and various other happen
ings. Within four years there wer'
700 made orphans in two counties. W
l should be interested in changing thes
, conditions and listen to the plea O
!, the child calling over the country TO
l protection and nobody to give it t.
home"
l This interesting speaker remarke,
that he could take up all the night i
telling of the immortality IN the home
? of the poor immortality becaus
l mother was not there, oftimes force
into the position Of being both mOthe
and breadWinner, all victims Of in
dustrialism, Of the brothel, the sa
0 loon, and our morally u~nsanitary con
ditions. By industrialism we hav
e robbed the children of father an
I IIlOl1lS oll0 tI1SI ILL oNiOA
e the bar Of justice accusing them
stealing. We pray not to be led int
e temptation, but so arrange the Socls
s lives of these children that it become
e natural almost for h INTO steal an
8 then we blame them.
S Some time ago he had seen som
e old wood prints representing the gor
e heads of little boys who were hange
in England for stealing. One ha
stolen a gunny sack, another a gel
tleman's cravat, and another a loaf
bread. But the hanging of the chi
Z dren did no good. Crime increase
The law said the property of the con
1t munity must be protected. But TT
better, nobler, saner way would /
to put the boys above the gunny sac
put the boy above the gentleman
e, cravat, put the boy above the loaf
IF bread; he is worth more to the Stat
II am accused of encouraging Grim
k but that is only one of the lesser "a
q,