Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1916-01-28
GOOD MAGISTRATES
URGED BY JUDGE DUNCAN
Talks On Juvenile Courts and How
They Reduce Criminais--Give
Boys and Girls a Chance.
CONCLUDING SESSIONS
Of MARYLAND Conference Charities
and Correction Love is Stronger
Than Handouts.

Than Handouts.
AT the closing session of the Elev.
enth Maryland Conference of Chari.
tres ard Corrections. held last night in
the old senate chamber in the State
House, Judge Frank /. Duncan, OF
Baltimore County. the Juvenile Court.
was the chief speaker
Stanley H. Howe, secretary of the
Department of Public Charities also
made a. address.
The closing session was presided
over by MIR. Harry j. Hopkins. presi-
dent of the conference, who asked for
reports of committees The secretary,
Mr.. Davenport offered Resolutions OF
thanks to Mrs. Harrington, the An
napolis committee and others who hao
helped make the conference a success
which were adopted
The prevention of criminaiity by
proper treatment of Juvenile delin-
quents was Judge Duncan's theme.
and he discussed il from the points o.
view he mas developed in his work
among children in the Baltimore
County Juvenile Court. Upon the
theory, he said, that love is stronger
than handouts, the ordinary equip
ment of a court room, with high
benches and policemen, was replaced
by little room like reception room.
and kind hearted women, who acted as
officers.
Out of $50 cases before him Judge
Duncan said he had found but five
boys who had lied. He attributed the
decrease in crime among boys to the
present more enlightened methods of
court pr ocedure in Juvenile cases.
Every county in Maryland. ne said.
should have a juvenile couri.
Judge Duncan said it was the deep
interest in boys and girls that brought
him here, as he was suffering from
hoarsness due to a long speech ne had
made the day previous. The keynote
of the theme was PREVENTION for
crime, rather thsn cure, and he gave
forcible illustrations. We have, he
said, preventives for yellow fever, ty
phoid and even for insanity. why not
prevent crime. Sixty per cent of all
criminals. he said begin their develop
ment of crime after fifteen years of
age.
He illustrated by way of Joliet, H.,
prison, where statistics prove that 80
per cent of the criminals could have
b cen saved had there been juvenile
courts. He told of boys and girls who
never have chance, and illustrated
with the story of boy sent to an in
stitution for years by fool magis-
=. Z, ~ 1. e.
the boy having stolen 20 cents, worth
of chewing gum, from slot machine,
when he was Is years old.
Judge Duncan emphasized the ne
cessity for the selection of good magis-
trates, the very best men for Justices
of the Peace, men who have some
knowledge of the law, some humanity,
the love of God in their heart and the
love of humanity as large as his body.
He said the Governor should appoint
and select good men for magistrates
but he often does not
Judge Duncan in his remarks appeal
ed to Senator Duvall of Anne Arun-
del. who was present for the appoint
ment of GOOD magistrates, and for
the Juvenile Court. which creates no
extra expense to speak of.
The Judge gives his services in the
afternoon. there are no fees paid
witnesses. no sheriff's fees. The
Juvenile Court itself can accomplish
ment and care behind it, and this is
by the parole officer. and the Society
TO Protect Children and kindred organ
cations. The Juvenile Court gets right
at the boy, while the court proper gets
his, case sandwiched in between two
big cases and the child gets but little
consideration.
He told of the squalor of some chill
dren. those with drunken parents, who
sleep anywhere, boys and girls who
never had q chance. What can you
expect. Several pathetic stories
were told illustrative of this. Give
the boy or girl who gets into trouble
chance. A physician is necess ary,
skilled in the study of cases. Some
times mental and physical defects
cause crime. Judge Duncan urged the
saving of the child from being Grim.
inal by preventive means, rather than
by finding cure. An ounce of pre-
vention is worth more than pound
of cure
Mr.. Howe told of a pending inves-
tigation by Governor Whitman, in New
York. of corruption among charity
organizations there and discussed
ideals at which his organization is
aiming He said that private charity
bodies were not able to cope with all
situations alone. and that these situ-
ations presented public possibilities