Grand Forks daily herald., 1915-12-23
Il power to earn money; the family

all power to earn money; the Iamlly
becomes public charge.
The law Is notably deficient in it's
treatment of the worthless, drunken
father. The wife has no real remedy
in many cases.
While drink has many ramifcations
short Of the absolute neglect of pro-
geny which shows itself in a general
shiftlessness and casual, abstract at
tention to the child, which is about
the same as no attention at all. there
are non-drinking parents. who are al
50 delinquent, and crininhlly so. There
are parents who do not seem to- real
ize that they are supinely indifferent
or grossly indulgent to the ways and
whims Of the growing child.
Take the boys. Somewhere between
the ages of 12 and 16 years the boy
wants to leave school; he resents the
bonds Of the school room and longs
to get out into the world. He ar
rogantly knows more than he will at
any subsequent period OF his life. 1t
may be that he has O. desire to help
with the support of the family-this
desire Is usually a matter Of express
sion rather than Of deed. He starts to
play hockey.
1t is right at this point that the
parent may firmly check an untoward
tend school, II argument is not enough
then force should be used; in any
event the boy must not be truant.
I find that very few boys become de-
linquents If they have attended school
with regularity and I am strongly in
favor of vigorously enforcing the laws
which place the responsibility for
truancy on the parents. If the fathers
money is taken to pay fine he will
tIo+ Ioys 1,
classes:
But the parent neglects his duty;
the boy becomes truant. The young
ster finds himself with plenty Of time
to spare and he seeks companionship
in the ever ready gang. The gang Is
formed of boys probably q few years
older than himself, who have learned
the mysteries Of petty gambling games
and cigarette smoking; they are also
inveterate attendants at the cheap and
sensational performances.
Money must come from somewhere
for these new "luxuries'' and it can
not be furnished by the parents; the
gang members openly boast of their
ways Of getting money and the new
conner IL duly impressed; it seems to
be the thing to steal-and he steals.
Perhaps the first theft is from the
mother or an older brother. Then one
day he joins a party who break into
@ vacant house and strip 1t Of lead
pipe and small plumbing; they easily.
find junk dealer to take the loot
from their hands at fraction of its
value. Or It may be that they will
steal coal from q railway and sell 1t
to callous housewives at price much
below that Of the corner grocer.
They progress in petty burglaries,
hotdups and the easy sequence Of
crime. At some stage In the career
the. hand of the law grasps and they
are hauled into court as delinquents.
We send for the parents--usually
only the mother comes-and then,
with their child faced toward the re-
formatory they realize. in their shock
and shame, how they have permitted
him to stay on the streets until late
at night or thought little Of it, If he
had not come home at all; In short,
they have allowed. him to indulge his
own sweet will, without let or him
drance. without moral instruction or
discipline. They view the result.
We usually parole the flrst offender
into the custody Of the parents under
the supervision Of probation officer
OF the same religious faith as the child
unless the parents are fnanlfestly un-
fit. We urge the parents to exercise
greater care % to the child's COM
panions. while the attention OF the
boy IN directed to the Boys club and
the Boy Scouts, or some kindred or
ganixation.
These Organisations form substi-
tutes for the Eregariousness OF the
gang; . boy Joins q gang for compan-
ionship and he adopts the morals OF
the gang II It is-the fashion among
his companions to steal he will steal;
if his companions do not favor steal