The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-12-12
SEES IN SCOUT WORK
END OF THE BAD BOY
Students of Juvenile Delinquency Blame Msdrected Energy
for Most Cases All Need Chance to Play-Malcions
Mischief Another Name for Animal Spirits

New York, Dec. 11.----That Juvenile
delinquency would be largely prevent
ed by an extension of the Boy Scout
movement is the opinion Of the head
ri the New York Children's Court,
Justice FRANKLIN Chase Hoyt Con-
curing In this decision is Magistrate
Joseph Fitch. of Long Island City,
who is the leader of a band of scouts.
Also concurring in this opinion 10
JUDGE Ben r. Lindsey, Of the Juvenile
Court of Denver
Justice Hoyt believes that the scout
movement turns the gregarious m
stincts of boys to useful purposes. de
says in q statement issued through the
Scouts headquarters
"Oyer one-half OF the cases that
come before the Children's Court are
due to the environment of the emil
dren. using the word environment In
tt largest sense. The test Is whether
change OF surrounding conditions
would remove the motive that led to
the delinquency The activities Of
scouting would act as great preven-
tative against the formation of bad as
snciations and give direction to ener-
giles which. when misdirected, iea1
the boy into trouble. A large part
Of delinquency Is a gang phenomenon.
the same natural tendency to act IN
groups. which the scout movement
utilities for constructive purposes rs
well as amusement
Justice Hovt is president of the
Neutrality-suspicious. Council OF the Boy
Scouts of America, and chairman 81
the Advisory Committee for Greater
New York, which is in charge OF the
$500. e00 campaign
= Age of Vital Impulse.
Magistrate Fitch puts the matter
somewhat differently. "A large ma
soYity of the offenders in any court"
said he. ARE youths from sixteen 10
twenty-five years of age. The Civil
War, like the present European war,
was fought by youths under twenty
five. Youth Is enterprising and NOV
ing about. That is the time OF life,
the age when vital impulses assert
themselves most vigorously; after that
H9e things become set and men do Not
take the chances they do before life
settles down into a rut.
~.7.his morning young italian Of
eighteen or twentg-ntae was arraigned
befors me Or u charge of insabordine-
tfoa and vagrancy. preferred by his
own father. The Old man is street
"a a
sss,4xur = ,;zcF,,,,s 80 Ia ,,arer ahon,
80 - - 80 - s,s,,7sr,5e,,+ xc,,
W. ~, h.a 80, eva+s frotv, MS
,~.~on. YJi- as.,r.,.R,,, A., ans t,ubfi>
| schools rad so thoroughly instIlled
IN him the idea 81 kee ping clean that
. he carried IT T., he point OF keeping
away altogether frcu any manual Ia
ban,ss ,rsA hora vvur,xinr father
80. 80. II 49,, s.sT,o,,Idare,i
-, 49, 80. -, ,{.tr a,,s sY,,x,s.,
| III, f. -., ar ~ ala ~ had
1000 ~ r,asbt.-e Tar III lnrg
~ - =, fSgorv hin, tnto
-, st..s .-,.s..t w-ftbor. any
-,
.s,.,,..,, 60 wor,-
49, -, So, "a .vas,bf ,,,,..
- 80 Ne "a ~ s,,,. ~, rt,s,T,,.
a,..,.,gt, ,a ua4s s{-i,a,, ,,raaxad rim,
WI sesf,. n, ,.5,.=t5.s,s r. 80 ,x.{,,g
s,,.,,.a+.s's, XXI, ,j,,, aa,rt, 4.
~s-rh,. ,,hai., 1,o,,bla ves ina, ~.
| .n..i., IA. So, a,,rb AZ ~ r,aba
n, 49, sa,eo os, ,,anuai Ia hay RI
80 ,1tar.t .t,s. ba oantsn.t 80.
m ansnt If view m The ola man But
|sifIh., 49,. MA hasp h~o1rht ,,n as
ar, sscr,,t h. raya~ YOU'D have her,
ss,ss into ra,,rt or any such charge.
rsr,c 80 wet 40 tbe roror,nnntasn
w.r,. ~ .ha xrorfd and sro,,ts learn
t,,aS -, WORT ~ mater how nenial.
,s-.s,ngraei,,- on the contrary. a scout
,a-tasph. tnat the sfssgracsf,,I thing
\, naxa ,a.h,s,, AZ anythinr for
I.t., ma he mi, Az for himself. Ia be
-gr..tnas l., axE for helm from others
4 cay.vsr ~ ra,, hair himself
w,r,e assetn1,nn ~ .ho Yo.t Scouts
.r,ia nave mi flgt4 particular case in
-, s.,ss tIn u,, ala Rave hee,, train
80 ~. ~. ,toan 10 omit cigarettes ar
IN ,i.sn., eIsa ,h4t was iunpairIng his
1,.s,.h IN INV o,gn troon the bovs
s-~s ,ro,,tbifnd he ase Of all tobacco
-, nasr bylaws and I ahatafu fror,s
II -e.r4.3 IA, Vt.h them AZ ri.ialy IA
1sass.v ~, II mis- vourg Italian hsa
s.snu, er.4t ha uronahly never would
&C. I'll, iutn rhe rtearette habit
s.s<onoly ne would have been tausht
I'D dignity and deeencv OF common
faha, AZ sna,,t whila he wot,la
nave been stimulated Ia prepare him
se9f far a more skilled position. he
would have feIt that even a pick and